Staff Biographies

Administration

Dr. Kenneth Michael (Mike) Walker
Chief Audit & Compliance Officer
UCHC, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Mike was appointed Chief Audit & Compliance Officer for the University of Connecticut (UConn) and for the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC) in January of 2005.  His responsibilities include the leadership and oversight of the audit and compliance functions at the main campus at Storrs, the Health Center campus in Farmington, and seven regional campuses.  A major focus of his current responsibilities includes the oversight of the campus expansion and renovation effort known as UConn 2000 and 21st Century UConn.  Combined, this is a $2.3 billion State-funded expansion and renovation program designed to establish and maintain UConn’s dominance as the number one public university in New England.   

Prior higher education experience includes serving as Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University and holding multiple faculty and staff positions at Wake Forest University (WFU).  In 1998, Mike assumed leadership of a newly formed compliance and audit function at WFU serving in that capacity through 2004.

He is well versed in health care and higher education issues having served on multiple committees for both WFU and UConn.  Additionally, Mike was formally trained as an Army Inspector General; served five years as the Co-Chair for HIPAA implementation for WFU and WFU Baptist Medical Center; and was Chair for the Sarbanes-Oxley implementation at WFU. 

Mike received his B.S. from Chaminade University, an M.A. in Personnel Management from Central Michigan and an M.S. in Education Administration from Appalachian State University.  Mike’s Ph.D. is from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  He is also a graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College and other military schools including the Army Ranger School and Airborne School.  Mike’s military experience includes serving as a Lieutenant Colonel.  He is a Gulf War Veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star for service in the Gulf War and Legion of Merit Award for life-time achievement.

Mike has authored numerous articles for national publication.  He has served as speaker and panel member for the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and the North Carolina Health Information Communications Alliance (NCHICA).   He also holds the “CHC” certification from the Health Care Compliance Association.  Mike is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), HCCA, AAMC and NCHICA.

Marie Liskom, CCEP
Administrative Assistant, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Marie joined OACE after a three year period of employment with the Human Resource Department at UConn.  Her background includes working in the fields of public education and private industry. Marie attended Bryant College and is currently pursuing a degree from Eastern Connecticut State University.  She is certified as a Corporate Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).

As administrative assistant Marie supports the Chief Audit & Compliance Officer and the OACE staff.

Rose Unwin
Administrative Officer, UCHC

Rose has been at UCHC since 1984 having worked in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Traumatology and Emergency Medicine (DTEM).  She began as a medical typist, then advanced to the Surgery Education Coordinator and administrative assistant for several faculty members for 10 years, and then was promoted to the position of Department Administrator for DTEM.  In 2003, she joined OACE as a part-time Administrative Officer responsible for all administrative functions of the UCHC Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics.

Melanie O’Connor
Administrative Program Assistant 2

Melanie has joined UCHC in October of 2009 after many years of employment with Skip Barber, LLC as an Administrative Assistant. She is responsible for supporting the Office of Audit, Compliance & Ethics with administrative functions. She currently holds an A.S. in Legal Assisting and is pursuing a degree in Allied Health Administration from Northwestern Connecticut Community College.

Compliance

Rachel S. Rubin, J.D., CCEP
Director of Compliance, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Rachel S. Rubin is the Director of Compliance for Storrs and Regional Campuses at UConn.  Governor M. Jodi Rell appointed Rachel as her Special Counsel for Ethics Compliance for the Executive Branch from July 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006.  As Special Counsel, her duties included advising the Governor on public integrity issues and serving as a resource to the Executive Branch, staff of the Office of the Governor and all agency heads, on ethics laws and any ethics guidelines adopted by the Governor.

Rachel served as Managing Director and Commission Counsel for the State Ethics Commission from 1988 until 2000.  She then served as a legal counsel in government affairs for ING – North America, before joining the staff of the University of Connecticut.

Rachel holds a B.S. in Business from UConn and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts.  She has been an active member of the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) and the Northeastern Regional Conference on Lobbying (NORCOL).  She is certified as a Corporate Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).

Elizabeth Vitullo
Compliance and Public Information Specialist, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Liz Vitullo joined OACE in 2007 as a Compliance and Public Information Specialist.  Prior to joining the University, she was employed by the City of Hartford and worked in the private sector.

She is responsible for supporting the Director and Assistant Directors of Compliance.  She also assists with Freedom of Information requests, various investigations and Code of Conduct training.

Liz holds a B.A. in English from Fairfield University.  She has a paralegal certificate from the University of Connecticut.

Rachel Krinsky Rudnick, JD, CIPP
Assistant Director of Compliance/Privacy, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Rachel Krinsky Rudnick serves as the Assistant Director of Compliance/Privacy for Storrs and Regional Campuses at UConn. As Assistant Director of Compliance/Privacy, Rachel oversees development, implementation, maintenance of, and adherence to, University policies and procedures covering the privacy of, and access to, student and employee information. As part of her duties, Rachel also supports the University's efforts towards overall compliance with Federal and State laws and oversees the coordination of responding to Freedom of Information requests received by the University.

Prior to coming to UConn, Rachel was an attorney in private practice with the law firm of Berchem, Moses & Devlin, P.C. in Milford, Connecticut where she advised boards of education and school administrators regarding general education, special education and employment matters.

Rachel holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and Connecticut Bar Association (CTBA).

Kimberly Fearney, CCEP
Assistant Director of Compliance/Education and Administration, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Kimberly Fearney has been with UConn since 1997 previously working in the Department of Human Resources.  Kim’s prior work experience includes employment classification and compensation, benefits administration, training, contract interpretation and employee discipline.

Her OACE responsibilities include the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs related to all areas of compliance.  In addition, Kim assists the Director of Compliance in the development, monitoring and day-to-day implementation of the University’s compliance program.

Kim holds a B.A. in Political Science from UConn.  She is certified as a Corporate Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) and is a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).

Iris Mauriello, RN, CHC
Corporate Compliance Integrity/Privacy Officer, UCHC

Iris Mauriello is a registered nurse and has led the UCHC Compliance Office since 2000. She has 28 years experience in healthcare as a clinical RN and Nursing Manager.  Her diverse experience includes physical rehab, medical/surgical, psychiatric/substance abuse, emergency department, interventional radiology/nursing and risk management settings.

Her responsibilities as Corporate Compliance Integrity/Privacy Officer include the oversight of operations for five separate domains of the UCHC Compliance Program.  She is also the Corporate Privacy Officer, a designation required by the HIPAA Privacy regulation. As the Privacy Officer, Iris oversees the development, implementation and adherence to UCHC policies and procedures covering the privacy of patient protected health information in accordance with Federal and State laws. 

Iris is pursuing a Bachelors Degree at the University of Connecticut. She is an active member of the Association of American Medical Colleges Compliance Officers Forum, the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and former chairperson of the Connecticut Hospital Association Corporate Compliance Officers Group.  She also holds a certification in Health Care Compliance (CHC) awarded through the Health Care Compliance Association Board.

Nancy Day Adams, MD
Director Compliance Education and Faculty Liaison, UCHC

Nancy Day Adams, MD is the Director of Compliance Education and Faculty Liaison at UCHC.  She was appointed Executive Director of Corporate Compliance by the Executive Vice President in July 2004.  With development of the Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics at the University of Connecticut and the appointment of Kenneth “Mike” Walker, her position changed to the present one. 

Dr. Adams is Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Nephrology.  She has been a member of the Health Center’s Ethics Committee since 1988, and was Chair of the School of Medicine Council from 2001-2003, Chair of the LCME Task Force and Task Force Steering Committee for the accreditation of the medical school, and has served on and chaired ad hoc investigation committees regarding various allegations within UCHC.

Dr. Adams received her B.A. in Biology from Reed College, Portland, Oregon and her MD from the University of Oregon School of Medicine [now Oregon Health Sciences University].  She completed Internal Medicine and Nephrology training at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She has been a faculty member at UCHC since 1984.  She is an active member of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Compliance Officer’s Forum and Forum on Conflict of Interest in Academe, and serves on a University Healthcare Consortium’s Task Force on Conflicts of Interest.

Joan M. Caron, Ph.D., CHC
Director, Office of Research Compliance, UCHC
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology

Dr. Caron was appointed the Director of the Office of Research Compliance in 2000.  This was a new office for UCHC.  Dr. Caron developed a research compliance program that includes policies, procedures, and monitoring plans for: individual conflicts of interest in research, institutional conflicts of interest in research, time and effort reporting for researchers, inquiries and investigations into allegations of scientific misconduct or improper scientific activities.  Dr. Caron designed the Adverse Event Reporting System for human subjects in UCHC clinical trials and is co-chair of the Research Adverse Event Committee.  Dr. Caron also tracks the monitoring activities of the Human Subject Protection Office and the Office of Research Safety.

Dr. Caron’s teaching responsibilities include responsible conduct of research, biomedical research and one-on-one research compliance training as requested. Dr. Caron also led a collaborative effort to develop the human embryonic stem cell compliance course.

Dr. Caron earned her Ph.D. in Cellular Biology and Biophysics from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 1981.  Dr. Caron took a postdoctoral position at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry.  After promotion to Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dr. Caron continued her research in San Francisco until 1992 when she accepted a faculty position at UCHC Department of Cell Biology.  Dr. Caron has been awarded several grants for her research on cancer (e.g., American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Donaghue Foundation New Investigator award, Lea’s Foundation for Leukemia Research, Connecticut Breast Health Initiative). 

Gustavo Fernandez, DVM
Research Compliance Monitor, UCHC

Dr. Fernandez joined UCHC in 1993 as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Cell Biology.  In 2001 Dr. Fernandez was named Research Compliance Monitor for the Office of Research Compliance at UCHC.

Dr. Fernandez is uniquely qualified for this job. He grew up in a Spanish-speaking country (Argentina). He earned a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Buenos Aires, and he has performed basic science research for many years.

Dr. Fernandez is responsible for implementing and monitoring several areas of research compliance including financial conflicts of interest in research, adverse event reporting for human subject research, time and effort reporting, and compliance training module for hESC Research.  Dr. Fernandez is involved in writing policies and educating researchers on compliance issues.  He also investigates allegations of research misconduct or non-compliance of UCHC policies, State and Federal regulations and guidelines.  Dr. Fernandez also developed and maintains databases for all of the activities listed above for the Office of Research Compliance.  Dr. Fernandez works collaboratively with other offices such as the Human Subjects Protection Office and Research Finance.

Dr. Fernandez co-authored several publications on the molecular and cellular biology of immunology and cell signaling and has presented at national conferences on compliance. He is a member of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R).

Virginia Pack, APRN, CCEP, CCP
Associate Education/Administration Compliance Officer, UCHC

Virginia Pack joined OACE at UCHC in September of 2005.  Her responsibilities include the ongoing development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs related to all areas of compliance.  In addition, her role involves assisting with and overseeing adherence to State and Federal laws and UCHC policies in the following areas: School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, Graduate School, Human Resources, Office of Diversity and Equity, Facilities Management, Campus Planning, Public Safety and Information Technology. 
 
Virginia has 30 years of clinical and administrative health care experience in adult mental health and health care education.  Most recently she was the Program Manager for Education and Training in UCHC’s Correctional Managed Health Care.

Virginia holds an A.S. in Nursing from Mattatuck Community College, a B.S. in Psychology from Elizabethtown College, a M.S. in Nursing from Saint Joseph College and is certified as a Clinical Nurse Specialist through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.  She is a member of the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).  She is certified as a Corporate Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) through the SCCE and as a Certified Compliance Professional (CCP) through the Health Ethics Trust, a division of the Council of Ethical Organizations.

Margaret DeMeo, M.A., RN, CHC
Associate Clinical Compliance Officer, UCHC

Margaret DeMeo joined the professional staff of OACE in September 2005.  She has a clinical nursing and medical quality management background with expertise in general medicine, oncology, surgery, women’s health and clinical research.  Prior to coming to OACE, Ms. DeMeo was responsible for designing and implementing the human subjects research compliance monitoring program for UCHC.  She formerly served as a primary reviewer of research adverse events and co-chaired the Research Adverse Events Committee.

As the Associate Compliance Officer for the Clinical Domain, she is responsible for overseeing the clinical compliance plan with respect to delivery of health care within the scope of regulatory, quality, safety and ethical parameters.

Ms. DeMeo holds a B.S. in Biology and Nursing from St. Joseph College and a M.A. in BioEthics and Health Policy from Loyola University Chicago.  She has published several articles and formerly reviewed toxicology manuscripts for the Journal of Emergency Nursing.  She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Nursing Honor Society, the UCHC Ethics, Patient Safety and Regulatory committees, and the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA).  She presently chairs the UCHC Clinical Compliance Committee and formerly co-chaired, the Connecticut Hospital Association’s Compliance Officers Committee. She also holds a certification in Health Care Compliance (CHC) awarded by the Health Care Compliance Association Board.

Janice McDonnell, RHIT, CCS
Compliance Specialist, UCHC

Janice McDonnell joined OACE at UCHC in May 2007. She is responsible for the development and monitoring of a documentation and coding compliance program for hospital and physician practices.

Janice comes to UCHC after working 20 years for Connecticut’s Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Qualidigm.  At Qualidigm Janice was the Project Coordinator for the Hospital Payment Monitoring Program. Her responsibilities included the evaluation of Medicare payment errors for inpatient stays in the acute care hospitals.  She assisted hospitals in identifying the root cause of payment errors related to coding, billing and utilization. Janice also served as a coding consultant to the National Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System Project. 

Janice holds an A.S. in Health Information Management from Holyoke Community College and became a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) in 2000. She is a member of the American Health Information Association (AHIMA) and its affiliate, the Society for Clinical Coding. She also serves on the Connecticut Health Information Management Association Coding Roundtable Steering Committee.

Kimberly Bailot
Associate Compliance Officer - Finance Domain, UCHC

Kimberly Bailot joined OACE at UCHC as the Associate Compliance Officer for the Finance Domain in February 2008.  Her primary responsibility is to support the Corporate Compliance Integrity and Privacy Officer in overseeing the compliance activities related to the UCHC’s financial operations.

Prior to joining UCHC Kim served in the Compliance Department at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford.  Kim has 20 years experience in the health care financial field focusing on compliance, reimbursement, financial analysis, budgeting and managed care.

Kim holds a B.S. in Health Care Administration from Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York.

MariaSantiago, CPC
CodingTrainer, UCHC

Maria Santiago joined OACE at UCHC in May 2008 as Coding Trainer.  Her responsibilities include conducting training programs for physicians and other UCHC personnel to support the appropriate coding, documentation and billing process.  When reviewing physician documentation, she will ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.

Prior to joining UCHC, Maria was employed by the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center as a Coding and Compliance Auditor.  Maria has an extensive background in coding for clinical and hospital settings including experience in multiple specialties. 

Maria is an experienced teacher and is a part-time faculty member of Branford Hall Career Institute where she teaches a Coding and Billing course.  She is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and holds a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) through AAPC.

Pamela Walsh, CPC, CEMC
Coding Trainer, UCHC

Pamela Walsh joined UCHC’s Office of Audit, Compliance and Ethics team in October, 2008 as a Coding Trainer.  As part of the UCHC Physician Documentation and Coding, Pam’s responsibilities include ensuring that all physician documentation is compliant with state and federal regulations. Additionally she provides education to UCHC physicians on correct coding and documentation.

Pam is a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) who came to UCHC from Urology Specialists of Middlebury, Connecticut where she worked as the Coding and Accounts Receivable Manager.  She has been credentialed through the AAPC since 2003 and has been certified in Evaluation and Management Specialty Coding.  In addition to urology, Pam has multi-specialty experience with medical oncology, hematology and orthopedics.   

Internal Auditing

Cheryl M. Chiaputti, CPA
Director of Audit Services, UCHC, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Cheryl Chiaputti joined the professional staff of Internal Auditing in September of 1997.  Prior to this she worked in public practice for 11 years.

As the Director of Audit Services, Cheryl is responsible for overseeing the design, planning and implementation of all internal audits for UCHC, UConn Storrs and regional campuses.  

Cheryl holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Eastern Connecticut State University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Connecticut and a current member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA) and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

Karen Violette
Audit Assistant, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Karen Violette has been employed at The University of Connecticut since 1985.

As the Audit Assistant, Karen assists internal auditors with operational, financial and compliance audits at various levels of the University.  Karen is also responsible for administrative and computer support to all office staff including the web-page and is the Secretary to the Joint Audit and Compliance Committee (JACC).

Karen is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA).

Carrie Gray, CIA, CISA, CISSP, GSNA
Internal Auditor IT, UCHC, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Carrie Gray joined OACE in July 2007.  Carrie’s prior experience was the corporate sector focusing on control and governance of IT systems.

Carrie holds a B.S. in Information Technology. She is also a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and a certified GIAC Systems and Network Auditor (GSNA).

Carrie is a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA) and the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA).

Katherine A. Goss, CPA
Internal Auditor, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Katherine A. Goss joined OACE staff as an Internal Auditor in the fall of 2005.  Her duties include the performance of operational, financial, and compliance audits and special projects as requested by management. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  Prior to joining OACE, Katherine was in public practice in Vermont for eight years.

Katherine holds a B.S. from Cornell University.  Katherine is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Association of College & University Auditors (ACUA) and the Connecticut Society of Governmental Accountants (CSGA).

Kaye Johnson, CPA, MBA
Internal Auditor, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Kaye Johnson joined OACE as an Internal Auditor in 2005.  Prior to that time, she worked in the Office for Sponsored Programs at UConn and has five years of experience in public accounting and corporate internal auditing.

Kaye holds a B.S. and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.  She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and is a member of the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CSCPA).  She is also a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA) and the Connecticut Society of Governmental Accountants (CSGA).

As staff auditor, Kaye performs operational, financial and compliance audits and upon department request, special projects.

Elaine C. Zincavage, M.A., CPA
Internal Auditor, Storrs & Regional Campuses

Elaine Zincavage joined OACE as an Internal Auditor in 2006. Prior to joining OACE, she worked as a Grant Manager in the Office for Sponsored Programs at UConn.

Elaine’s prior relevant experience spans 12 years in a variety of public and private accounting and auditing assignments, including manufacturing, financial services, sales and distribution and governmental organizations. She has also worked as an educator in public education and corporate training.

Elaine holds a B.S. in Psychology and M.A. in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of Connecticut and a member of the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA), the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Connecticut Society of Governmental Accountants (CSGA).

As staff auditor, Elaine performs operational, financial and compliance audits and upon department request, special projects.

David Hook
Internal Auditor, Storrs & Regional Campuses

David joined OACE as an Internal Auditor in September 2008, specializing in construction auditing.  David’s prior audit experience includes procurement, contracting and Medicare reimbursement audits.

In addition, David spent 10 years in the construction field working different aspects of the industry.

David holds a B.S. in Business Administration.   He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Angelo Quaresima, CIA, CFE
Internal Auditor, UCHC

Angelo Quaresima joined OACE as an Internal Auditor in January 2008.  He is responsible for conducting financial, operational and compliance audits at UCHC. 

Prior to joining UCHC, Angelo was employed by the Connecticut State Auditors where he performed OMB A-133 audits, financial and compliance audits at various State agencies.

Angelo holds a B.S. in Accounting from Central Connecticut State University and is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).  He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Paula King, RN
Internal Medical Auditor, UCHC

Paula King is a registered nurse and joined UCHC’s Internal Audit and Compliance staff in 1997 as a medical auditor.  Her prior experience includes several years with a Fiscal Intermediary (Medicare Part A contractor) and a health insurance private payer.  She also has an extensive clinical background on all levels of care. 

Paula is responsible for the clinical audits at UCHC which include regulatory compliance, coding and billing. Paula is a graduate of Hartford Hospital School of Nursing and holds a B.S.N. from the University of Hartford.

Donna Barberi, M.S., CIA
Internal Auditor, UCHC

Donna Barberi joined OACE as an Internal Auditor in April 2008.  Her primary responsibilities include conducting financial, operational and compliance audits at UCHC. 

Prior to joining UCHC, Donna was employed by UHY Advisors where she performed various internal audits and special projects for hospital clients.  Prior to UHY, Donna was employed by Fleet Bank for 10 years performing various internal audits specializing in trust and investment services and conducting various internal fraud investigations.

Donna holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a M.S. in Professional Accounting from the University of Hartford.  Donna is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

Ying Liu, M.S., CPA
Internal Auditor - UCHC

Ying Liu joined OACE as an Internal Auditor in April 2008. Prior to joining the University, Ying worked in public accounting and the corporate sector.  She is responsible for conducting financial, operational and compliance audits at UCHC.

Ying has a B.S. in Accounting and a M.S. in Management Information System. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).