Be the Voice to Your Choices, Panel Discussion

Meet the panelists...

Lisa Weitzman is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Benjamin Rose Institute

on Aging. In this role, she seeks to enhance Benjamin Rose’s role in the community

through the development of local and national relationships. She also oversees the

delivery of WeCare…Because You Do, a family caregiver support program, and has

been instrumental in the launch of Nutrition Solution, a program to address food

insecurity and social isolation through medically-tailored meals for chronically-ill

older adults.

A resident of the Chagrin Valley for many years, Lisa earned a BA in history with a

concentration in American Foreign Policy from Yale University, an MA in Soviet

Studies and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced

International Studies, and an MSW from Case Western Reserve University. She

currently holds an LISW-S license and advanced certification in gerontology and

case management.

Lauri Scharf is the Lead Care Consultant/Master Trainer at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging delivering the evidence based program WeCare…Because You Do.  Her prior experience was delivering programs to early stage caregiver and their loved ones, caregiver support group facilitator and supervisor and delivering BRI Care Consultation to caregivers.

Dr. Ardeshir Z. Hashmi MD, FACP is the Endowed Chair of Geriatric Innovation and Section Chief of the

Center for Geriatric Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.  

Dr. Hashmi completed a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Yale University. He completed his

Internal Medicine residency at the Yale-Saint Mary’s Hospital in Connecticut, where he served as Chief

Medical resident. He then trained at Massachusetts General Hospital as a Clinical and Research Fellow in

Geriatrics before becoming Faculty and then Medical Director of MGH Senior Health-Harvard Medicine.

Dr. Hashmi subsequently transitioned to the Cleveland Clinic. 

He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a graduate of the Clinical Process Improvement

Leadership Program and the Value Based Healthcare Delivery program via the Harvard Business School

Institute of Strategy& Competitiveness. Dr. Hashmi is also certified as an Advanced Peer Coach through

the Cleveland Clinic Center for Excellence in Coaching and Mentoring. He is Co-Chair of the national

American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Patient Priorities Care Special Interest Group (SIG) and serves on the

AGS Health Systems Innovation Economics & Technology Committee and the Society for General

Internal Medicine’s Geriatrics Commission. 

Dr. Hashmi is also member of the Association of Chiefs and Leaders in General Internal Medicine

(ACLGIM). He is an alumnus of the prestigious Tideswell Emerging Leaders in Aging (ELIA) national

leadership development program (in conjunction with the American Geriatric Society and the University

of California San Francisco) and the ACLGIM LEAD programs. He is also a member of the American

College of Healthcare Executives. 

Dr. Hashmi’s niche area of interest is the intersection of Successful Aging & Caregiver Health in the

service of our most vulnerable populations.

Joseph B. Trecaso is a highly regarded attorney recognized as a Rising Star by Super

Lawyers. This honor is awarded to only 2.5% of lawyers in the state, partly based on

his expertise in Estate Planning, Elder Law/Medicaid Planning, Estate and Trust

Administration, and Business Succession Planning. His practice spans Cuyahoga,

Lorain, Erie, Summit, Lake, Geauga, and Stark Counties.

 

Originally from Akron, Joe completed his undergraduate studies with honors at Ohio

University. He then pursued his Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland-Marshall College

of Law, where he also obtained certificates in Health Law and Health Care

Compliance.

 

Joe lives in Bay Village with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Emily, Dylan,

and Molly. The family enjoys attending the games of their favorite local sports teams,

such as the Cavs, Guardians, and Browns.