Skip to main content

North Dakota Brain Injury Network

  1. NDBIN
  2. Events
  3. Concussion Symposium

2024 Speaker Bios

Nancy Greenwald, MD

Moving Forward with Concussion
Nancy Greenwald Dr. Nancy Greenwald is a paradigm medical director, specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Dr. Greenwald was the medical director of the Elks Rehabilitation Brain Injury Program for over a decade, both inpatient and outpatient. Her duties entailed running both inpatient and outpatient brain injury therapy teams, being the primary brain injury physician while admitted to the rehabilitation hospital and providing in-service education to the teams.

In 2011, in conjunction with the St. Luke's Hospital Sport Medicine Clinic, she began a comprehensive concussion clinic. Initially, Dr. Greenwald treated over 300 concussion patients a year as it filled a necessary need in our community. As the clinic continued to grow, she participated in the modifications to the concussion clinic. Paradigm is a care management company which works with injured workers around the country to enable the best recovery possible after their injury.

Shivana Naidoo, MD

Concussion and Youth Suicide Risk
Shivana Naidoo Dr. Shivana Naidoo is a pioneer in youth suicide prevention and awareness. Dr. Naidoo is a double board certified child psychiatrist and adult psychiatrist, a parent, and the founder of DoBetterMD, which aims to help empower patients and primary care providers to know better, do better, and feel better. She works in private practice as well as an attending at the Bradley REACH Virtual Partial Psychiatric Hospital Program and a clinical instructor at Warren Alpert Medical School – Brown University.

She is also the creator and host of the podcast, Thinking It Through with Dr. Naidoo – Child Psychiatrist, which provides psychoeducation to the parents of youth in mental healthcare. Dr. Naidoo is also collaborating with the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to help spearhead Arizona's first Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program through educating pediatricians across Arizona about how to address the current youth mental health crisis. Her vision is to empower everyone to rally together to prevent youth suicide.

Kyla Pearce, MNP, PhD, CBIS, E-RYT

Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of an Online LoveYourBrain Meditation Intervention in Young Adults with Concussion
Kyla Pearce Dr. Kyla Pearce is the senior director of programs, research, and operations at LoveYourBrain, a national nonprofit that delivers evidence-based holistic health programs for the brain injury community. She oversees the design, implementation, and evaluation of LoveYourBrain programs on a large scale. She has trained over 3,000 yoga teachers, clinicians, people with brain injury, and caregivers in how to offer yoga, mindfulness, and resilience psychoeducation for brain injury. Dr. Pearce has developed a range of traumatic brain injury-specific evidence-based yoga and mindfulness program curricula and integrated them into 60+ community and 30+ clinical contexts and online. She recently completed a National Institute of Health Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Dartmouth College investigating the impact of yoga and meditation for people with neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Sarah Ring, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIST

Supporting Survivors: The Intersection Between Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury
Sarah Ring Sarah Ring is a senior therapist in the Speech-Language Pathology Department at Sanford Health Fargo where she has provided cognitive, communication, and dysphagia services for 27 years. Sarah has a special interest in acquired brain injury rehabilitation and concussion management across pediatric, adolescent, and adult populations. Her clinical practice has spanned acute care, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient settings including coordinated care clinics. Sarah earned the designation of Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer from the Brain Injury Association of America in 2019, and was awarded Certified Brain Injury Specialist of the Year (2021) by the North Dakota Brain Injury Network. Sarah is an active board member and current chair of the North Dakota Brain Injury Advisory Council, and serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Nan Kennelly, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIST

Executive Functions Deconstructed – Part 4: Judgment
Nan Kennelly Co-presenter
Nan Kennelly earned her master's degree from the University of North Dakota in 1994. She has dedicated her career to the treatment of cognitive-communication disorders related to brain injury, stroke, and other neurological conditions. Nan has gained extensive experience and specialized training in the subacute, acute, inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient, and private practice settings. Currently, she is both owner and treating therapist at Onword Therapy. Nan enjoys working with high-level cognitive and communication needs in individuals with mild TBI, post-concussive symptoms, stroke, ADHD, and executive functioning challenges. She considers it an honor and privilege to help her patients get back to work/school/home and reach goals of higher function, independence, and efficiency. Nan is a regional leader both in brain injury and in her profession. She advocates for North Dakota residents and families living with brain injury.

Heidi Fiskness, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS

Executive Functions Deconstructed – Part 4: Judgment
Heidi Fiskness Co-presenter
Heidi Fiskness obtained her bachelor's degree in speech language hearing sciences, her bachelor's degree in Spanish in 2007, and her master's in speech language pathology in 2009 from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Heidi has experience with private practice, rehab, acute, and outpatient therapy for children through adults and currently works in outpatient therapy at Sanford Health. She provides evaluations and appropriate intervention plans for her patients. She strives to prioritize health education for her patients and their families to support follow-through on recommendations and improve treatment success. Heidi specializes in neuro rehab, brain injury, swallowing, speech/language, aural rehab, vocal cord dysfunction, and voice. Heidi is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and holds licensures in VitalStim Therapy, LSVT Loud, SPEAK OUT!, and Interactive Metronome. Heidi is licensed in the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as with ASHA at the national level. She is an advocate for her patients and provides support to help patients reach personal goals and improve quality of life.

Megan Dooley, OTR, CBIS

Executive Functions Deconstructed – Part 4: Judgment
Megan Dooley Co-presenter
Megan Dooley is an occupational therapist and the owner of Innovative Therapy Solutions & Consulting LLC, a mobile outpatient clinic that serves people across the lifespan. She is a Certified Living in Place Professional and Brain Injury Specialist and certified in LSVT Big, hippotherapy, and Skills2Care. Her expertise includes working with caregivers of individuals with dementia, individuals with neurological conditions, home modifications, and leading community groups related to health and wellness for people with chronic illnesses. Megan truly believe that through collaboration and hard work we can help individuals age-in-place while maintaining their highest quality of life.

Michael Hennes, DC, DACNB, CBIS

Maximizing Neurological Rehabilitation
Michael Hennes Dr. Michael Hennes, a board-certified chiropractic neurologist at The Neural Connection, earned his doctorate and bachelor's degrees in human biology from Northwestern Health Sciences University. He maintains diplomate status with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board and a certification as a Brain Injury Specialist from the Brain Injury Association of America. He specializes in neurological rehabilitation, neurochemistry, nutrition, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, vestibular, and migraine disorders.