Meet the Faculty

Stephen J. Lemire has twenty years' experience as an executive director of national, state, and community-based professional associations which have focused on healthcare reform, public health, behavioral health, and interdisciplinary graduate education. He is the former Executive Director of the National Professional Science Masters Association, the Massachusetts Health Officers Association, and the Massachusetts Business Group on Health.

Since the late 1980’s he has been adjunct faculty in graduate and undergraduate programs in Health Care Administration and Business Management. He is currently a full-time faculty member at Purdue University Global and an adjunct at Framingham State University and New England College. He has also previously taught at Daniel Webster College, Cambridge College, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Rivier University. 

Mr. Lemire instructs a wide variety of courses in Health Care Administration. In particular, he specializes in health policy & economics and leadership & ethics. Mr. Lemire earned a B.S. and M.S. in Health Services Administration from the University of Lowell (MA).

Edward Burke’s career has included elective politics, law practice, lobbying, and teaching. For twenty-two years, he served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate (1971-1993). For much of that time, he was Chair of the Legislature's Health Care Committee. Later, he practiced law in small and large firms, and worked as a lobbyist for a regional health insurance company. Prof. Burke has taught graduate courses at Framingham State University since the mid-1970s, with a special focus on health care policy, law, and regulation.

Edward Burke’s education consists of a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, an M.P.A. from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, and a J.D. from Suffolk University.

Benjamin Bielak has over 20 years experience in technology strategy, design, implementation, and support across a number of contexts including an academic medical center and an innovative high-growth health care organization. He was one of the first people to be recognized by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives as a Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer. He also is recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems.

Michael currently serves as the General Counsel Center for Autism and Related Disorders (“CARD”).  As the head of CARD’s Legal Department, Michael oversees and manages CARD’s legal, transactional and regulatory affairs, including corporate governance, contracting, real estate acquisitions and dispositions, labor, corporate and capital transactions, complex lending and finance transactions, and litigation issues. Michael has more than 22 years’ experience as a corporate healthcare attorney and for the previous twelve years prior to joining CARD, he served as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ARA), the 3rd largest publicly-traded dialysis provider in the United States. From 2001 to 2007, Michael served as an Associate and later as Senior Counsel, in the Health Business Group of Greenberg Traurig LLP as well as previously holding positions at two other Massachusetts-based healthcare law firms. Michael also teaches courses in Healthcare Finance and Budgeting at Framingham State University and Food and Drug Law at Suffolk University Law School.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies and Business Management from Roger Williams University, a Master of Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health, and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. 

Maureen Curran, RN has more than 35 years of hospital experience. During those years, she developed an interest in health informatics and lead the Lawrence General Hospital through three separate Electronic Medical Records implementations. Currently, Ms. Curran works in the hospital’s department of Information Systems as the Director of Clinical Information Systems and Informatics. She manages a team of clinical nurse informaticists and clinical analysts to maintain and support all clinical technology in the hospital. She has previously served as a staff nurse, Nursing Supervisor, Nurse Manager, Risk Manager, the Sr. Director of Clinical Informatics and Biomedical Engineering. All of these roles have been important in shaping her career path in informatics.

Mihaela D. Deliu has held various leadership roles in the mental health field. These positions have included Director of Clinical Services at Westborough Behavioral Healthcare Hospital, Director of Clinical Services and Utilization Management at Westwood Lodge Hospital, and Director of Crisis and Healthcare Innovation Services at South Shore Mental Health. She is licensed as a Mental Health Counselor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a Lean Six Sigma professional.

Mihaela started her career in her native country as a Primary School Teacher. She has also worked for the Romanian Intelligence Service as an Intelligence Analyst. She is a Framingham State University Master in Healthcare Administration alumna. Mihaela also holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Assumption College, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Psychotherapy, from the University of Bucharest, School of Psychology and Educational Sciences.

Originally from Spain, Ivan Fernandez graduated from Framingham State University in 1999 with a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics. He later graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in International Economics and Finance.

In 2002 Ivan joined Fidelity Investments where he worked with large corporations such as PepsiCo, Ford Motor Company, and Colt Firearms. In 2004, Ivan returned to Spain to head up a series of projects for a leading transportation and logistics company with operations across  the European Union. In 2006 he joined Blue Cross Blue Shield, where he continues to manage all product reporting and analytics.

Ivan has been a visiting lecturer of Economics and Finance at FSU since 2002. He has taught undergraduate macroeconomics and microeconomics at other schools, too. He currently teaches Financial Management, Managerial Science, and Quantitative Analysis for Administrators. He also teaches multiple Finance courses at Hult International Business School in Cambridge.

Paula Kaminow is the Vice President, Operations - Framingham at the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center. She joined the Health Center staff at its Worcester site in 2004 as a Compliance Officer and transitioned to Framingham operations in 2008. Ms. Kaminow has represented the Health Center in a number of community networks and collaborations, including the MetroWest Health Care Coalition (CHNA7) as the Treasurer and Steering Committee member, the MetroWest Disparities Workgroup, Framingham Community Partners, MetroWest Moves, the MetroWest Prevention and Wellness Partnership and the MetroWest Community Health Assessment Advisory Committee. Previously, Ms. Kaminow worked for the Boston Health Department for 13 years in both the legal and public health departments.

Ms. Kaminow graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in psychology and a certificate in education. She later received a J.D. from Boston College Law School. In 2010, she graduated from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation Leadership Program and participated in its Evaluation Institute in 2013.

Rose Weldon-Westbrook has many years of nonprofit management experience. For the past nine years she has been with Baystate Heath as the Director of Finance & Operations for the Public Health Institute of Western Mass. She is no stranger to higher education having taught courses in management and computer applications at American International College and Holyoke Community College.

Rose received her B.S. and M.A from American International College and a certificate in Strategic Leadership for Women from Simmons School of Business in Boston. She is a 2015 Fellows graduate from The Partnership, Inc., in Boston.