Parent Workshop

The Parent Workshop will take place on Monday, July 1st from 10 AM - 4 PM and Tuesday, July 2nd from 10 AM - 4 PM at the Best Western Athens (170 N. Milledge Avenue, Athens GA 30601).

Parents can also join a zoom link to join the meeting remotely (see below). 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86148820270

Speakers

Dr. Eric Herman - Dr. Eric Herman joined the TICS board in 2022 and is an active a member of the Medical Advisory Board for the TAA.  He is the proud parent of an adolescent son with Tourette syndrome that unequivocally adores Camp Twitch and Shout. From 2016 – 2018, he served as the TAA support group leader for all families in Washington state. He is currently the Chief Primary Care & Population Health Officer at Oregon Health & Sciences University, maintains an active practice, and recently started the first program for patients with Long COVID in Oregon. Prior to his career in medicine, he served as a former Peace Corps Volunteer and worked as an electrical engineer. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music, gazing at the stars as an amateur astronomer, supporting his favorite sports teams, and most importantly, spending time with his family.

Kathy Giordano - Kathy Giordano served as the Tourette Association's Education Specialist 2003-2022. She was employed by The Advocacy Center and the Tourette Association for over 20 years assisting families with IEP's and 504 Plans as well as manifestation determination meetings.  She is currently the chair of the Global Education Committee for Tourette and Tics Across the Globe (TTAG).  Additionally, she owned Tourette Plus under which she provided behavioral consultant services to school districts and human service agencies. Kathy has presented internationally regarding Tourette Syndrome, Functional Behavioral Assessments, and positive/proactive behavioral management plans for 35+ years.  She continues to assist school districts nationally determine symptoms vs. purposeful behaviors and interventions which make challenging symptoms/behavior less likely to reoccur.   

Dr. Jaclyn Martindale - Dr. Jacyln Martindale is a pediatric neurologist who specializes in movement disorders.  She is an assistant professor at the Wake Forest School of Medicine.  She is also the founder and director of the Comprehensive Tourette Syndrome and Tic Disorder Clinic as well as the Pediatric Movement Disorders Clinic.  This year she will be our camp’s medical director.

Dr. Katrina Hermetet - Dr. Katrina Hermetet, pediatric psychologist, proudly joins the Tourette Association as Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs. Dr. Hermetet has worked closely with the TAA during her tenure at Akron Children’s Hospital (Akron, Ohio), in which she was the clinical director of the Tic & Tourette Service, a TAA COE, and as a member of TAA Medical Advisory Board. In addition to leading both the Tic & Tourette Service and the School Success Clinic, an interdisciplinary service for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders, she was most recently the Division Chief of Neurobehavioral Health and a director of the Pediatric Psychology Fellowship

John Glisson - John’s son Caleb is a current camper at camp Twitch and Shout.  He has been coming for years.  John currently runs the local support group for the Tourette Association.  He also volunteered with the board of TICS to help plan and run the parent events for this week.  His son is a current Youth Ambassador for the Tourette Association.

Ronnie Li - Ronnie is a Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience and Bioinformatics at Emory University who uses statistics and machine learning to discover patterns in biological data. He graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. At Brown, he was the first undergraduate in the history of the award to be given the Teaching and Advising Award. He was one of a few students selected nationally for the Neuroscience Scholars Program and the Human Genetics Scholars Initiative. He is also a recipient of a Diversity Supplement from the NIH. Having Tourette Syndrome himself, Ronnie has given lectures on his diagnosis to students and faculty at both Emory University and Brown University. In his free time, Ronnie enjoys reading up on the latest science and technology news, dabbling in the creative arts, and playing video games.

Sue Conners - Susan Conners is a graduate of Damaen University in Buffalo, NY and received her Master of Education from the University of Buffalo.  She also holds a Certificat d’Etudes de Lettres from the University of Lyon in Lyon, France. She was a middle school teacher for 33 years in Williamsville Central School District, outside of Buffalo, NY.  She is president and founder of the Tourette Association of Greater NY State since 1984.  She served on the Board of Directors of National Tourette Association of America for 12 years and was also founder and Chair of their Education Committee.  Following her retirement from full time teaching, she was employed as the Education Specialist for TAA of America for seven years and now continues to run the Greater NY State chapter and does private consulting, attends IEP and 504 meetings as well as presenting workshops both nationally an internationally. She has presented hundreds of workshops on the education of children with Tourette Syndrome and associated disorders in 49 of the 50 states, 6 countries (Canada, Spain, Norway, Poland, Northern Ireland, England) and Puerto Rico.  She is also the author of the book, “The Tourette Syndrome and OCD Checklist; “A Practical Reference for Parents and Educators”  Sue, herself, has TS as do 30 immediate family members.

Dr. Max Tischfield - Dr. Tischfield is an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University. He received his Ph.D. from the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and completed postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital. His research leverages human gene discoveries to genetically engineer mouse models for Tourette syndrome that express the identical human mutations found in high-confidence TS genes. These novel animal models provide an essential resource to understand underlying changes to brain development and function that affect behavior. Through partnerships with Tourette Association of America and also the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome, Dr. Tischfield is a proud advocate for Tourette awareness and research throughout the local and national communities.

Dr. Kenneth Phelps - Dr. Kenneth Phelps  practices as a child, adolescent and family therapist at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the Neurology Division at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Phelps currently serves as the director of the Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, co-director of the Tourette Center of South Carolina (TiC SC) and educator within multiple psychiatry residency programs. He also serves on the Medical Advisory Board for the Tourette Association of America (TAA), as a supervisor within the TAA’s Behavioral Therapy Institute and as a board member for OCD South Carolina, an affiliate of the International OCD Foundation.

Frank Lozzi - Frank has been volunteering with CTAS since 2013, and will be taking over the presidency of TICS.  He has volunteered in many capacities and was the one who convinced Seth Tucker to take the board position and eventual presidency (he also forgot to turn in his bio so Seth gets to write it, lets see if he notices).  He was integral in helping TICS and CTAS withstand the transition through covid along with his spouse Sarah Lozzi (nee Kasper) who also serves on the board, who he met while volunteering at CTAS.  He has over 10 years experience of tax preparation and bookkeeping, a skill he used well as the treasurer of TICS.  He is leaving his position as CFO of Charlotte Street Hockey League to come back to the board and relieve Seth of duty.

Katrina Bergeon - Katrina joined the board toward the end of 2022. She first became involved with Camp Twitch & Shout in 2013 as a camper. Since then, Katrina has been involved in a variety of roles, including counselor, unit leader, and leadership team. As someone with Tourette’s, Katrina is so excited to be a part of this warm and welcoming community. When she is not at camp, Katrina is a law student, pursuing a career in public defense. In her free time, Katrina loves to travel to new cities and spend time with her dog and cat.