Board of Directors
Mary Kay Ballasiotes
Founder, President
Mary Kay Ballasiotes is the founder of IAPS. She has a daughter who suffered a prenatal stroke. Ms. Ballasiotes was the founding president of Childhood Stroke & Hemiplegia Connections of Illinois, a Chicago based local non-profit organization for families of childhood stroke survivors. As a volunteer advocate with the American Heart/American Stroke Association and working with medical professionals, Mary Kay has given presentations at various local hospitals, medical conferences and schools. In addition, Ms. Ballasiotes is on the board of directors for the International Pediatric Stroke Organization.
Dr. Adam Kirton
Vice President
Dr. Adam Kirton is a pediatric neurologist and clinician scientist. He founded and directs the Calgary Pediatric Stroke Program, Alberta Perinatal Stroke Project and the ACH Pediatric Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Laboratory.
Shelley Dean, OTD, OTR/L
Shelley Anne Dean, OTD, OTR/L is the owner and founder of Crossway Pediatric Therapy (EST. 2004) and Crossway Academy (EST. 2011). Dr. Dean completed her post professional doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) in May 2015 from Quinnipiac University, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis in 1999, and Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Indiana University in 1993. Her Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone research examined a family centered and multicomponent approach for the treatment of children with hemiparesis secondary to stroke.
Dr. Dean has specialized in pediatric occupational therapy for over 18 years. She has been trained in contemporary neuromotor rehabilitation interventions to treat children with neuromotor involvements such as hemiparesis secondary to stroke. These include: modalities, robotics, myofascial release, kinesiotaping, Saebo, Constraint Induced Movement Therapy and Musgatova Neuro Reflexive Integration. In addition to the long term passion for treatment of pediatric stroke over the lfiespan. she also has extensive experience with Autism Spectrum Disorders over the lifespan.
Francesca Fedeli
Francesca Fedeli is President and co-founder of Fightthestroke.org. She is the mother to Mario, who survived a perinatal arterial ischemic stroke. Francesca and her husband Roberto D’Angelo founded Fightthestroke, a social enterprise to gather and share the experiences of families who have been affected by all types of strokes at young age. Together, as a family, they’re promoting the awareness of Mario’s story at events like TED Global (Edinburgh, Scotland, June 2013).
Over the years, Francesca has established herself as an international thought leader and influencer on the topic of pediatric stroke, open medicine, citizen science and crowdsourced solutions in healthcare. Most recently Francesca further solidified her position as global thought leader by publishing a book translated to Fight and Smile: A Story of Love and Science. Francesca was also the recipient of the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2014. In June 2015 Francesca was selected as the first Ashoka Fellow in Italy, entering a network of leading social entrepreneurs.
Dr. Patrice Lindsay
Dr. Patrice Lindsay completed her PhD in Health Services Research/Evaluation and Outcomes at the University of Toronto. She is currently the Director of Best Practices and Performance, Stroke, at the Heart and Stroke Foundation in Canada. As director, Dr. Lindsay leads the development of stroke best practice guidelines and the knowledge translation strategy, including dissemination and implementation tools, and resources for stroke patients and families at all ages and stages of the stroke journey. In addition, she is responsible for ongoing quality monitoring and stroke care performance measurement across Canada. She is a member of the World Stroke Organization Board of Directors, and is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for her commitment and efforts to improve stroke and outcomes in Canada and internationally.
Camie Rodan
Social Media Director
Camie Rodan has a son who is a perinatal stroke survivor. Ms. Rodan is a marketing and digital media professional with experience in startup, non-profit, and corporate environments. She helps businesses relay their brand and message to target audiences through a variety of marketing platforms. Most recently, she worked as the branding director at Sisarina, a branding company specializing in design, development, and marketing, and previously as the community & external affairs manager for the Saylor Foundation managing marketing, PR, and outreach efforts. Ms. Rodan holds an MBA from George Washington University and a Bachelors of Arts from Vanderbilt University.
Amy R. Share
Amy is an adult that suffered a perinatal stroke, causing right hemiplegia. She received a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Georgia and a BA in Human Development from Eckerd College. She specializes in institutional giving, and has raised millions of dollars for programs across the United States. Amy is currently the Grants Manager at Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont in Charlotte, NC.
Honorary Board Member
Dr. Gabrielle deVeber
Retired Board Member
Dr. Gabrielle deVeber is one of the original board members of the International Alliance for Pediatric Stroke. Her vision, expertise, insight, and passion will be missed. However, we hope she will still be available should the need arise for consultation on our future endeavors. We sincerely thank you for your support over the years Dr. deVeber!
Dr. Gabrielle deVeber’s bio includes: founder of the International Pediatric Stroke Study, Director of the Children’s Stroke Program, Division of Neurology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Canada. She has been providing clinical care for over 600 infants and children with ischemic stroke since 1992.