2023 Speakers
Ashley DeCoteau
Provider Outreach & Education Representative
Ashley is a Provider Outreach and Education Representative at Noridian Healthcare Solutions LLC. Ashley provides outreach and education for Noridian States concentrating her attention on DME. Primary responsibilities include offering educational instructions and direction to the Medicare community.
Prior to joining Noridian in January 2022, Ashley worked for other Medicare Administrative Contractors including CGS as a Senior Provider Outreach Analyst. She also worked as a team lead for a DMEPOS supplier and brings over 10 years of Medicare experience with her.
Corrie Stanford
Dental Writer
Corrie Stanford holds the role of Medical Billing Manager at Nierman Practice Management, and her impressive 12-year track record in medical billing speaks volumes about her expertise. With a career spanning over 25 years in medical and dental administration, she initially sharpened her skills by managing an oral surgery office and later expanded her knowledge to oversee Sleep/Pulmonary offices and multiple sleep labs/HST companies across the West Coast.
Beyond her professional achievements, Corrie finds joy in spending quality time with her two children in Texas, where they've made their home for the past three years. Her son's passion for football adds an exciting dimension to their lives, as they eagerly attend his weekend games. In Texas, football isn't just a sport; it's a way of life!
Tanya Bailey
Say Yes Without Saying No! Increase New Patients in Your Sleep Practice
Courtney Ramsey
Courtney Ramsey Speaks
With over 15 years of experience in corporate Learning and Development / Human Resources, Courtney Ramsey knows about helping others succeed! As a speaker, author, and consultant, she’s known for creating and facilitating programs that empower, motivate and drive results.
Over the years, Courtney has helped companies like JCPenney, Toyota, Bayer, Red Cross, and Methodist Health save millions of dollars in engagement, turnover, and productivity. She often works with leadership teams to help clarify their strategic path and facilitate conversations that matter. She recently authored her first book: Share Your Genius: 35 Tips to Create Training That Transforms.
Courtney received her MBA and BBA in Marketing from Texas A&M University. She holds her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development with the Association for Talent Development. She recently served as part of the adjunct faculty at the SMU Cox School of Business, and is the President-Elect of the National Speakers Association of North Texas.
As a wife and mom of a fifth grader, her idea of a good time is a glass of wine and watching true crime on the couch in her PJs. (Dateline is her favorite!)
Dr. Angie Nauman
Star Sleep & Wellness
Dr. Angie Nauman has been a part of the dental field for almost 30 years, and she says that she loves her work as a sleep dentist in Frisco because treating people for sleep and breathing problems can literally save someone’s life (as well as their marriage when it comes to snoring!). Born and raised on a century-old family farm in northwest Oklahoma, she has treated thousands of sleep patients for over a decade and loves having the opportunity to help people understand how their sleep is impacting their overall wellbeing. As part of our team at Star Sleep & Wellness in Frisco, she is grateful she gets to help improve their lives in an impactful and meaningful way.
Dr. Colleen Lance
MULTI -MODALITY THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF APNEA - LECTURE
Colleen G. Lance, MD is a sleep medicine physician in the Sleep Disorders Center at Cleveland Clinic. She serves as Medical Director of PAP Services for Cleveland Clinic Home Care. She has practiced sleep medicine since 2001 with active roles in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the Payor Policy Review Subcommittee and is a former president of the Texas Society of Sleep Professionals. Her passions include the treatment of complex sleep disordered breathing with non-invasive ventilation for which she has lectured both regionally and nationally. Currently, she is working with industry partners on multimodality therapy and adherence modeling for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
Personal vision statement: To reach as many people as possible for the treatment of OSA across the lifespan with the use of electronic tools, education, and the training of others.
Michael Hanna
Michael Hanna is a Provider Outreach Senior Analyst for CGS Administrators, LLC. Michael has been involved in Medicare education since 2007. He is a Certified DME Specialist and holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Missouri. Michael is the DME Community Coach for Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas. He is the liaison for the Jurisdiction B and Jurisdiction C councils and also participates on some CERT workgroups.
Lesia Crawford
Along with Dr. Stacey Layman, Lesia Crawford has co-founded two successful DSM businesses: first was GoGo Billing, a pioneer of medical billing companies for dentists and more recently, GoTo Sleep Center for CPAP Alternatives with multiple locations throughout the Phoenix Valley.
The practice enjoys a case acceptance rate of greater than 90% because of Lesia’s humanistic, empathetic approach to the role of treatment coordinator and her keen focus on the health of her patients. Her other responsibilities as CEO lead her to focus on key performance indicators and the health of the practice.
When not obnoxiously laughing with her family, Lesia works out like a maniac.
Eric Maddox
Motivational Speaker
Upon graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 1994, Eric Maddox joined the U.S. Army as an infantry paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne Division. After spending three years as a paratrooper, jumpmaster and a qualified ranger, Eric reenlisted as an interrogator and Chinese Mandarin linguist. Since 9/11, Eric has conducted over 2,700 interrogations while deploying eight times in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) to include multiple tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
In 2003, while assigned to a special operations task force in Tikrit, Eric conducted over 300 interrogations and collected the intelligence which directly led to the capture of Saddam Hussein. As a result, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Director’s Award and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement. After being hired as a civilian with the Department of Defense, Eric continued to help fight the Global War on Terror (GWOT) until 2014. In May 2015, he earned his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and is now a private consultant and negotiator and lives in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Eric is also the author of Mission: Black List No. 1 (Harper Collins, 2008), which he wrote with the permission of the Department of Defense.
Alicia Roth, Ph.D., DBSM
Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorder Center
Alicia is a Clinical Health Psychologist & Staff at the Cleveland Clinic, board certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Florida, Internship at the Baltimore VA, and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Fellowship at The Cleveland Clinic. Her clinical work focuses on treating a range of sleep disorders, including insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and nightmares. Her research focuses on the intersection of sleep and chronic health conditions, improving access to insomnia care, and developing interventions for hypersomnia disorder.
Lieutenant Colonel Philip W. Neal II DMD, ABGD
Army Dental Sleep Medicine
LTC Neal is a clinician, educator, and leader with 34 years of federal service, including 17 years as an dentist. He leads the Army initiative to enhance dental sleep medicine (DSM) support, co-authored the DOD/ VA clinical practice guideline for OSA and Insomnia for service members and Veterans, wrote the Army DSM Policy and created the Army DSM Short Course that has educated over 1000 providers to manage SDB. He has lectured at the local, national, and international level, has deployed to 4 overseas combat operations and provided care during humanitarian service missions on 4 continents. He earned his DMD from the Medical College of Georgia, and completed a 2-year Post-doctoral Residency at Fort Hood, TX. When he transitions from military service, Dr. Neal will focus on improving DSM care available to veterans and improving the training and mentorship available to providers delivering and improving DSM support.
Larry Brewer
Sleep Treatment
Started as a sleep trainee in June 2002 in Garland, Texas with American Wellness Diagnostics. Within three months he was promoted to Center Manager and in October of 2003, he was again promoted to General Manager and transferred to Athens, GA. to oversee all operations as well as expand the operations to two other Georgia locations. In June 2004, he obtained his RPSGT credential from the BRPT. In February 2005, he relocated to Charlotte, NC to join Medcath, Inc. (Cardiac Specialty Hospital Group) as the Implementation Specialist. In that role, his primary responsibility was to travel to assigned locations around the United States to implement the new start up sleep centers with partnered Cardiology groups. This was successfully performed in five states.
Larry returned to his hometown of Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas as the Practice Manager for Children’s Medical Center Dallas. During his three and a half years, he increased the number of studies per month from about 40 to 150, expanded the total bed capacity from 2 beds to 8 beds, implemented the very first Joint Commission recognized Disease Management program for Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea and was awarded First Place for the Best Facility in America by Advance for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine in the 2009 National Sleep Achievement Awards. He also participated in the technical training of physicians while they were rotating through the Sleep Fellowship program offered by University of Texas Southwestern. In September 2009, he joined the ownership group of Alliance Sleep Center, now called Alliance Family of Companies, as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. During his three and a half years as the managing partner, he helped led the company to expand from a single sleep center to over ten sleep center locations expanding from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Austin to Houston areas. In June 2013, he sold his ownership in Alliance Sleep Center to the other partners and started First Sleep, LLC, which he is still currently the managing partner. He also owns and operates, First Sleep School, which is an approved College and Career School by the Texas Workforce Commission as well as an approved STAR “Focused 2” and “Self-Study” provider by the BRPT to offer the 80 Hour Introductory Course into Polysomnography and ‘Self Study” training program, respectively. Additionally, First Sleep School’s online courses include those for exam eligibility through the BRPT, CPSGT / RPSGT Exam Preparation as well as those for continuing education, many of which offer free CSTE credits. www.firstsleepschool.co
He is also the inventor of the patented neuro-diagnostic and sleep technology measuring device called the 10-20 TOOLTM, which was launched in January 2015. It is sold through several different online retailers and has been sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. www.10-20tool.com Since 2018, Mr. Brewer has also been the Vice-President of Operations for Sleep Medicine Associates of Texas, located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. During his 20 years, Mr. Brewer has led and facilitated several Joint Commission Accreditations, AASM Accreditations, ACHC Accreditations, performed insurance negotiations, Medicare applications, policy and procedure development, personnel management, sleep study scoring/interpretation support as well as being the COO/CFO for a multi-million-dollar operations. He has also been an invited guest lecturer at the University of North Texas’ Behavioral Sleep Medicine Doctoral program, the Philadelphia Sleep Conference, the annual BRPT Symposium, and for AASM Tech Trak for annual SLEEP meetings. As the founder and owner of First Sleep School in 2013, he has personally mentored hundreds of local, national, and international new sleep professionals as they enter and grow in their career as a Sleep Technologist. In 2022, Mr. Brewer was awarded the Professional Development Service Award by the American Association of Sleep Technologists for his commitment to advancing education in sleep technology.
Larry is now CFO at Star Sleep & Wellness in Frisco, TX
Dr. Carla Damon
Pediatric Dentist
Dr. Carla Damon attended The University of Texas at Houston Dental School and pursed her Pediatric Dental
residency at Baylor College of Dentistry. As a board-certified pediatric dentist, Dr. Carla Damon along with her
co-founder, Dr. Loria Nahatis operate Beyond Pediatric Dentistry, a private practice in Dallas, TX. Their
practice is limited to pediatric patients, with special emphasis on airway screening and treatment, performing
infant frenectomies, and providing a more wellness-based approach to dental care. Dr. Damon has done extensive
training and studying to understand oral dysfunctions, restrictions in the mouth that lead to feeding/speech
difficulty, and malocclusions associated with sleep disordered breathing.
Dr. Damon is co-founder of the DFW Airway Collaborative in Dallas. This group serves as a multidisciplinary
group that serves to bring together providers that recognize the need for a team approach to Sleep Disordered
breathing and airway issues amongst children and adults.
Dr. Damon has a passion for whole body health and wellness which starts with good oral health. She wants to
teach children to take responsibility for their own health decisions to set them up for a lifetime of good
decisions. Her mission is to help every child breathe, sleep, and thrive!
Dr. Piya Gandhi
Pediatric Dentist
Dr. Piya Gandhi is a board-certified pediatric dentist specializing in functional pediatric dentistry. Her
practice screens all patients for airway, sleep, speech, feeding and growth and development disorders. She
specializes in treating infants and children with airway disorders including the diagnosis and treatment of
tongue and lip tie. Her passion for tethered oral tissue (TOTs) was born from her personal experience and
struggles with her older daughter, Cyrah.
Dr. Gandhi’s goal is to avoid the same experience for her patients and their families. Dr. Gandhi has done
extensive training beyond her residency in airway development and the diagnosis and treatment of tethered oral
tissues. She screens all her patients for airway disorders and oral restrictions which could impact growth,
development, and healthy sleep. She believes in a comprehensive team approach by using the Function First Model.
She has worked to develop a network of practitioners in the greater Houston area as well as in her practices.
Her in house team currently consists of a speech language pathologist, myofunctional therapist, pediatric
chiropractor, and international board-certified lactation consultant. This allows the office to provide both
convenient and comprehensive care.
Dr. Gandhi is passionate about sharing her knowledge with other practitioners. When she is not seeing patients
clinically, she is usually meeting with local practitioners to further collaborations or lecturing nationally to
increase the training and awareness about airway disorders and tongue ties.
Dr. Jerry Hu
Pediatric Dentist
Dr. Jerry Hu, DDS, DABDSM, DACSDD, DASBA, MICOI, FICOI, AFAAID, FIAPA, LVIF, FIADFE grew up in Soldotna, Alaska and has moved to Las Vegas in summer of 2022. He is triple board certified in dental sleep medicine, and he will bring to the Vegas Valley many airway and sleep dental treatment options including pediatric sleep medicine, orthotropic, functional airway orthodontics, and traditional customized oral appliance therapy in dental sleep medicine. Dr. Hu is also on the national lecture circuit, teaching airway/ dental sleep medicine, cosmetic and implant dentistry. He has been named Dentistry Today's TOP CE leaders for years in a row and for his clinical research studies, he has numerous publications in major peer reviewed journals in sleep medicine as well as cosmetic and implant dentistry. With his broad accreditation and accomplishments, he is able to complete the "finishing" phase of complex airway, TMJ/TMD and pain cases. Dr. Hu has also won numerous awards in cosmetic dentistry (Nationwide MACSTUDIO Model Search-- Repeat 5-time grand prize winner) and holds 5 patents (IP's) in sleep medicine. He also has lectured worldwide from Europe to Asia, and he currently would like to bring together all his experiences and knowledge to help clients in the Vegas valley.
Dr. Loria Nahatis
Pediatric Dentist
Dr. Loria Nahatis is a board-certified pediatric dentist who has been in the pediatric dental field for over 25
years. As a teenager, Dr. Loria knew she wanted to become not only a dentist but specialize in pediatric
dentistry. After completing her biology degree with Summa Cum Laude honors from the University of Texas at
Arlington, Dr. Loria graduated with her dental doctorate from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas. She then
completed her two-year Pediatric Dentistry Residency at the University of Maryland, Baltimore College of Dental
Surgery and shortly after became a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
She is co-founder of Beyond Pediatric Dentistry in Dallas, and her focus in pediatric dentistry is optimal
craniofacial health, growth, and development. She has realized from personal experience that if a child’s
craniofacial growth is off-track, it affects their ability to breathe, sleep and thrive. Being a life-long
student under world-renowned leaders in the growth and development field, she is proud to give her young
patients and their parents valuable tools that help with improving dental health as well as overall health and
well-being. She is dedicated to making a difference in every child she sees, working with a collaborative
approach to oral healthcare. Dr. Loria is the first recipient of the Dr. Soroush Zaghi Award for application of
evidence-based protocols to the community at the AAPMD’s Collaboration Cures 2021. She is also an
Affiliate of The Breathe Institute and had one-on-one training with Dr. Zaghi for pediatric functional
frenuloplasties. She takes pride knowing she can help drive change and impact the quality of life in families in
a positive manner.
Todd Warren
THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS: PERSONNEL, PROVIDERS AND PROVIDERS
Todd Warren is a next generation voice in Dental Sleep Medicine who brings a fresh relational, value-based, perspective to our field of Sleep Health and Wellness. He is a firm believer in giving value, to receive value and that starts with valuing relationships.
Having come from a successful engineering background, where he collaborated with many stakeholders, city, local and municipal, to bring online the 2 largest waste management plant in the world.
He has taken this relational approach to as Founder and CEO, to build Dental Sleep Profits, where he and his team created a concierge marketing agency, exclusively to Dental Sleep Medicine providers across the country.
Kent Smith
As the clinical director at Star Sleep & Wellness in Frisco, Dr. Kent Smith has more than 25 years of experience treating individuals suffering from sleep-breathing disorders. As a partner to many physicians and sleep experts in the Frisco area, his running total for the number of patients successfully treated exceeds 10,000.
Randy Curran
CEO / Founder
Randy Curran is the founder and CEO of Pristine Medical billing. He has helped over a thousand dental practices on the financial side of dental sleep medicine by teaching them the proper workflows, medical necessity, documentation requirements, and ethical billing coding practices. During the past 14 years, Randy has dedicated his life to helping those with obstructive sleep apnea by obtaining medical insurance coverage for over 35,000 patients for the treatment of sleep apnea.
Through his drive and vigor, Randy has built a dental sleep medicine billing team at Pristine Medical Billing in Southern California, which currently employs 38 employees that are dedicated to serving 600 plus dental practices and sleep physicians across the nation. Randy’s team also helps their practices obtain medical insurance coverage for TMD, trauma, and oral surgery treatments.
It’s a family affair- Not only has Randy dedicated his last 14 years to helping patients breathe and live better, but his wife, Pamela, is also in the same field on the clinical side. Pamela has spent 22 years as an RT (Respiratory Therapist) who works in the ER and ICU for a level-one trauma center.
Randy’s children, Kyle, Olivia, and Liana also work alongside him at Pristine to help serve people and communities across the nation. Together, the Curran family has been blessed with the opportunity to not only help improve lives of others but also save lives in their local community.
Dr. Stacey Layman
Dr. Stacey Layman, DDS, is an experienced dentist with a specialization in dental sleep medicine (DSM), boasting over 15 years in the field. She holds prestigious diplomate status from both the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) and the American Sleep and Breathing Academy (ASBA).
Dr. Layman's contributions to the DSM sector have been significant. She co-founded GoGo Billing, a pioneering DSM medical billing company, and is a co-founder of GoTo Sleep Centers, a multi-doctor DSM practice located in Arizona.
After graduating from Baylor College of Dentistry, Dr. Layman honed her skills in cosmetic dentistry and dental sleep medicine. Her expertise has led her to lecture on these topics internationally.
Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Layman has made appearances in national commercials for brands such as Lumineers and Closys. In her personal life, she takes pride in her role as a mother to two teenage daughters and celebrates over two decades of marriage with her spouse, Nick.
With her extensive experience, dedication to dental sleep medicine, and commitment to patient care, Dr. Stacey Layman continues to have a lasting impact in the field, enhancing the quality of life for her patients.
Dr. Mark Murphy
DDS, D-ABDSM
Dr. Mark Murphy is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and serves as Lead Clinical Faculty for ProSomnus® Sleep Technologies. He also serves as Adjunct Faculty at the University of Detroit Mercy and lectures internationally on leadership, practice management, case presentation, and sleep disordered breathing.
Dr. Murphy holds multiple patents and has contributed to numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He is an informative and entertaining speaker, blending a stand-up style of humor and anecdotes with current evidence-based research that attendees can take home and use immediately
Thomas Weakley
Presently Director of Operations for the Owner-Operator Independent Driver’s Association Foundation, Inc. (OOFI) 17 years. Maintains a CDL with Tanker and Hazardous Material endorsements.
National Defense Transportation Association, Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Science, North American Council on Freight Efficiency, Research Advisory, Committee to the American Transportation Research Institute, Lead instructor for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Business Seminar, Transportation Regulatory Advisory Committee to ARB of California, Transportation Workers Utility Sector Council and, Trucking Industry Mobility & Technology Coalition
Mr. Weakley has been in some form of trucking for over 40 years including:
Driver, Pedal runs, Less-than-truck load (LTL), Truck Load (TL), Hazardous material hauler, Hazardous material trainer, Fleet owner, and Manager hazardous material Transportation Distribution and Storage Facility for 6 states.
Mr. Weakley received his B.A. from William Jewell College, M.A. from the University of Missouri and 30+ hours of post-graduate hours, University of Missouri
Carlyn Norris
Carlyn Norris, MD hails from South Carolina where she studied medicine at The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. During her medical training, she spent a year at the Medical University of South Carolina Department of Otolaryngology where she coordinated clinical trials of cutting-edge treatments for various disorders of the ears, nose and throat. She completed her training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Her research has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Norris has experience treating a broad spectrum of otolaryngologic disorders in both children and adults. She has a particular interest in the treatment of allergies, sinus surgery, thyroid surgery, and disorders of the ears, nose and throat in the pediatric population.
Dr. Norris resides in Prosper with her husband, daughter, and Australian Shepherd.
Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor, (goes by Taylor) is the Business Development Representative for Signifier Medical. Taylor has over 15 years' experience in the field of sleep medicine and offers a wealth of information on how the eXciteOSA device has been helping OSA and primary snoring patients achieve a better night’s sleep with eXciteOSA and has assisted in creating a program for higher compliance and efficacy. Taylor is also the owner Taylormade Sleep Services And, a trusted partner of Signifier Medical for over 3 years.
Dr. Jeff Rodgers
Dr. Jeff Rodgers specializes in dental sleep medicine and has been in private practice for over 20 years. A Diplomate of both the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) and the American Sleep and Breathing Academy (ASBA), Rodgers is a board-certified expert in sleep, treating patients who suffer from sleep breathing disorders at his practice Sleep Better Georgia in Dunwoody, Ga.
He is committed to raising awareness of sleep issues and oral appliance therapy as a treatment option for the common, but often undiagnosed, condition of sleep apnea. Dr. Rodgers earned a BS in biology from Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn, and is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Dentistry.
Mark Walgren
Territory Manager for ZOLL Respicardia, responsible for the remede transvenous phrenic nerve stimulator that treats central sleep apnea. 20 years in industry representing implantable medical devices/therapies that treat cardiac arrhythmias and advanced heart failure.
Dr. Brian Deville
J. Brian DeVille, MD, FACC, FHRS is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in cardiovascular disease and clinical cardiac electrophysiology. Dr. DeVille is the founder of Arrhythmia Management and has been specializing in the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders for over 20 years. His professional interests include catheter ablation, pacemaker and ICD implantation and management, lead extraction, and clinical research in the areas of ablation and device management. Dr. DeVille is the co-medical director of Electrophysiology for Baylor Health Care System. He is very active in research and frequently presents and instructs on the advanced treatment options available in his field.