About
Huron Foundation provides grants to organizations dedicated to improving the health, education, and well-being of residents in East Cleveland and its surrounding communities.
History
Huron Hospital has an interesting and colorful history going back to the mid 1800’s. It became the first privately owned hospital in Cleveland Ohio, when Dr. Beckwith, a prominent healer, converted a house on Lake Street (now Lakeside Avenue) into a 20-bed hospital.
Board of Directors
Keyvan Ravakhah, MD, MBA, FACP (President) was the last Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Huron Hospital. Currently, he is an associate professor of medicine in Northeast Ohio Medical University and teaches medical residents at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. He received his training at Hacettepe University, University of South Alabama, Case Western Reserve University and the University of North Carolina. Dr. Ravakhah is the author of a book, Amanita, The Stories of a Detective Doctor and he has published more than fifty articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Hinda Abramoff, DO, (Secretary-Treasurer) is Consultant Staff in the Department of Anesthesiology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to this she was the Chairperson of the Department of Anesthesiology at Huron Hospital until it closed in 2011. Subsequently she joined the anesthesia staff in the Department of General Anesthesiology and was Section Head of Interventional Radiology and Assistant Professor at the Lerner College of Medicine. She is board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Management. Dr. Abramoff is a graduate of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Charinjit Bahniwal, MD, served as a Board-Certified Staff Anesthesiologist at Huron Hospital. Currently, he is a Staff Anesthesiologist in anesthesia and pain management at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He completed an anesthesia residency at MetroHealth Medical Center, a pain management fellowship at New York University and a master’s degree in general surgery at Punjabi University.
Andrei Brateanu, M.D. FACP is Associate Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Cleveland Clinic. He is Chair of the Internal Medicine Clinical Competency Committee and Co-Director of the Research and Scholarly Activity Program in the IMRP. Dr. Brateanu’s research interests include residency education, peri-operative evaluation, thromboembolic disease, coronary artery disease and diabetes. Dr. Brateanu’s scholarly activities include clinical and educational research, performing peer reviews, and mentoring residents.
Richard J. Koletsky, M.D. was born in Cleveland and grew up in University Heights, Ohio. He graduated from Cleveland Height High School and then received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from Case Western Reserve University. He trained in internal medicine and pathology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, Northwestern University and the Cleveland Clinic. He completed his training in Endocrinology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He returned to Cleveland and was division chief of Endocrinology at St. Luke’s Hospital from 1982-1996 and then Huron Hospital from 1997-2011. Dr. Koletsky continues to practice endocrinology in the Cleveland area and helps train medical students and residents. He is a member of the Department of Nutrition at the School of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University where he does research in the areas of high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and obesity.
James Newman, M.D. PhD is a native Clevelander, Interventional Radiologist. He joined the Huron Foundation Board of Trustees in 2017. From 2008 to his retirement in 2015. Dr. Newman held the position of Medical Director, Interventional Radiology for the Cleveland Clinic Eastern Region. He has longstanding interests in community medicine and extending the legacy of Huron’s service to the East Cleveland community.
Scott R Schell, PhD, MD, MBA served as a part-time member of the Trauma Surgery staff at Huron Hospital from 2010 until its close. He has an extensive career in academic surgical oncology trauma surgery, including serving as Associate Chief of Staff for the Cleveland Clinic. A serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in health technology, pharma, and devices, he now works in Population Health and as a Managing Partner in a venture capital firm.
Yolanda Thigpen, MD, is a board-certified staff obstetrician and gynecologist specializing in women’s health, obstetrics, and surgery. Dr. Thigpen came to Cleveland in 1995 after completing her training in New York. Dr. Thigpen is on staff at the Cleveland Clinic, Hillcrest Hospital, Euclid Hospital, and the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center. She is a generalist who provides a wide variety of care to the citizens of East Cleveland and surrounding cities. She currently conducts pregnancy centering groups in an effort to reduce the risk of preterm labor, and perinatal and maternal mortality. She is the physician liaison for Stephanie Tubbs Jones to the Concerned Pastors of East Cleveland. She also serves on the peer review team at Hillcrest Hospital. She was a staff member at Huron Hospital for many years before it closed. She is a graduate of Meharry Medical College.