Our Caring Leadership

John Walker, Director of Administration
John Walker has over 30 years leadership experience in managed care organizations, including serving on the management team that developed the first Health Maintenance Organization in Western New York.  Throughout his career he has directed a variety of operational areas including marketing, product development, provider contracting and network development, and medical services management.  He has participated in a wide range of local and national healthcare development and improvement initiatives including the National Demonstration Project on Quality Improvement in Healthcare.  In November 2005 he was appointed Executive Director of Family Choice of New York.

Bonnie Smeal, Director of Utilization Management
Bonnie Smeal, RN, BSN, joined the management staff of Family Choice of New York as Director of Utilization Management in January of 2006.  She is a knowledgeable clinician, with over 12 years of long term care experience, working as an in-service coordinator, unit manager, supervisor, and Director of Nursing.  In addition she spent seven years overseeing concurrent review for a local managed care organization.  Her broad base of skills brings strong administrative support to the Family Choice Nurse Practitioners in providing quality care to the program's members.

Stephen Evans, MD, Chief Medical Officer
Steve Evans, MD, a native of downstate Illinois, did his medical training at Northwestern University and the University of Minnesota before coming to the Buffalo VA 18 years ago for his fellowship in Geriatric Medicine.  He has practiced in Western New York hospitals and nursing facilities since that time with ElderMedical, the practice that he started following completion of his training.  Dr. Evans has worked for years to understand and to replicate in Western New York high quality, cost effective programs to improve care of the frail elderly, and in this role was one of the founders of Family Choice of New York.  He also works as a part time reviewer for a CMS utilization review contractor and consults with hospital and nursing facility providers around the US.

David A. Eubanks, MD, Associate Medical Director
Dr. Eubanks attended medical school at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and completed a family practice residency at Harrisburg Hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Following his residency, he practiced family medicine for 12 years in Ohio.  Dr Eubank's practice included nursing home residents where he served as an attending physician as well as Medical Director.  In 1994 he moved to Western New York and joined Elder Medical Services and has practiced exclusively in area nursing homes and adult homes since that time.  Dr. Eubanks is board certified in both Family Practice and Geriatrics.

Zerline Tiu-Snyderman, MD, Associate Medical Director
Zerline Tiu-Snyderman, M.D., C.M.D. is a Board-Certified Internist and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine as a diplomat in Geriatric Medicine.  Her work in the Long Term Care (LTC) continuum started at the VA Medical Center as the Long Term Care Medical Director.  In 1997, she joined a group of local geriatricians, now known as Geriatric Associates and together, they provide Medical Directorship and direct care at skilled nursing facilities, sub-acute care units, adult care and assisted living facilities, out-patient clinics and hospitals.  Today, in addition to attending to a full panel of geriatric patients Dr. Snyderman serves as the Medical Director at Seneca Health Care Center and Harris Hill Nursing Facility.  She achieved distinction as a Certified Medical Director by the American Medical Director Association which advances physician leadership and excellence in medical directorship through certification, thereby, improving the quality of care for long term care patients.

Lisa Wheeler, ANP, Director of Clinical Services
Lisa Wheeler, M.S. and Board Certified Adult Nurse Practitioner, received her Nurse Practitioner Degree specializing in Adult Health from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Nursing.  After completing her Masters Degree, she practiced in Internal Medicine/Cardiology.  In addition, Lisa brings to Family Choice ten years of clinical and management experience in long term care settings.  In 2006 Lisa joined the Family Choice group of Nurse Practitioners and in 2007 was promoted to Associate Director of Clinical Services.  As Director of Clinical Services she is responsible for the day to day administration and supervision of our expanding group of Nurse Practitioners as well as serving on the program's Senior Management Team.

Dawn O'Shei, Director of Office Systems and Human Resources
Dawn joined Family Choice of New York in October 2006.  She has over four years of administrative experience in a skilled nursing facility working directly on the care units.  For five years, she worked at a psychiatric hospital providing clerical, human resources, and accounting support to the A/P and A/R Department.  Dawn was appointed to Office Manager of Family Choice in March 2007.

Komal Chandan, MD, Associate Medical Director

Jim Collins, MD, Medical Director

Brian Snyder, MD, Associate Medical Director