About Us

Alan H. Spiro, M.D., M.M.

Dr. Alan Spiro is a recognized leader in health care. A graduate of Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Spiro was a practicing gastroenterologist for eight years before entering health care management. He started the first nutritional support service at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, pioneering a unique team approach to health care. He was instrumental in starting one of the early IPAs in the Chicago area, serving on the Board of Directors.

Dr. Spiro has held the position of Vice President, Medical Director, of a national health insurance company developing managed care, and case management programs geared to small business. His reputation and expertise led to his serving on a committee mandated by Congress relating to health care access for the disabled.

After obtaining his Master of Management degree from the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University, Dr. Spiro left practice and became Senior Vice President and Medical Director at a large HMO in the northeast. Dr. Spiro was instrumental in developing a radiology specialty company geared to the managed care industry. He developed unique quality programs and approaches to utilization that have been the standard for radiology in managed care. He served on the Board of Directors of the company and as its Chief Medical Officer prior to his association with the Venlo Group, Ltd.

Dr. Spiro is a speaker at the national meetings of American Gastroenterologic Association, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the National Managed Health Care Congress. He is a visiting professor at Michigan State University. He has written on topics related to managed care and is recognized as a leader in health care policy and systems. Throughout his career Dr. Spiro has been an innovator and is generally recognized as having the ability to implement and operationalize new approaches to managed care.

Rhonda Spiro, M.D.

Dr. Rhonda Spiro is a physician with experience in industry, practice and academia. A graduate of Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Spiro completed post graduate work in Pediatrics at the University of Chicago before entering academic practice in ambulatory pediatrics in Boston. There, she combined patient care with medical student and resident education.

As medical director for Abbott Laboratories, she was involved with new product development, monitoring of clinical research, and the FDA approval process for new drugs.

Dr. Spiro entered private practice gaining experience in the economics of practice management and an understanding of the difficulties with the "small business" of a practice.

Following a three year fellowship in clinical genetics, Dr. Spiro joined the faculty at University of Chicago where she is currently the only practicing, board certified clinical geneticist and dysmorphologist. She has pioneered the multidisciplinary team model and initiated clinics at the University of Chicago and La Rabida Children's Hospital and is published in the fields of adolescent and child psychiatry.

Dr. Spiro continues to teach, lecture, write and see patients while working with The Venlo Group, Ltd.

Annette S. Berkowitz

Annette Berkowitz is an experienced management consultant specializing in fund raising, management, strategic planning, marketing and training.

Ms. Berkowitz has held the positions of Executive Director, Senior Vice President and Regional Vice President of National Health Agencies. As Executive Director, Ms. Berkowitz built a comprehensive, centralized program for fund raising based on national guidelines. She updated and consolidated the association's financial arrangements resulting in greater income and simpler accounting procedures.

While Senior Vice President, Ms. Berkowitz was credited with developing strong goals and cost savings measures resulting in recovery from insolvency to positive cash flows, increasing income from $376,000 to $1.3 million.

She has conducted national workshops on fundraising and marketing. Her establishment of an Executive Corporate Cabinet provided additional funding and interactive pilot programs which have been accepted as standard practice.

Independent projects include a feasibility study for a national nursing organization; administration of a Meals on Wheels program, including grant proposals resulting in federal funding; total quality management and marketing projects for a N.J. association providing employee relations services to businesses.

Ms. Berkowitz has written grant proposals, conducted board trainings. produced a journal, written a monthly newsletter, developed surveys and analyzed data. The results of her endeavors have been consistently high level and fiscally positive.