How did TAF get started?

The creation of The Assistance Fund was inspired by an all-too-common story of a patient at risk of not being able to afford the medicine she desperately needed.

Our founders were moved by the story of a woman battling bone marrow cancer and unable to afford the $4,000 monthly cost of her prescribed medication. That one personal story sparked the formation of The Assistance Fund in 2009. And since then, we’ve helped over 78,000 patients and their families afford medical treatment.

Our vision is to see the day when no person goes without medication due to an inability to pay. Until then, we exist so that patients (like you) don’t have to miss taking your medication because of cost.

Our Leadership

Meet the people who guide TAF as an organization.

Medical Advisory Board › Board of Directors › Management ›

Medical Advisory Board

The members of our Medical Advisory Board are leading experts in their fields. We wouldn’t be who we are without them. They offer strategic advice and counsel to the Board of Directors on a wide range of topics. Plus they review our programs and recommend funding for research grant awards.

Robert Bermel, M.D.

Dr. Bermel's Story ›

Robert Bermel, M.D.

Dr. Bermel is a Neurologist in the Neurological Institute’s Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Cleveland Clinic. He received a medical degree with thesis honors from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Dr. Bermel is leading the implementation and application of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for the clinical program at the Mellen Center. He is currently principal investigator on a research grant funded by the National MS Society, and a co-investigator on multiple clinical trials.

He regularly serves as a volunteer speaker to patient groups on behalf of the National MS Society, and occasionally as a consultant to industry in the field of MS therapeutics.

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Thomas Fountaine, M.D.

Dr. Fountaine's Story ›

Thomas Fountaine, M.D.

Dr. Fountaine is a Hematologist/Oncologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center Wilmot Cancer Institute. He received his medical degree from the Pennsylvania State University. He completed residency training with a Distinction in Medical Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He also served as Chief Resident of Pediatrics. Dr. Fountaine completed his Fellowship training in hematology/oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the National Institutes of Health/National cancer Institute where he also served as Chief Fellow of hematology/oncology.

Clinically, Dr. Fountaine is an Assistant Professor in Medical Oncology within the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. He also serves as co-clinical direct of Stem Cell Processing. His practice focuses on patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and other cellular immunotherapies.

Dr. Fountaine main areas of research is in the translational study of resistant and refractory hematologic diseases and bone marrow failure syndromes. He has a particular interest in the field of leukemia, genomics, and immunotherapy including Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy. The primary goal of Dr. Fountaine’s research is to utilize innovative technology and genomic tools to accelerate the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies in an effort to improve the outcome of patients suffering from these difficult to treat malignancies. Dr. Fountaine has authored or co-authored a number of papers and/or book chapters. He serves as a peer reviewer for a number of medical journals. He also holds professional memberships with the American Society of Hematology, The American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and The American Society of Clinical Oncology.

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James M Stankiewicz, M.D.

Dr. Stankiewicz's Story ›

James M Stankiewicz, M.D.

Dr. Stankiewicz is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. He is Clinical Director of the Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, one of the largest and best known MS centers in the world. He is neurology clerkship director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, holding ultimate responsibility for the education of Harvard Medical Students in their core and advanced neurology rotation. He also co-directs the multiple sclerosis fellowship program at the Partners MS center.

Dr. Stankiewicz received his AB from the University of Chicago in 1993 in the Biological Sciences with a specialization in Neurosciences, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his MD at Loyola University. He completed medical internship at Mt. Auburn hospital and neurology residency at Tufts. He was a post-doctoral research fellow in the neuroimaging of multiple sclerosis under the guidance of Rohit Bakshi, MD.

Dr. Stankiewicz has authored or co-authored over twenty scholarly works. He currently serves as the American Academy of Neurology’s multiple sclerosis section topic chair. He co-edits Multiple Sclerosis: Principles of Diagnosis and Treatment, a well-recognized textbook in the field.

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Board of Directors

We’re so thankful for our Board of Directors. Each member is an accomplished professional who believes in our purpose, fully equipped to set the right pace for our operations and future development. We don’t take their help lightly. Our board is responsible for all decisions related to program criteria and financial awards. They guide and assist our leadership team, while ensuring accountability to our donors and patients.

Lawrence Hatch Chair

Lawrence's Story ›

Lawrence Hatch

Lawrence currently serves as board Chairman and is a Client Advisor for SunTrust Private Wealth Management. He assists individuals in defining their financial goals, risk measures, along with analyzing current and future financial objectives. He utilizes and introduces a comprehensive suite of Private Wealth Management solutions that meet the unique needs and objectives of his clients. Prior to his employment with SunTrust, Hatch served as Portfolio Manager for Evergreen Investments, a fully owned subsidiary of Wachovia Bank, a Wells Fargo Company. Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Florida where he was cornerback for the Gator football team. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in 1993 and played until 1998. His current community affiliations include; Member of the Florida Gators Alumni Association, Associate Member of Florida Citrus Sports, youth football coach and mentor. Lawrence resides in Winter Garden with his wife and children.

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Jeff Milford, CPA Vice Chair

Jeff's Story ›

Jeff Milford, CPA

Jeff currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer for Courtney Leasing, Inc., a supplier of vehicles to independent and discount daily rental operators. In his role, Milford is responsible for the company’s financial reporting, financial analysis and risk management. He is also responsible for the company’s dealer financing and vendor relationships. Prior to Courtney Leasing, he was the Senior Tax Director for Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., where he was responsible for the overall tax compliance and planning for the timeshare division. Prior to Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., Milford was a Senior Tax Manager for KPMG LLP, one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Milford holds a Bachelor of Science – Accounting degree from the University of Florida and a Masters in Taxation from Florida Atlantic University.

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Justin Aronson, J.D.

Justin's Story ›

Justin Aronson, J.D.

Justin was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 2008, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in 2009, the Florida Bar in 2011 and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in 2011. A graduate of Emory University with a B.A. in Economics Justin continued his studies at Syracuse University, College of Law graduating in 2008. He is currently an Associate Attorney with Greenberg Traurig in Orlando with an emphasis on general business litigation, construction litigation, and defense of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers against product liability claims.

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John Fraley

John's Story ›

John Fraley

John is the President/CEO of Orthomedx Corporation, a Florida based provider of orthopaedic products and services, committed to providing patients with accelerated recovery for more than 12 years. John received his degree from the University of Florida in Economics. He has served on many committee’s and boards and presently is the President of Metrowest One Association. In 2001 he was the Chairman of the Mark O’Meara Charity Golf Classic. Also, as a past member of the Rotary Club and Men of Holy Family, he is familiar with large and small group settings that involve coordinating group efforts for charitable causes.

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Julie Judge

Julie's Story ›

Julie Judge

Julie graduated from Hood College with a degree in Management and Human Resources. She has led Human Resources teams in the retail, financial services, hospital, senior living and home health industries. Most notably she served Citi Group as a Senior HR leader, the Cleveland Clinic as their VP of Human Resources and Erickson Living as their SVP of Human Resources. In 2015 Julie Judge named the first Chief Experience Officer(CXO) in the home health industry, while she served as CXO for Maxim Healthcare. Currently, Julie is the VP of Human Resources for Foundation Partners Group.
Julie has 25 years of domestic and international Human Resources experience and a passion for improving both the employee and customer/patient experience.

She and her family are currently residing in Orlando, Florida

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Ellen Feinstein, RD, MHA, FACHE

Ellen's Story ›

Ellen Feinstein, RD, MHA, FACHE

Ellen serves as Vice President for Cancer Services at University of Chicago Medicine, where she is responsible for strategy, network development, and operations for one of Illinois’ two National Cancer Institute –designated comprehensive cancer centers.
With over 25 years of executive experience, Ellen has successfully led and managed a variety of clinical service lines, business development, and ambulatory operations for complex academic and community health systems. She has focused on strategic planning, business development, integrating and aligning physicians, nurses, and other personnel to achieve desired outcomes in growth, financial performance, process improvement, and quality and safety.
Ellen’s clinical background as a Registered Dietitian, coupled with her operations and business development expertise, provides her with a unique perspective.
Ellen has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from The Pennsylvania State University, and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from Saint Joseph’s University (Philadelphia).

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Management

Our management team arrives every day with passion and devotion in tow, working hard to reach our vision. Meet some of our dedicated team members.

Mark P. McGreevy President

Mark's Story ›

Mark P. McGreevy

Mark provides leadership to staff and collaborates with the Board of Directors to set strategic priorities and build relationships with current donors and partners. Mark also leads a highly-skilled team that continues to build an organizational culture of high standards, communication, transparency and trust in order to best meet the needs of our patients and donors.

Throughout Mark’s career he has been a “hands-on” executive with key leadership roles in the insurance industry. He is a certified insurance counselor and licensed in all facets of the industry, including financial planning. With more than 17 years in the insurance sector he grew in progressively challenging positions from Information Technology Director to Vice President of a multi-state insurance agency. Originally from Frederick, Maryland, Mark has made volunteerism a part of his life and has held positions on several boards including Encompass’ North Star Agent Advisory Board and the National Automation Panel, Frederick County Rotary Board of Directors as well as at Mount Saint Mary University’s athletic fundraising board.

Mark’s overall goal for The Assistance Fund is, "to ensure we continue to be excellent stewards of donor’s philanthropic support and that we focus on strengthening the organization’s efforts to fulfill our vision, that no patient is ever denied medications due to their inability to pay."

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Steve Alsene Chief Financial Officer

Steve's Story ›

Steve Alsene

Steve is a certified public accountant and brings over 20 years of financial, operational and audit leadership experience to the team. Steve began his professional career in 1992 with Price Waterhouse, one of the world’s largest professional services firms, as part of its audit and consulting practice. During his 7 years with Price Waterhouse, Steve worked extensively in the healthcare industry with many not-for-profit health systems. From 1999-2003, Steve led the internal audit team at Harcourt, an educational publishing company that was subsequently acquired by Reed Elsevier. In 2003, Steve joined the management team at Rotech Healthcare, the third largest provider of durable medical equipment in the US. During his time at Rotech, Steve served in numerous leadership roles including Vice President of Internal Audit for 3 years, Chief Financial Officer for 6 years, Chief Operating Officer for one year and Chief Executive Officer for one year. In 2014, Steve left Rotech to start Simply Mobility, a provider mobility and accessibility equipment. In 2016, Steve sold Simply Mobility and joined the leadership team at The Assistance Fund. Steve is responsible for providing financial control and oversight to The Assistance Fund to ensure that we are excellent stewards of donor’s philanthropic support.

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Gerald Lauria Vice President, Business Development & Advocacy

Gerald's Story ›

Gerald Lauria

Gerald brings more than 16 years of pharmaceutical sales experience. A native of New Jersey, Gerald graduated from Rutgers University and began his pharmaceutical career with GlaxoSmithKline in 1997. After GSK, Gerald spent over 10 years at Sepracor, which later became Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. During his tenure at Sunovion, Gerald held several leadership positions in sales and corporate, including specialty representative, hospital representative, managed care account manager, District Business Manager, and Leadership Development Manager. In his new role for The Assistance Fund, Gerald is responsible for increasing long-term corporate funding and large donations to help cover out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for patients who have insurance but cannot afford their medication copayments.

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Danielle Vizcaino Vice President, Operations

Danielle's Story ›

Danielle Vizcaino

Danielle earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Microbiology from University of Central Florida. While working as a Medical Laboratory Scientist at the Florida Department of Health, she earned a Master of Public Health and Master of Business Administration degree from the University of North Florida. At the Florida Department of Health, she was involved with leading research projects in Mycobacteriology and coordinated applications for grants in Workforce Competency Standardization in a State Public Health Lab. Danielle brings 6 years of Operations experience in various facets. From 2008-2011, she joined the Government Contracting industry as an Operations Manager in a Small Women-Owned Business. After obtaining her Master’s in both programs, Danielle moved into the Worker’s Compensation Industry where she held titles as Operations Manager and Director of Operations of a large scale call center.

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How We Help

Now that you’ve seen who runs TAF, take a look at what we’re doing to help our patients.

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