Meet the Team

Perry McLimore, MD, JD

Dr. McLimore is a healthcare attorney and a medical, healthcare reform, legal and healthcare writer. Dr. McLimore practiced emergency and ICU medicine for 23 years. He retired and entered law school. Currently, Dr. McLimore works as an expert consult for other attorneys involved in medical cases. In addition, he is an active writer in the fields of medicine, medical diseases, healthcare, and healthcare reform. He is the author of three books and multiple articles. Dr. McLimore is an author, editor, and staff member for Scrubspeak,, a website for physicians.

Dr. McLimore obtain a BS in biology at Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky. His medical degree is from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky. Medical training was at Duke University located in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. McLimore underwent fellowship training at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He graduated with a law degree in 2009 from William Howard Taft School of Law located in Santa Ana, California.

Joanne P. Shelby-Klein, BSN, RN

Joanne has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years. She was a Dialysis Nurse for over 21 years and also has experience in Multiple Sclerosis, Insurance Utilization Review, Case Management, volunteer Patient Advocate and Mentoring Angel for Imermans Angels Cancer Support. She has served as a Staff Dialysis Nurse, Charge Nurse, Clinical Manager for a Dialysis Clinic, Patient Educator (including writing all patient education materials used), Staff Educator, member of Risk Management and CQI committee, and writer/editor of Dialysis clinic patient newsletter.

Joanne earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Alderson-Broaddus University in 1984 and serves as the Vice President of the Nursing Alumni Association since 2013. She serves as a medical consultant and researcher for a science fiction novelist and is a policy and procedure, and patient education consultant for a developing Senior Companion business in Florida.

Swapnali Halder, Ph.D.

Dr. Swapnali Halder is a highly motivated individual with over 5 years of experience in biomedical research and science writing. She is a person with critical thinking ability, expertise dealing with wide range of research data, and effective communication skill to serve audiences from scientific as well as general community. Thus, here at The Scrutinizer, she is able to review the peer reviewed journal articles, translate and compile the scientific knowledge into a simple and unbiased form that everyone can understand in accordance with our company’s mission.

Dr. Halder has a doctorate in Molecular Biosciences from Arkansas State University, AR, USA. Her academic qualifications also include a Bachelors degree in Microbiology and a Masters degree in Biotechnology, from India.

Vaishali Kulkarni, Ph.D.

Dr. Vaishali Kulkarni is an academic scientist and an aspiring medical writer with publications in peer reviewed journals. She has passion for science and research that has compelled her to go beyond the laboratory boundaries and make science accessible and fun for everyone especially kids. She works to popularize science through her writings and science clubs with hands on science projects / workshops / science fairs for children.

Dr. Kulkarni has doctorate in Ethnobotany, and a decade of postdoctoral research experience in Neuroscience specially learning and memory, neural plasticity from TIFR, India and UMDNJ/Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.

Hasina Akhtar, Ph.D.

Dr. Vaishali Kulkarni is an academic scientist and an aspiring medical writer with publications in peer reviewed Dr. Hasina Akhtar had a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Masters and Bachelors in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. She has been a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. Her research experience lies inProstate Cancer Bone Metastasis, Alzheimer’s Diseaseand Lung Fibrosis. During her research career, she has enriched her knowledge in scientific research and has gained experience in scientific writing through publishing in peer reviewed journals and writing grants for funding. Both are extremely valuable tools for a medical writer professional that enable her to write on various topics following science based medicine, that is in accordance with the mission at The Scrutinizer.. She has passion for science and research that has compelled her to go beyond the laboratory boundaries and make science accessible and fun for everyone especially kids. She works to popularize science through her writings and science clubs with hands on science projects / workshops / science fairs for children.

Dr. Kulkarni has doctorate in Ethnobotany, and a decade of postdoctoral research experience in Neuroscience specially learning and memory, neural plasticity from TIFR, India and UMDNJ/Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA.

L. Claudia Pop, MD, Ph. D.

Claudia holds a medical degree from Romania. For the past 5 years she has been working toward her PhD degree in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University of New Jersey. She has been interested in nutrition as an essential component of human health since she first started her medical training. Currently her research aims to understand the link between obesity, weight loss and bone health. Also, a major research interest for Claudia has been the effect of vitamin D supplementation on several health outcomes such as bone health, metabolic health and cognition. Her medical background and her training as a researcher provide Claudia with the tools to present valuable scientific information in an accessible way to people.

Victoria Brewster, MSW

Victoria graduated from SUNY- Albany with a Master of Social Work degree in 1997. For the past fourteen years, Victoria has worked with seniors/elders as a case manager and group facilitator. She has three years of combined experience with children, families, and adults with diagnosed mental health issues as a therapist and case manager.

Her interests include: aging, end-of-life care, grief/bereavement, improving healthcare, issues related to social work and other mental health professions, needed changes and solutions in education for youth, and mindfulness. She is a contributing writer at OTTITI, a staff writer at Social Justice Solutions, a member and volunteer with Dying with Dignity Canada and Seniors Action Quebec.

Victoria has a personal blog, is a group owner for the End-of-Life Discussion Group for Professionals on LinkedIn, and she is co-authoring a book on death, dying, and the end of life; anticipated Summer 2015 release.

Tracey Maxfield, RN, BSN, GNC, DDS

Tracey is a dementia consultant, educator and advocate with over 35 years’ experience working with people with dementia in the U.K. and Canada, and most recently, in the USA. She is certified in palliative care, dementia care and gerontology and is involved in many organizations and projects at a local and government level to improve the health, wellbeing and rights of seniors and people with dementia. Tracey has worked with politicians and local government representatives and regularly presents seminars on dementia care and creating dementia friendly environments.

Tracey is also a Purple Angel Ambassador, and on September 27, 2017 appeared on Alzheimer’s Speaks hosted by Lori La Bey where she discussed Young Onset Dementia (www.alzheimersspeaks.com), and on October 1, 2017 appeared on Caregivers with Hope hosted by Peter Rosenberger to talk about behaviors in dementia ((https://caregiverswithhope.com/expert-dementia-shares-valuable-insights/)

Christina Ripp, M.A.

Christina holds an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from the University of New Mexico. During graduate school and continuing after her recent graduation, she has worked on research projects focused on addictions and Motivational Interviewing. She has expertise with coding Motivational Interviewing sessions and helping clinicians improve their MI skills, both for clinical and research purposes. Christina has experience with translating technical jargon into language for the general public, and brings enthusiasm for communicating about mental health.

Hamsa Al-Aqqad, Pharmacist, M.SC., B.SC.

Hamsa Al-Aqqad, Pharmacist, M.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons), University of Jordan, Freelance Medical Writer, Feltham, Greater London.

Hamsa Al-Aqqad has a keen interest in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and education. Ever since she started her career as a scientific officer, she has been dedicated to updating her knowledge regarding the latest research.

Throughout her career, she has frequently researched, written, edited and proofread medical education and communications materials for healthcare professionals as well as patients, in addition to relevant detailing aids for medical representatives.

Kaitlyn Bernard

Kaitlyn Bernard, our newest intern, is a student at the University of Central Florida and majors in pre-clinical health sciences. During her time at UCF, she developed a strong interest in veterinary medicine and public health disparities. Outside of her interests in science, she enjoys channeling her inner creative side through painting, designing clothes, and crafting. A quote she strongly resonates with as a college student is “there is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish” by Michelle Obama.

Aiman Bandali

Aiman Bandali is a sixth year (P4) pharmacy student at Rutgers University and has earned a minor in psychology. She is actively involved in Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) by organizing diabetes and blood pressure fairs geared towards underprivileged communities.

Rewarding activities such as these attract Aiman, and she stands strong to help other students succeed in pharmacy school. She has had prior research and medication therapy management (MTM) experience, and brings her extensive drug-based knowledge and aptitude for writing to The Scrutinizer.

Elhaam Bandali

Elhaam Bandali is a 2nd year graduate student pursuing her M.S. degree in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University. She has a B.S. degree in Nutritional Sciences and Psychology with a minor in Biology. Her research involves the use of the TNO gastrointestinal model (TIM-1), an in vitro model replicating the biological events occurring in the lumen of the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, to study the effects of different fat diets on calcium bioaccessibility. Currently, she is a Research Associate Intern at Viocare, Technologies for Healthier Living, where she writes Small Business Innovation Research grant proposals for commercializing novel healthcare technologies. Elhaam hopes to use her exceptional writing skills acquired from her research and work experience and her passion for science to share knowledge with the general public.

Lubna Ahmed

Lubna Ahmed is a recent graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, UK, majoring in Human Biology and Journalism. She has been a Student Ambassador at the University, runs a biology blog and enjoys volunteering her time for children. She enjoys creative writing and has a story published on a self-publishing platform with 4000+ reads.

Her dissertation addressed dietary advice particularly in relation to Mediterranean diet. Her goal is to be able to make a difference in the world with her writing, researching and publishing valuable information. Here at The Scrutinizer, she brings her passion for writing about the workings of human body and her expertise on various diets.

Ann-Christine

Ann-Christine is our youngest intern who started with us as freshman in high school, now is a Junior. She is an avid reader and writer, even has a published book to her credit. Here at The Scrutinizer, she helps with literature searches from search engines like pubmed, ovid, helps edit the articles and even contributes the articles like Huntington’s disease. Our logo and business cards are designed by her as well.

She is a violinist in her school orchestra. In her free time she paints especially batiks, and enjoys horse back riding, swimming and playing chess.

Catherine Murari-Kanti, Ph.D.

Catherine Murari-Kanti has an M.Pharm from Cerighton University, Omaha, NE. She is currently finishing her Ph.D in Cancer research from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is very interested in pharmacology, human body and its working and understanding human diseases. She strictly believes that if if knowledge cannot be imparted to others, the way they understand it then we have failed education itself. Thus, she is very passionate about scientific writing and impart the knowledge to people in a way they can understand.

Richard Ramirez

My name is Richie. I was born in Puerto Rico raised in New York City. Currently living in Orlando, Florida. I am a Sr. Medical Screener for Octapharma Plasma inc. I truly enjoy my work. I assist in collecting Plasma which is then processed into medicine to assist in various types of therapies and disorders. I love many different areas of science, from quantum physics to evolutionary biology. I enjoy reading old sci-fi novels, big Jules Verne fan. I’m also more star trek than star wars and definitely Tesla over Edison.