Rebekah Bernard, MD
District E Representative, FMA Board
Chair, FMA Committee on Physician Wellness
Rebekah Bernard, MD has worked as a Family Physician for over 15 years. Dr. Bernard graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Sociology, and received her medical degree from the University of Miami. She completed her residency at Florida Hospital in Orlando. Dr. Bernard has served as an adjunct professor for the Florida State University College of Medicine and Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Dr. Bernard is the author of the book "How to Be a Rock Star Doctor," published in July 2015, and is often asked to give lectures and presentations to physicians, residents, and medical students.
Allen R. Grossman, JD
Managing Director
Grossman, Furlow & Bayó, LLC
Allen R. Grossman is specialty certified by the Florida Bar in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice and holds the highest (AV) rating from Martindale-Hubbell. After graduating from Purdue University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in political science, Allen returned to Virginia to attend law school at the College of William and Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law. Allen has been a member of the Florida Bar for 36 years and has served as the Chairman of the Florida Bar Health Law Section, Administrative Law Section and Council of Sections. During his legal career, Allen served for 13 years in the Administrative Law Section of the Florida Attorney General’s Office and in that capacity served as legal counsel for numerous health care regulatory boards, including the Boards of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Dentistry, Psychology and Nursing. Allen also served as an adjunct member of the graduate faculty at Florida State University and taught a graduate course in Administrative Law. Allen left the Attorney General’s Office in 1999 and joined the Gray Robinson law firm where he became a partner the following year. In 2008, Allen joined his current partners in what is now the law firm of Grossman Furlow and Bayo in Tallahassee. In private practice, Allen has spent the last 21 years representing professionals before their regulatory boards and assisting clients with a variety of health care licensure and regulatory issues.
Alexis Polles, MD
Medical Director
Professionals Resource Network (PRN)
Alexis Polles, M.D. is a graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine. She is residency trained in Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry. Dr. Polles has worked with professionals with addictive and psychiatric disorders for more than 30 years in clinical and administrative roles. She is the former Medical Director of the Mississippi Professionals Health Network. Dr. Polles is a Board Certified psychiatrist and Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Diplomat of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, a Certified EMDR therapist and EMDRIA approved trainer, a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist and Supervisor, and a Certified Medical Review Officer. She has been intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Her special areas of interest, in addition to addiction, are professional sexual misconduct, professional burnout, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mary Thomas, JD
Assistant General Counsel
Florida Medical Association
A graduate of Florida State University College of Law, Ms. Thomas concentrated on health law, was the President of the Health Law Society, and clerked at the Department of Health in the Office of the General Counsel. As Assistant General Counsel for the FMA, she represents the association at various regulatory and administrative agency board meetings, conferences, and commissions for rulemaking, adjudication, and enforcement of regulatory agendas. Ms. Thomas concentrates on lobbying the Florida Legislature and executive agencies with a focus on legislation as well as rule promulgation of the Board of Medicine. She regularly presents to physicians, learners and medical staff various medical education programs including Laws and Rules, Controlled Substance Prescribing, and other relevant topics. She also consults FMA members on various legal and legislative matters.
Hector Vila, Jr., MD
Member, Florida Board of Medicine
Board of Medicine Member, FMA Board
Dr. Hector Villa Jr., M.D. received his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in 1989 and completed a 3-year residency in Anesthesia at the University of South Florida, where he received 12 months of advanced training in Pediatric Anesthesia. At graduation he was the recipient of the Dripps Award for outstanding resident. He was certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in 1994.
Dr. Hector Vila is nationally renowned for his work to improve the quality of care in ambulatory and office based anesthesia. He served as chair of the South Carolina Medical Association Taskforce for Office Surgery Guidelines. He was lead author of the study, “A Comparative Outcomes Analysis of Procedures Performed in Physician Offices and Ambulatory Surgery Centers”. Abstracts of this study received international awards and attracted national media attention. He was quoted in US News and World Report, CNN, Good Morning America, and numerous other media. He is considered an expert in the area of patient safety. Dr. Vila has been voted to the Best Doctors in America list every year since 2005.