Nicholas R. Straniero, MD - Beacon Medical Group Rheumatology Main Street

About Leslie Kaniuk An introduction to the healthcare field for Leslie Kaniuk, NP, began with her caring for people as a Certified Nursing Assistant in a long-term care facility. “This is where my passion for healthcare developed. I became vested in the patients’ lives and had a genuine desire for their wellbeing,” she says. Leslie earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Purdue University Northwest, Westville, IN, and her Master of Nursing from Purdue Global University, Lafayette, IN. She has experience as an RN in Immediate Care Units, and also emergency and neurology departments. Leslie’s positions have been in outpatient, inpatient, long-term care, and homeless shelters. Through her experiences, she has learned that patients want to make their own decisions. She uses the knowledge and experience gained about disease process and treatment options to help patients make educated decisions on what to do with their health. “To me an important part of delivering patient care involves the patient’s perception of health,” she says. Her decision to focus on patients with neurological needs came from an awareness gained in her work. “Nursing has taught me that to practice I have to draw from multiple disciplines including psychology, sociology, ethics, science, and medicine,” she says. “This field has patients with complex chronic diseases requiring a practitioner to place the patient at the center and work to achieve their health goals. These patients have needs beyond the pathophysiology of the neurological condition and require their healthcare professional to be part of a collaborative team to meet their needs,” she says. In her own words… Who is or was the most influential people/role models in your life? My mentor and collaborating physician. What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? My first job was picking blueberries. I remember it was hot. What is your favorite food? Movie? My favorite food group is pasta and my all-time favorite movie is My Girl. What was your best/worst subjects in school growing up? My best subject in school was reading comprehension; my worst subject was math. If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why? If I could sit down with anyone for dinner it would be Jean Watson. She developed the theory of nursing. This was the first thing I had heard that made sense of what I think and feel and about what I wanted to do as a career. In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? Besides medicine I am passionate about connections with people in my life, meaning I like to spend time with people. I have been responsible for hosting multiple events where past and present friend groups get together. What are your hobbies, interests? I love to read or listen to audio books. Other than that, I feel like I have done a poor job of developing interests outside of family and work, so I have been on a mission to learn how to golf. I haven’t started yet but I am determined. Do you have pets? I have one dog, named Daisy. She is an Airedale/Collie mix and she is the “goodest” girl. What is something most people don’t know about you? I am seriously an open book. I do not know that there is anything, except I have one reality TV show that I am obsessed with.

About Dr. Kozelka For Dr. James Kozelka, it was his love of biology that drove him toward a career in medicine. “Prior to medical school I was a physiology graduate student,” he explains. “My research interest was focused on the nervous system. I found clinical neurology a natural extension of my graduate studies.” As a neurologist, Dr. Kozelka helps people with disorders of the nervous system (brain, spine and peripheral nerves), including headaches, seizures and memory problems. “I’m excited to be part of the Beacon team because of the potential for growth in the area of outpatient neurology in collaboration with an excellent inpatient neurology service.” Dr. Kozelka sees himself as an advisor to his patients and is always impressed by the strength they have in the face of challenging health concerns. “We have a great opportunity to help people through difficult times by offering support and education,” he explains. “I want people to know that I am a caring individual who truly wants them to understand their health issues and their options for treatment.” In his own words… Who is or was the most influential person/role model in your life? I have many role models. Perhaps the best was my father who taught me the value of hard work. What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? I worked for my father who was a caterer. What is your favorite food? Movie? Book? My favorite food is vegetarian lasagna. The Great Outdoors is my favorite movie (I love John Candy). My favorite book is The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why? Abraham Lincoln. He took our country through such a difficult time, at great personal expense. I believe we could use a man like him in the oval office right now. In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? I love to hike and spend time with my family. What is something most people don’t know about you? I wanted to be a professional baseball player when I grew up.

About Dr. Campbell Dr. Mary Elizabeth Campbell always knew she would be a doctor, even from a young age. “Despite exploring other career paths, I always kept coming back to medicine,” she says. She received degrees in both biology (BS) and history (BA) at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. She then earned her MA in Physiology from Ball State University, Muncie, IN, and her MD/MPH (Master of Public Health) at Indiana School of Medicine, Indianapolis. Dr. Campbell completed her residency at Center for Family Medicine, Sioux Falls, SD. Her medical practice allows her to care for the whole family, through the entirety of her patients’ lives, including pre-birth. “The immense variety of cases and presentations helped draw me to family medicine,” she says. As a Beacon physician, Dr. Campbell focuses on family medicine, and is able to offer obstetrics and substance abuse treatments, like Suboxone, which is for the treatment of opioid addiction. “My philosophy is to treat the whole person both mentally and physically, particularly by listening to my patients,” she says. “I have learned that the best tool is to truly listen to the patient while trying to find the best treatment approach to help them.” In her own words… What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? My first job was a summer camp counselor at Camp Eberhart. I remember most the pure joy of kids being able to experience and learn new things they had never tried before. What is your favorite food? Movie? My favorite food is fondue. I enjoy most historical movies so long as they are “close” to being accurate. What was your best/worst subjects in school growing up? I loved all subjects particularly history and science, but I could never master any art past stick figures. If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased) who would it be and why? Alice Roosevelt: she had the courage and the fortitude of a woman out to change the world. In addition to medicine, what are you passionate about? Aside from my husband and two daughters, I am passionate about basset hounds. I also enjoy horseback riding and tennis as well as many water sports, in particular waterskiing. What are your hobbies, interests? I enjoy cross-stitching when I have the time.