KMB FOR ANSWERS

Conference Schedule

Picking up the Pieces: The Complexities of ED | Mar 10, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM EST St. John Fisher, Kearney Hall Auditorium, 3690 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14618, USA

Thu, Mar 10

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Check-in at the front table to collect your name badge and information folder.

8:30 AM - 8:40 AM

Welcome & Introductions

Ellen Bennett, Director of KMB for Answers delivers a welcome message.
Ellen is the founder and director of KMB for Answers. With personal experience and professional training, she is the primary eating disorder presenter for KMB and Body Positive Trainer. Affiliated with the Western NY Comprehensive Care Center, Academy for Eating Disorders, Eating Disorder Coalition, and National Eating Disorder Association, Ellen brings expertise, innovation, and compassion to the eating disorder community.

8:40 AM - 9:00 AM

Linda Mazur, Author and Advocate

Linda Mazur, KMB board member and author of Emilee: The Story of a Girl and Her Family Hijacked by Anorexia, discusses her book and experience with ED.

Linda and Jack (John) Mazur were blessed with two precious children. For a time, they led a happy, ordinary life, until everything changed dramatically. Their lives were hijacked when their firstborn, Emilee, developed a serious and misunderstood mental illness with the highest mortality rate. Linda discusses their book Emilee - The Story of a Girl and Her Family Hijacked by Anorexia which provides an intimate and realistic account of how their world was turned upside down by anorexia nervosa. Their story reveals the cracks in our health care system, the institutions we are taught to trust, as well as our own prejudices and misinformation about eating disorders, mental illness, and addiction.

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Keynote Speaker Betsy Brenner, Author and Speaker

Author of The Longest Match; Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Midlife, Betsy Brenner believes it is never too late to heal from past trauma and in mid-life become healthier in body, mind, and spirit. In her 2021 memoir, Betsy details her life, one filled with blessings and privilege, but also with emotional trauma, grief, and loss. Her past challenges contributed to the development of an eating disorder in midlife which was ultimately the catalyst for healing. Her important message is that it is never too late to be a work in progress.
Betsy Brenner is an author, recovery speaker, and peer support mentor. A graduate of Brown University and American University Law School, Betsy was a nationally ranked tennis player, hospital attorney, hospice volunteer, and high school tennis coach. She and her husband, Jeff, reside in Barrington, Rhode Island, and are the parents of three grown children.

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM

Break

Visit the booths, grab a snack, stretch break.

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Santo Caruana, Lived Experience

Santo Caruana presents "A view from my perspective."
A young man’s thoughts and insights into ED. "I became very aware of eating disorders when I was initially diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa in January of 2018. At first, it came as a huge shock and would go on to change the course of my life. One of the hardest parts for me was even accepting the idea that I had a mental illness, let alone an eating disorder. One thing that I would share to raise awareness is that eating disorders truly do come in all shapes and sizes and there is no one way someone “has” to look in order to have a diagnosis. Disordered eating is more common than you may think and is often overlooked because it doesn’t meet the “typical” standards".

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Dr. Mary Tantillo, Director of WNYCCCED, Prof. of Nursing at URMC

Mary Tantillo, Director of the Western New York Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders (WNYCCCED), Author, and Professor of Clinical Nursing at URMC discusses her works, Multifamily Group for Young Adults with Anorexia Nervosa and Understanding Teen Eating Disorders.
Dr. Mary Tantillo is a Professor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is also the Director of the Western New York Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders, founder of The Healing Connection Inc., and a fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders. She has special clinical/research interests in group and family-based treatment for eating disorders.

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Lunch

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Keynote Speaker, Kim Piekunka, Sibling Experience Professional

What Siblings Would Like You To Know.
This workshop is to identify and acknowledge the complex social and psychological circumstances faced by having a sibling with an eating disorder. Kym will review her co-created global sibling survey and present practical ways to improve the understanding, treatment, and support needs related to the survey themes.
As a lived-experience professional, Kym Piekunka is passionate to provide siblings who have a brother or sister with an eating disorder the acknowledgment, connection, and resources they have never been afforded. To highlight this need, she has collaborated alongside clinicians, researchers, and organizations for over a decade. In 2018 she co-created a sibling needs survey with Bridget Whitlow that has reached over 500 siblings around the world. The survey has continued to bring the sibling experience to light. That same year KymAdvocates.com was created to allow space for siblings to share their experiences, stories, and perspectives. Along with these incredible interviews Kym’s had the privilege to educate and support hundreds of siblings and parents which has led to the Sibling Support Series.

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM

Break

2:15 PM - 3:00 PM

Jim Witmer LCSW, Health Project Coordinator, Project ECHO®

Jim Witmer LCSW, has worked for more than 25 years with children, adolescents and young adults with sensory, physical and intellectual disabilities and with their families. He is currently the Health Project Coordinator at the Western NY Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders and the coordinator of Project ECHO® Eating Disorders.
Project ECHO® Eating Disorders utilizes simple, web-based videoconferencing technologies to eliminate geographic barriers, reduce disparities in health care delivery, and promote integrated, coordinated and continuous care for patients with eating disorders and their families.

3:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Becky Carpentier, MS, LMHC, Syracuse Sol Stone

Becky Carpentier, MS, LMHC, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who joined the UNYED service team in 2017. Becky started out facilitating a psychotherapy group for the Syracuse, NY Intensive Outpatient Program and took on the role of Program Director of the Syracuse Sol Stone in August of 2019. Becky received her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from SUNY Oswego. She has additional training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and is currently working on obtaining her Certified Eating Disorder Specialist certification through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals.

3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Closing

Ellen Bennett delivers the closing message.

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Yoga/Mindfulness with Kaitlyn Vitozzi, C-IAYT

Take a moment to clear your mind with a local yoga therapist, Kaitlyn Vitozzi.
Kaitlyn, C-IAYT of Rochester is a Yoga Therapist who helps anyone feeling anxious, exhausted, and disconnected from their own bodies. Using yoga, meditation, and relaxation techniques, they'll learn the skills they need to recenter, and create a clear path to move forward with an emphasis on independence, embodiment and self-care. She also has specialized training in perinatal mood disorders. Kaitlyn teaches paddleboard yoga and is the Life in Balance columnist for Rochester Woman Online. She loves spending her downtime with her dog. For more info or to schedule a free phone consultation, visit TozziYoga.com

Schedule​

​Conference Schedule

KMB for Answers

Schedule

Conference Schedule