Dr. Les Kertay is a board-certified clinical psychologist, strategic leader, industry consultant, and healthcare executive with more than 50 years of experience applying behavioral science principles to a broad range of corporate and clinical settings. 

His expertise includes health psychology, disability medicine, workers’ compensation, absence management, return-to-work, and medical-psychiatric comorbidity, with a particular passion for improving workplace mental health. Over the last 25 years, he has published and presented widely in these areas.

Dr. Kertay currently serves as chief medical officer for Ascellus and as a consultant for other companies in disability and workers’ compensation. Prior to Ascellus, he held several prominent roles, including senior vice president of behavioral health for Axiom Medical, chief medical officer for Lincoln Financial, and chief medical officer for Unum.

Dr. Kertay is a fellow of the International Academy of Independent Medical Examiners, co-dean of Work Comp College’s School of Medical Management, and adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Dr. Miranda Kofeldt is a clinical psychologist and VP of Clinical Product/Services at Ascellus Behavioral Health, serving injured workers with workers’ compensation claims to foster functional improvement, workplace resilience, and reductions in lost time due to physical and mental injury. Areas of clinical expertise include behavioral medicine/health psychology, including recovery from substance use, motivational enhancement & trauma-informed care.

Prior to Ascellus, Dr. Kofeldt worked at the University of Maryland Medical Center as a clinician, consultant, and supervisor for psychology and psychiatry residents. She spent a year as a research assistant professor and assistant director of graduate clinical training at the University of Maryland College Park. She has co-authored peer-reviewed articles published in JOEM related to behavioral health services in the context of workers’ compensation, textbook chapters published by the American Psychiatric Association, and contributed to a monograph for the World Health Organization. Her passion is maximizing wellness and clinical outcomes in the context of complex health systems that still separate physical from mental health, despite all health being ‘one health.’

Dr. Hiren Ghayal, PsyD, MBA, is a Director of Clinical Services and Quality Assurance at Ascellus Behavioral Health (ABH), providing education and clinical quality assurance oversight for care delivered to injured workers by the ABH Network of behavioral health clinicians. He emphasizes the importance of work and function-focused care and goal development in the context of work injury and return to work planning. He emphasizes the importance of monitoring health outcomes and utilizing data to inform treatment plans and serves as a clinical resource for Ascellus clients and stakeholders.

Dr. Ghayal has worked in supervisory and patient advocacy roles throughout the Chicagoland area. His professional interests include working in integrated medical and behavioral healthcare; business development/data driven technology operations and management, and the development of high-quality, cost-effective, and integrated clinical programs.

Dr. Ghayal graduated with a Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD) from Midwestern University, completed training at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital and Hartgrove Behavioral Health System, and obtained an MBA from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne.

Dr. Ghayal enjoys watching basketball and football, and supports his home teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Bears, and the Cubbies.

Dr. Kimberly Holton is a licensed clinical psychologist currently serving as Director, Clinical Services and Network Strategy for Ascellus. In her role, Dr. Holton conducts oversight of mental health clinicians providing clinical services to injured workers in the context of Worker’s Compensation claims and manages credentialing, training, and maintenance of a network of over 200 psychiatrists, psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers contracted with Ascellus. Dr. Holton additionally specializes in clinical technology product, with experience implementing AI-based tools for documentation review and supporting quality, compliance, and performance across the clinician network.  Dr. Holton previously served seven years as an active-duty Lieutenant and psychologist for the United States Navy stationed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Naval Hospital Jacksonville, and aboard the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier before transitioning to the civilian sector. Dr. Holton’s specialties include evidence-based treatment for PTSD, sleep and health psychology, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, and psychodiagnostic assessment. She is additionally certified as an Internal Behavioral Health Consultant (IBHC) trained in providing mental health support in treatment and recovery from medical illness or injury.

Mirian Juarez is a bilingual (Spanish/English) Licensed Clinical Social Worker with firsthand experience as a workers’ compensation behavioral health provider. In her current role as Clinical Quality Assurance Advisor at Ascellus Behavioral Health, she oversees the quality, clinical accuracy, and compliance of behavioral health services, including reviewing treatment plans and clinical documentation for medical necessity. Mirian is dedicated to provider development, offering guidance, feedback, and case consultation to elevate clinical standards within workers’ compensation. She also serves as a liaison between providers, adjusters, and case managers to facilitate collaboration and support informed claims decisions.

As a Provider Network Manager at Ascellus, Renee Garbowski oversees the development and management of a nationwide provider network of specialty clinicians.  Her role focuses on recruiting, onboarding, and maintaining relationships with high-quality providers to ensure timely access to care for injured workers. She collaborates closely with internal teams to optimize referral flow, manage provider capacity, and support technology-enabled platforms that streamline provider access. Additionally, she monitors network performance, addresses operational challenges, and implements process improvement to enhance provider engagement and injured worker outcomes.  She has experience implementing AI-based tools to support recruiting and reporting processes.  Renee holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and brings a diverse background in mental health treatment, including experience in psychiatric emergency services, inpatient care, substance abuse treatment, working with patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), individuals with developmental disabilities, and forensic populations.

Erin Nicholson is a Network Manager and Credentialing Specialist with over seven years of experience in behavioral health. She specializes in provider network development, credentialing, and compliance, and is known for her collaborative and detail-oriented approach. She is passionate about improving access to care and focuses on building efficient systems that support both providers and the communities they serve.

Kira Monterrey resides in the Bay Area of California with her three children and two dogs. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and began her therapy career at the VA Vet Center Program, focusing on trauma. Kira has been working for Ascellus for over four years and is currently the Clinical Trainer and offers support to the network of providers with a focus on strengthening clinical skills and helping clinician deliver effective, quality care.

Joe joined Ascellus as Chief Executive Officer in 2023, bringing more than 20 years of experience scaling operations and building innovative healthcare technology solutions. He has spent his career focused on improving patient outcomes through technology across government, healthcare delivery, and high-growth organizations.

Prior to Ascellus, Joe spent 15 years at athenahealth, where he held leadership roles across sales, operations, product development, and customer service. As Vice President of Operations Scale and Optimization, he led the company’s largest growth initiative, launching three new technology-enabled services.

Earlier in his career, Joe worked at Masspro, the Quality Improvement Organization for Massachusetts, advancing healthcare technology adoption, and at Joslin Diabetes Center, where he helped recover a failed electronic health record implementation.

Joe also serves as an Executive in Residence at 406 Ventures, advising portfolio companies on growth and operational strategy.
He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Purdue University. Outside of work, Joe is a violinist with Symphony Pro Musica and an avid board game player.

Stephanie Gallup is Vice President of Technology Enabled Services at Ascellus, where she leads the development of scalable, tech-enabled care delivery models that power access, efficiency, and growth. She built the Technology Enabled Services function from the ground up—establishing the operating model, team structure, and systems that enable Ascellus to deliver high-quality care with speed and consistency. Her work focuses on simplifying complexity, unlocking operational leverage, and ensuring the platform can evolve alongside the needs of clients and providers.

With a background spanning strategy, operations, and healthcare technology, Stephanie specializes in translating complex business needs into practical, high-impact solutions. Prior to Ascellus, she held leadership roles across high-growth healthcare organizations, driving large-scale operational transformations, building new functional teams, and implementing enterprise technology platforms. She is known for aligning clinical, operational, and growth priorities to deliver measurable outcomes—improving access to care, strengthening provider networks, and enhancing the overall client and patient experience.

Nancy Schaefer is Vice President of Sales and Customer Activation at Ascellus, where she leads the end-to-end customer journey—from initial engagement through referral—ensuring a consistent, efficient experience for clients. She focuses on understanding customer needs and aligning solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.

Nancy brings deep expertise in workers’ compensation, with more than 16 years of experience at One Call. During her tenure, she held leadership roles across sales, marketing, product management, and customer implementation. Most recently, as Senior Director of Customer Implementations, she led large-scale implementations for more than 100 customers representing over $500 million in revenue. 

Throughout her career, Nancy has been focused on helping customers achieve success by delivering practical, scalable solutions that improve outcomes for both organizations and the injured workers they serve.

She holds a degree from the University of South Florida and resides in Tampa, Florida with her family.