Navigating toward better Health!
Cofactors Core Team
Cofactors CCM believes patient-centered care is what every person needs and deserves. We are committed to the belief that every person deserves the best possible access to healthcare and should be treated with dignity, integrity and compassion. As independent patient advocates, we are committed to working on each patient’s behalf. We view every patient as a whole person and are therefore concerned with the patient’s complete medical and non-medical needs. Cofactors NP is a not-for-profit, 501( C ) 3 organization.
Robert E. Dansby, Ph.D.
Dr. Robert E. Dansby is the founder of Cofactors CCM initiatives to provide healthcare services that utilize modern Health IT solutions and systems. Dansby is working to: Provide Health Information Technology (HIT) solutions as components of an Integrated Healthcare Services delivery model; Partner with healthcare providers and organizations to insure that healthcare services can be provided to underserved communities nationwide; and Establish and operate Cofactors Clinics providing health care to underserved people. We will expand into related segments of the healthcare and Health Information Technology businesses. Cofactors looks forward to assisting healthcare providers that address needs in underserved communities; and implement innovative approaches to primary and chronic disease healthcare delivery by leveraging Electronic Health Record (EHR), telemedicine technologies and other Health Information Technology (HIT) solutions.
Dr. Dansby has broad experience as a business executive who specializes in business development, new product / service development and launch, business analysis, financial analysis and technology development. Analytic and quantitative specialties include: applied mathematics, operations research, business competitive analysis, index theory, statistics, econometrics, economic and financial analysis. He has 30+ years experience in corporate, entrepreneurial and technology businesses.
Dr. Dansby has worked in research, information technology and other scientific pursuits for more than 30 years. He was a scientist in the Mathematics and Operations Research Division of Bell Laboratories for more than 20 years. He has published a number of scientific papers in Applied Mathematics, Operations Research and Economics / Finance. He has worked on the development of key technologies at AT&T. He was a lead Executive of the AT&T Venture Group that focused on identifying new business opportunities and building new businesses based on Bell Labs technology. He has taught graduate courses at: Yale University School of Organization and Management; Rutgers University School of Business; and Xavier University. He hold the following academic degrees: B.S. – Mathematics – Arkansas AM&N; M.S. – Mathematics – UCLA; and Ph.D. – New York University.
Crystal Jones, D.MH (ABD), MPA
Crystal Jones, a caring and thoughtful patient advocate and founder of our Patient Advocacy Practice. She has many years of experience assisting patients during sickness, helping to ease the burden on them and their families. Her years of experience in health insurance benefits will assist in helping patients and families navigate the complicated healthcare system. Crystal has completed her doctoral work in Medical Humanities at Drew University, in Madison, NJ, specializing in Medical Ethics and Palliative Care, and is currently working on her dissertation on Patient Rights and the Physician-Patient Relationship. She graduated magna cum laude from Rutgers University with a Master's degree in Public Administration, specializing in Health and Healthcare Disparities.
Ms. Jones has worked several years at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey as a healthcare education administrator. As a member of the NJ Medical School Center for Humanism and Medicine, she understands the importance of patient centered care. She has also been a member of UMDNJ's Ethics Committee and the Institutional Review Board. As a doctoral student in Medical Humanities, Crystal has worked in the clinical arena gaining insight into each patient's unique narrative. Crystal has worked with Newark Beth Israel Medical Center's Palliative Care Department in the Intensive Care unit and the Cancer Unit speaking with patients and their families about the patient's goals and appropriateness of DNRs. In 2010, she evaluated and rewrote Newark Beth Israel's Ethics Committee form making it more comprehensive, providing in depth information about the patient's circumstances and the family dynamic. Currently, Crystal is working on a project with Drew University and the New Jersey Healthcare Foundation to implement medical humanities in medical practices throughout New Jersey, seeking to change practice and policy. Her unique background positions her to serve the patients and their families with care and confidence.
It was while volunteering at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center's Palliative Care Department in the Intensive Care unit and the Cancer Unit that Crystal realized the great burden illness has on a family. Illness often brings other issues that are overlooked such as insurance follow-up, social service issues, follow-up doctor appointments and end-of-life planning. She was deeply touched speaking with patients and their families about the patient's goals and expectations and gladly accepted every opportunity to assist patients in any aspect of their illness journey.
Over the past few years, Crystal has been the primary caregiver for her father. This experience has opened her eyes to the lack of empathy that can go into healthcare. She learned of other caregivers' experiences with loved ones at the end of life, hospitals, hospices, nurses and doctors. The one thing that every patient had in common was a strong desire to be heard, respected and to be treated with dignity. It is through these experiences that encouraged Crystal to focus on Patient Advocacy.