Medical Advisors

LympheDIVAs works with physicians, physical therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to assure our customers that the products we design are medically correct. Our Medical Advisory Team oversees the development of our products and helps us monitor product testing.

Andrea L. Cheville, M.D.

Medical School: Harvard Medical School, Fellowship: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Dr. Cheville currently is Senior Associate Consultant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, specializing in cancer rehabilitation, lymphedema, and survivorship. Until August 2006, Dr. Cheville directed the Cancer Rehabilitation and Lymphedema Programs at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. A leader in the field of cancer rehabilitation, pain control and symptom management, Dr. Cheville has published papers on cancer rehabilitation and is a nationally recognized expert in this field. Lymphedema is a primary focus for Dr. Cheville’s research, and she serves on the Medical Advisory Committee of the National Lymphedema Network and is a board member of the Lymphology Association of North America. Dr. Cheville has been recognized in Philadelphia Magazine’s May 2002, 2005, 2006 Top Docs issue, and has been recognized by Best Doctors in America 2005-2006.

Howard A. Levin, M.D.

Medical School: New York University, 1966

Dr. Levin is the father of the founder of LympheDIVAs, LLC, Rachel Levin Troxell. Following graduation from Medical School, he was trained in Internal Medicine in the Harvard training program at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Mass. He spent the next four years as a post doctoral fellow in Immunology and Rheumatology at Harvard University and a year the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel as a Fullbright Scholar. In 1972 he then received an appointment as Senior Staff Fellow in the Immunology Department of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. From 1976-1988 he practiced Internal Medicine and Rheumatology and served as Medical Director of the 70 physician San Jose Medical Group in San Jose, California. After several years as a medical director for an insurance company he spent 10 years as a management consultant and partner with Milliman, USA, an Actuarial and Management Consulting Company. Dr.Levin is currently the Manager and Medical Consultant for LympheDIVAs, LLC

Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Senior Scholar, Epidemiology, Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Dr. Schmitz focuses her research on the role of physical activity on the etiology, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation from chronic diseases, with primary focus on obesity and cancer. Her recently funded PAL (Physical Activity and Lymphedema) Trial (NCI R01-106851) recruited 288 breast cancer survivors who are 1-15 years out from diagnosis for a 2 group parallel design randomized controlled trial to assess the safety of twice weekly strength training for women with or at risk for lymphedema. Dr. Schmitz has won multiple awards from the American Heart Association, including the Jeremiah Stamler Award for New Investigators and the Trudy Bush Fellowship for Cardiovascular Research in Women’s Health.

Nicole L Dugan, MPT, DPT, CLT

Graduate School: Temple University College of Allied Health Professions.

Nicole is a lead physical therapist at Penn Therapy and Fitness, University of Pennsylvania Health System. Nicole is a certified lymphedema therapist, specializing in treating lymphedema and advocating issues in women’s health. She is actively involved in academic and clinical teaching.