Cheryl Abana-Emmer is a Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Case Manager for the Tulane University Center for Brain Health. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of New Orleans in 2008 and Master of Health Sciences in Rehabilitation Counseling from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in 2011. Currently, she is pursuing her Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University Shreveport.
Whitney Ruse serves as Program Manager for the NFL Player Care Foundation Healthy Body and Mind screening program. Prior to this role, Whitney served as Executive Secretary to Dr. Gregory Stewart. She continues to assist in the coordination of activities within the Center and is vital to the day-to-day operations of our leadership and clinical staff.
Whitney received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Georgia Southern University in 2015.
Jenna Graf is a registered nurse who serves former players referred to PACT by The Trust. Jenna received a Bachelor’s in Genetics from the University of Georgia and a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine before receiving her nursing degree from Our Lady of the Lake College. Over the past seven years, Jenna has worked at local hospitals, intensive care and post anesthesia care units, and outpatient surgery centers in the New Orleans area.
Scott Hebert is a certified athletic trainer who serves as one of the care managers for The Trust with the Professional Athlete Care Team at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Scott assists former players in accessing necessary medical services during their Brain and Body Assessment and their Milestone Wellness Assessment. He was a graduate assistant at Univeristy of South Florida for two years, working primarily with the school’s football team. Scott also served as an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Cary Berthelot is a certified trainer who brings nearly 20 years of experience to her position as Care Manager for The Trust at the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine, primarily assisting former players and providing services with the Brain and Body Assessment. She most recently served as the Program Director for the Athletic Training Education Program at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. She also served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer at Southeastern, where she taught in the Department of Kinesiology for 12 years.
Melinda (Mindy) McDonell serves as one of the care managers assisting former players who are referred from The Trust to Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine with their access to necessary medical services during their Brain and Body Assessment. Mindy is from Washington State and has been a certified athletic trainer since 1986. Mindy joined the Tulane University Athletic Training Staff in November 2012 where she provided athletic training services to the Tulane athletic teams. She served as an assistant athletic trainer at Washington State University from 1990-2001.
