Austen Hayes, PhD
Dr. Austen Hayes is a licensed clinical psychologist, educator, and consultant. Since 1978, she has been dedicated to guiding individuals and groups in making lifestyle changes, helping them achieve optimal mental and physical health with an enhanced sense of well-being. As a cognitive-behavioral psychologist, Dr. Hayes is expert in understanding how patterns of thinking may influence emotion, and how emotions may elicit certain physiological responses, ultimately protective or detrimental to one's health.

Dr. Hayes earned a PhD degree from Hofstra University in New York in 1992 and subsequently completed a two-year internship at the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York City. An enduring interest in physical activity and its effects on mental function guided Dr. Hayes in her research, leading her to compare persons with long-term involvement in running or cycling with sedentary individuals, measuring reaction time and spatial awareness. In 2000, she was named a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

During her early years of training, Dr. Hayes worked with the Pritikin Program, teaching preventive health practices to cardiac patients. As a Research Assistant at the Miami Heart Institute in Miami, Florida, she was part of a team studying hypertension in a population of "well-elderly" participants. From 1992 to 1998, Dr. Hayes worked as a cardiac care consultant in the department of Physical Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.

Since 1997, Dr. Hayes has been an Assistant Clinical Instructor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, lecturing within its Cardiac Health Program, facilitating optimal medical outcome following a cardiac event. Since 2003, Dr. Hayes has run a monthly cardiac support group in the cardiac rehabilitation program at the Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid, New York. Following the tenets of Positive Psychology, she encourages clients to identify personal strengths and see themselves from the view of mental health, rather than mental deficiency.

Dr. Hayes has a psychotherapy practice in New York City and sees clients one day weekly in Lake Placid, New York.

Patty Brownstein, RN, MSN
Patty Brownstein is a Masters-prepared registered nurse with extensive experience in the areas of cardiac health, exercise, cardiac rehabilitation, and patient education.

After working many years in coronary care, Ms. Brownstein worked in the field of exercise and health, designing individualized exercise and risk reduction programs for people who wanted to reduce their risk of heart disease. She then worked in the corporate arena and became the Director of Corporate Health Promotion for Citibank, where she designed and implemented a nationwide health promotion program for all Citibank employees and managed Citibank's employee fitness centers.

Ms. Brownstein came to the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City in 1997. She developed, implemented and was the Administrative Director of the Cardiovascular Institute's Cardiac Health Program, the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program for nine years. The program has been open since 1998 and is highly successful - it has graduated hundreds of patients, received awards, and is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Ms. Brownstein left Mount Sinai at the end of 2006, and is currently the Director of Client Operations for CHD Meridian, a company that manages on-site corporate health services for large corporations.

Ms. Brownstein is a frequent speaker on various topics concerning heart health to both lay and professional audiences. She was on the Board of Directors and the Nursing Committee of the American Heart Association, New York City Affiliate and is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Program Director.

Karen Garrity
Karen has been working in the graphics field for more than 20 years. Her experience extends from design to production. At present she is at a small advertising/promotional agency in the trendy South Norwalk area of Connecticut. Karen especially enjoys designing logos and enjoys the unique challenge of suiting her designs to her clients’ needs.

TheGoodHeart.com website has a special place in her heart as both of her parents suffered from heart disease. She understands how important it is to have reliable, accessible sources of learning and support.