Names and faces

Drs. Charles Rush and Sean Dingle, of Kennedy-White Orthopedic Center, traveled to Cuba as part of a medical team performing free surgical treatment for debilitating bone and joint conditions. Rush participated last year with the same organization, Operation Walk, for a humanitarian healthcare mission in Vietnam. Rush is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who has been in private practice since 1985. He graduated from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency at the University of South Florida.

Sean McDonald has joined Grapevine Communications as a full-time intern. McDonald graduated from University of Central Florida this year with a major in business marketing and a minor in hospitality and management. While enrolled, he developed communication and customer relations skills working in the resort, country club and food service industries.

Joshua Mali, M.D., of The Eye Associates, created a surgical video -- Metallic Intraocular Foreign Body Removal -- selected as a featured video by the American Society of Retina Specialists for their innovative retina surgical video series. Mali, who joined The Eye Associates in September, is a fellowship trained surgical vitreo-retinal specialist. He did his residency in ophthalmology at the Albany Medical College in Albany, N.Y.

John McIntyre, co-founder of McIntyre Elwell & Strammer General Contractors Inc., was inducted into the M.E. Rinker Sr. school of construction management hall of fame as a distinguished builder. ME&S of Sarasota has been in business for 28 years.

Michele Slaughter of Shella Bella Studios Photography & Graphic Design has accepted the Parrish Chapter publicity position for SWAT Networking. At the November meeting of SWAT Networking Parrish Chapter, Heather Cannon of Country Girl Glitz was recognized as a returning member.

Patricia Baker of RE/MAX Alliance Group has earned the 2016 Five Star Real Estate Agent Award, based on an independent survey of recent home buyers and industry peers. A licensed real estate professional since 2008, Baker is a RE/MAX Platinum Club Award winner for 2014.

Helen Wiegman, a broker-associate with RE/MAX Alliance Group, has moved from the University Park office to the Bradenton office to become a member of May Aston's team. Originally from New York, Wiegman moved to the Tampa Bay area in 1988. She received her real estate license in 1989 and broker's license in 2001. Wiegman has a background as a litigation assistant in Manhattan and a teacher in the New York school system. She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the State University of New York and a master's degree in teaching from the University of South Florida and is a certified to teach in Florida. She serves as a member of the Our Lady of Angels choir and a guardian ad litem for the 12th Judicial District.

Bradley J. Ellis of Icard Merrill was named to the board of directors for the American Hiking Society. Ellis is an associate attorney concentrating in land use and zoning, construction, local government and governmental liability, commercial and general civil litigation, and appeals. Ellis is also an Eagle Scout (1993) and a member of the Boys Scout's Order of the Arrow national honor society. It was this association and his extensive experience in trail-building conservation projects that prompted AHS to invite him to join its volunteer board. Ellis graduated cum laude in 2007 from University of Florida Levin College of Law. He is from Jupiter on the east coast and moved to Sarasota in 2014. Ellis also has assumed the administration of Icard Merrill's pro bono services.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Names and faces ."