HCMA Officers

Thomas Bernasek, M.D.

President

Dr. Thomas Bernasek is an Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in adult reconstructive orthopaedics and arthritis surgery of the hip and knee, at the Florida Orthopaedic Institute in Tampa. Born in Helena, Montana, Dr. Bernasek graduated medical school in 1977, receiving his degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He continued his post graduate education at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He has resided in Florida since 1987.

Jayant Rao, M.D.

President-Elect

Dr. Jayant Rao is an Emergency Room physician with Emergency Medical Associates of Tampa Bay. Born in Rochester, New York, he moved south to receive his medical degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He stayed in Florida, completing his internship and residency through the Orlando Regional Medical Center in 2010.

Michael Cromer, M.D.

Vice President

Dr. Michel Cromer, born in Indiana, has been in practice since 1989. He practices Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine with GMS in Tampa. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa in 1986 and completed his post-graduate training through the Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. Dr. Cromer also serves as Medical Director of the Addiction Recovery Unit at Tampa Community Hospital and Passport Health both located in Tampa.

Alejandra Kalik, M.D.

Treasurer

Dr. Alejandra Kalik practices Pathology with Ruffolo, Hooper, & Associates. Born in Argentina, Dr. Kalik completed all of her medical training in Tampa at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, graduating medical school in 1989 and completing her post-graduate training in 1994. She also served as Chief of Staff at Memorial Hospital from 2012-2016.

Eva Crooke, M.D.

Secretary

Dr. Eva Crooke practices Obstetrics & Gynecology with The Woman’s Group, an all-female practice in Tampa. A Tampa Bay native, Dr. Crooke was born in St. Petersburg. She remained in the area, receiving her medical degree in 2008 and completing her internship and residency at the University of South Florida.

Fred Bearison, M.D.

Immediate Past President

Originally from Newark, New Jersey, Dr. Bearison is an Internal Medicine physician who practices in Valrico. He received his medical degree in 1982 from the University of Bologna, Italy. He returned to New Jersey to complete his internship and residency. He moved to Florida in 1985 and has been practicing ever since at the Valrico Brandon Medical Group. Dr. Bearison also served on the Florida Board of Medicine from 2005-2013, serving as Chairman in 2009.

Joel Silverfield, M.D.

Chairman, Board of Trustees

Dr. Silverfield an Internal Medicine/Rheumatologist in Tampa, was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Silverfield attended medical school, internship, and residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and went on to complete a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Silverfield is a renowned research investigator in clinical trials involving patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and other autoimmune disorders. He has resided in Tampa since 1982.