Board of Directors

David Lang has been a licensed massage therapist since 1992. He currently owns David M. Lang LMT, LLC Advanced Manual Therapy. Previously, David practiced at The Center for Life, a University of New Mexico Hospital Preventive and Integrative Medical Clinic. David trained and currently practices Myotherapy, Visceral/Neuro Manipulation, Palliative, and Hospice Care, Lymphatic Drainage, Oncology Massage, Active Isolated Stretching, Cranial Sacral, and is well-versed in many energy healing techniques. He specializes in pediatric and adult care for medically fragile patients.
David served as president of the American Massage Therapy Association of New Mexico from 1994-1996. He sat on the Workers Compensation Association Board of New Mexico, 2006-2007. New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson appointed him in 2000 as a member of the New Mexico Massage Therapy Licensing Board for one year.
Over the past twenty years, Mr. Lang has taught nationally certified massage classes for myotherapy, active isolated stretching, and integrative palliative and hospice care. He has also lectured at several integrative medicine conferences at universities in the United States and abroad.
In 2014, Mr. Lang founded Kids Supporting Kids New Mexico, an initiative to raise funds for integrative services of children fighting and thriving through cancer. Kids Supporting Kids NM engages the support of community youth organizations through their performing arts, including music, dance, poetry, and other creative artwork. 
His childhood training and early career as a professional dancer in New York City provided him an awareness of body movement and language that provides today, an in-depth understanding of the functionality of the human anatomy and the best approach to optimal health. 
He is a member in good standing with the American Massage Therapy Association.

President

Karen is the founder of the Spina Bifida Patient Alliance. She was born with Spina Bifida and has dedicated herself to advocating for the disabled community. With a life that has centered for more than 35 years on learning to adapt to challenges of disability, she has been moved by her interactions with others, particularly children who have Spina Bifida and their parents, to create an organization to help the thousands of people who are affected in some way by this condition. 

The Spina Bifida Patient Alliance was founded in New Mexico. However, in every state, there is a shortage of resources and support for those with Spina Bifida and their loved ones. Recognizing this, Karen decided to establish a 501(c)(3) organization. She realized early on in her exposure to nationwide institutions, that fundraising efforts at the national level often fail to reach the state level. In her home state of New Mexico, the need for support is pressing, and finding adequate resources and assistance can be challenging. In addition, Karen discovered that once a child with Spina Bifida ages out of the pediatric medical system, they face a “Care Cliff”, making it difficult to find resources and adult providers who can effectively care for them.

Karen has a master’s degree in business management and a bachelor’s degree in business. She is a certified ADA Coordinator through the University of Missouri. She also has educational experience in Pre-Law Contracts and Torts. Karen has served as a Medical Practice Administrator and Billing Manager and has over 25 years of experience in Medical and Dental management.

Karen’s involvement with disability education is widely varied on the National and State levels. She has over a decade of specialized experience in service animals and disability rights. She has presented at various events and conferences including the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the United States House of Representatives, and has served as a consultant and researcher in various industries. She is a graduate of the Patient’s Professor’s Academy of the University of Maryland, Baltimore class of 2022, a patient-driven 10-step program that provides a verified research process to research organizations, medical organizations, and the federal governmentthat involves the patient at each level.

Her most recent project that evolved from the Patient’s Professor’s Academy involved collaborating with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to ensure that patients’ input was included in the yearly release of the 10 injectable/IV drugs used to treat cancer. Karen also conducted a research project with the National Center for Public Policy Research to research the HHS database and make it more accessible to individuals with disabilities seeking services.

Karen has been a driving force in educating the community about the unique needs of individuals with Spina Bifida. She has collaborated with the national organization, the Spina Bifida Association of America, and currently serves as an advisor on two of their advisory panels. Through various local and state projects, she has worked closely with state agencies to raise awareness about the specific needs of individuals with Spina Bifida.

It’s disheartening to learn that diagnosis day hasn’t significantly changed since Karen’s birth. In the 1960s, her parents were told not to expect much from her, as she was likely to never walk, talk, or contribute to society. The truth is, there’s insufficient research in the field of Spina Bifida to make such judgments. Today, parents face similar counsel, except that modern medicine encourages abortion in cases of Spina Bifida. Shockingly, 84% of Spina Bifida pregnancies end in abortion. This is truly heartbreaking! Unfortunately, the medical community lacks the necessary information to provide to mothers, and there’s no one in the community that parents can speak to for guidance and to make an informed decision. There’s still much we don’t know about Spina Bifida, partly due to insufficient research and partly because there aren’t enough people with Spina Bifida being born. The reality is, we can be productive members of society. We grow up, attend school, pursue careers, get married, and raise families. There’s so much more to a person with SB at every stage of life, if only their life is given a chance to begin.

The Spina Bifida Patient Alliance is here to provide support and resources to everyone affected by Spina Bifida, their families, and caregivers. Every individual has unique needs and concerns, and navigating the current medical system can be challenging. We’re here to connect you with information, resources, providers, and support.

Vice President

Melissa Ortiz is founder and principal of Capability Consulting, as well as a speaker, cancer survivor, and a self-described “happy patriot”. At Capability Consulting she advises on ADA-compliance, accessibility, and disability policy. She is also the founder of Compassion Capability, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing microgrants for people to receive durable medical equipment. Ortiz is enthusiastic about driving a dialogue between people living with disabilities or chronic illness and policy makers across the political spectrum. As a compassionate conservative, she has an unusual ability to “speak purple” on all issues. She is a contributor to USA Today, The Washington Times, and Washington Examiner, as well as a featured panelist and speaker. Melissa has also served as a visiting fellow for the Independent Women’s Forum and in 2005 served as Ms. Wheelchair New York. Her passion for empowering people with disabilities inspired her to found Able Americans in 2011, where she fought daily for common sense, free market, limited government approaches to living with disability. Able Americans was later acquired by the National Center for Public Policy Research and Melissa served in an advisory role. Through Able Americans, Melissa worked as a consultant on disability issues as related to policy development and messaging. She also served as the first female board member of The Conservative Caucus. Melissa holds a B.S. from Belmont University and currently resides in Washington, D.C. with her husband Tony and service dog dachshund, Annie Oakley. Connect with her online at @DCBelleOnWheels or visit capabilityconsulting.com.

Treasurer

Melanie Assumma has been a Registered Dental Hygienist since 1995. She currently has an active license in the State of California and an inactive license under the Western Regional Board of Dental Examiners, covering more than 8 states. She is currently working a very part time schedule for a general dentist in Southern California and worked with the State of California Dental Boards for 7 years as a Dental Board Examiner and Proctor from 2007-2014. She is current on her credentials and CPR certification. 

In her free time, Melanie is a mom of 2 College age children (Frank age 22 and Sarah age 20) and wife to Frank who is currently in his 40th year of law enforcement, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Riverside, CA. She has enjoyed volunteering for the past 9 years for Charity for Charity which is a small local (Temecula, California based) wish fulfilling organization for 3 local, selected beneficiaries and raising money for their wish, which sadly can sometimes be their final wish. Charity for Chairty volunteers spend the year fund raising and coordinating events for our beneficiaries who have been struck with life changing disease, life altering illness or traumatic injury. Coincidentally, we are currently raising money for a young child with Spina Bifida who is wheelchairbound and hope to bring him some much-deserved joy in February with his wish. She has also volunteered for both children’s athletic programs to raise money for specific goals within her own community. 

Melanie is passionate about helping people on all different levels. She is comfortable with fund raising, connecting people for resources and knows a lot of people in the dental world. She met Karen Cushnyr in 1993 while working in a dental office(under the supervision of Karen) before she attended her last 2 years of college to become a Dental Hygienist. They have remained friends since the day they met, over and above their professional year of working together. Melanie is also passionate about Nutrition and health and is very versed on human anatomy. Her plans are to continue to volunteer for years to come and give back wherever she can.

Secretary

Dr. Cushnyr is the husband of Karen Cushnyr. Karen and Brad have been married for over 30 years and have shared each other’s trials, tribulations and triumphs. Brad has a unique perspective on the challenges incurred by those in the disability community as both the spouse of a spina bifida patient, and as a physician. He shares Karen’s commitment to help provide greater access and resources to people who fight every day to persevere through the challenges that confront those with specialized health care needs. 

Dr. Cushnyr is a board certified neuroradiologist, and a Vice Chair of Radiology at the University of New Mexico. He received his M.D. from the Medical College of Ohio and did his radiology fellowship training at Michigan State University. He has spent the majority of his health care career in public service, providing care to those among us who often have the least.