- 600 Portage Trail Suite A, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221
- (330) 808-1664
“Diversity of care is our key to longevity”
– Paul Ferraro, D.O. CEO
Dr. Ferraro’s passion for wound care began with a simple belief: patients deserve compassionate, continuous care long after surgery is complete. Wanting to remain personally involved in each patient’s recovery journey, he began visiting local nursing homes himself to provide ongoing treatment and support. As the need for specialized wound care continued to grow, he expanded the practice by bringing in a team of highly trained Advanced Practice Nurses who share the same commitment to patient-centered care.
Our Advanced Practice Nurses are dedicated to helping patients achieve meaningful healing from start to finish. Every patient benefits from direct oversight by Dr. Ferraro, who remains actively involved in treatment decisions, is available whenever surgical intervention is required, and provides expert guidance when a patient’s care plan needs to change direction.
This hands-on approach, combined with experienced clinical staff and local physician oversight, provides a level of continuity, responsiveness, and expertise that sets our team apart from other wound care providers.
A Youngstown native, Dr. Leone received his Bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University. Dr. Leone graduated from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1987. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and has always been interested in wound care. He has worked almost exclusively as a wound care physician for many years and was the medical director at Cleveland Clinic’s wound center at Akron General Hospital. For the last five years, Dr. Leone has worked in the Summa St. Thomas wound care center overseeing his clinics and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Dr. Leone loves to hang out with his four children. His interests include gardening, music, and martial arts. He considers himself a humanitarian and thinks everyone deserves a chance.
Born in India, Althea was raised, educated, and has spent most of her life in India. She is married with two daughters. Althea’s daughters are both nurses and are married and have children. Althea served in the Indian Military Nursing Services for about 15 years and traveled all over India. She has been a nurse for over 35 years and has loved each moment of the profession. Coming to this country opened up many opportunities for her, not only for work but for education. Althea got interested in wounds while working and saw a window of opportunity for career growth. She went back to school, working full time, and graduated with a BSN from Indiana Wesleyan University to get into the Wound Ostomy Continence School, which required BSN. She completed WOCN certification and continued to obtain MSN and completion of APRN. Finally, after a long struggle juggling work, school, and being a grandmother, Althea graduated with MSN from Kent State University. She obtained her CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist) certification. She joined SWCS with Dr. Ferraro in January 2016. Her specialty as an APRN is Adult-Gerontology, and her passion is wound ostomy care. Althea loves to see the wound heal and help patients in their time of need with ostomy care.
SWCS hired Dorothy in June 2019. She graduated from Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (CWRU) in January 2019 with a Master of Science in Nursing degree. Her academic career has consisted of a Master of Nursing from CWRU and a Bachelor of Science in Business degree from The Ohio State University. Her nursing career consists of over 18 years of experience, with 13 years spent at Summa Wound Care Center in the outpatient setting. She is a current member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. In 2020 she was certified as an Ostomy Certified Associate.
Dorothy is passionate about caring for wounded patients and their families. She was a dedicated case manager and clinical manager during her tenure at Summa. She participated in several Heal Ohio conferences, where she presented information on types of wounds and wound care modalities. She believes in quality healthcare delivery and strives for positive patient outcomes and satisfaction. “The best part of caring for wounded patients is having the opportunity of getting to know them, developing a partnering relationship, and having the satisfaction of healing them so that they can go on living their lives to the fullest capacity-wound free.”
In her free time, Dorothy enjoys watching her son play high school football and marching in the band. She also enjoys visiting her daughter, siblings, and Dad, who live in Columbus Ohio.
Katie was born in Akron, Ohio. She graduated from Mogadore High School in 2001 and began her nursing career as a state-tested Nursing Assistant. She started her wound care experience while attending her undergraduate education at the University of Akron. Katie completed her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing with a minor in Psychology at Walsh University in 2008. She then completed her MSN while working full-time as the regional wound and ostomy RN at Summa Wadsworth and Barberton Hospital for five years. Katie obtained her Wound Care Certification in 2012 and her Ostomy Management Specialist in 2013.
Katie has been married since 2010 and has a beautiful daughter, Isabella. Katie enjoys baking, gardening, and spending time with her family.
Chelsea was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and has had a passion for helping people since she was little. She graduated from the University of Akron with her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2015 and started working in a local emergency department in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. While working in the emergency department, her love for wound care evolved as she assisted with acute and chronic wounds. Shortly after working as a registered nurse, Chelsea attended Kent State University and obtained her master’s degree in nursing in 2019 as a family nurse practitioner. In 2019, she started practicing as a family medicine provider who also provided wound care in local long-term care facilities and assisted living centers. Her passion for providing wound care to others continued to grow, and in 2020 she obtained her wound care certification (WCC) through the national alliance of wound care and ostomy (NAWCO). Chelsea loves being able to help patients with their wound care goals and strive for the best outcomes and possibilities.
In her free time, she enjoys gardening, taking care of her little farm, and spending time with her family and friends (especially her husband and children)
Originally from Bradenton, Florida, Katie and her family moved to Ohio six years ago. While in Florida, Katie received her Associate’s Degree in Nursing in 2005. Katie’s career started as a cardiac floor nurse. From there, she cared for acute and chronic wounds in nursing facilities, and for the past ten years, Katie’s focused on outpatient wound care as a Case Manager and Clinical Nurse Manager. Within the last five years, Katie received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain University College of Nursing in 2019. Katie graduated from Walsh University’s Master of Science program as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2021. Her favorite part of providing wound care is the relationships that are built, seeing smiling faces when patients heal, and the ability to help the patients get back to their quality of life.
When not working, Katie enjoys spending time with her husband Shane, and their three beautiful daughters, Pacificah, Jenna, and Farrah, along with their three fur babies, Jessa, Emma, and Bella.
Kate was born and raised in South Dakota. After completing her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of St. Thomas in St.Paul, MN, she moved to Ohio to complete her RN/MSN degrees from Case Western Reserve University in 1997. Kate’s background is in dermatology, having practiced in both central and northeast Ohio before joining SWCS in 2023.
Kate enjoys traveling to visit her kids, hiking (bucket list is to hike all 63 National Parks), and baking.
Dawn was born in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, and relocated to Akron, Ohio, during earlychildhood. With a longstanding commitment to service, she began volunteering at EdwinShaw Rehabilitation in high school. After earning her State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA)certification, she gained experience in long-term care and home care. She completed theAkron School of Practical Nursing and earned her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) license in2007. She continued her education, obtaining her Associate of Science in Nursing Degreefrom Stark State College in 2011, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ohio University in2021, and a Master of Science in Nursing as an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner fromKent State University in 2024. Her professional background includes Medical ICU, homecare, corrections, long-term care, and wound care.Dawn is dedicated to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. She joined SWCS in2024 and practices across multiple settings, including the outpatient wound care centersat Summa Barberton and University Hospital in Ashland, inpatient care at Summa HealthSystem, and long-term care facilities. Her commitment to wound care continues to deepenas she partners with patients to promote healing and improve outcomes.Outside of work, Dawn enjoys spending time with family and friends, baking and cooking,being outdoors, and traveling.
Patrick is from Norton, Ohio and has been a nurse practitioner with SWCS since August 2025. After serving in The United States Marine Corps, he received his bachelor's of science in nursing from Ohio University. Previously, he worked as a Registered Nurse at Summa Health-Akron Main Campus in the medical intensive care unit. Patrick graduated from The Ohio State University’s Master's of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Patrick enjoys interacting with patients and providing wound care for those in need. He enjoys spending time with his wife, two boys, and two dogs. His hobbies include golfing and watching Ohio State Football and Cleveland sports teams.
Casey was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, she started with SWCS in April 2024. She attended Fortis college in 2013 for practical nursing and returned to Fortis for registered nursing. She worked in a skilled nursing facility as the wound nurse. Casey rounds with the Nurse Practitioners inpatient at Summa Akron city and Summa Barberton. In Casey’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and dogs.
Alexis graduated from the University of Akron with her BSN in May 2022. She began her nursing career in December of 2022 at Summa Health on the Cardiac PCU unit. She joined SWCS in September of 2025. In her current role, Alexis rounds with Nurse Practitioners in the inpatient setting at Barberton Hospital and Summa City Hospital. In her free time, Alexis enjoys spending time with her husband and dogs, especially working on new house projects and trying new restaurants with her girlfriends.
