Jeff brings more than 30 years of healthcare experience as the area CEO to both Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson (RIT) & Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Northwest Tucson (SoAZ). Originally from New York, Jeff relocated with his family to Tucson from Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was CEO at Carolinas Specialty Hospital. Jeff received a master’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M at Corpus Christi. He received a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, in Brooklyn. Jeff is active with many community organizations in the Tucson area.

Dr. Amir Buljina is originally from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina where he graduated at medical school and completed residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation. He received his master’s and doctoral degree at the University of Sarajevo. Amir moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2001 and repeated a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo and worked as attending for one year. He then moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 2006 and worked as a physiatrist in an acute and subacute setting. He is board certified and a fellow of AAPMR. During his professional career, Amir worked as assistant and associate professor while attending medical school and physical therapy school, both in Bosnia and in America.

Dr. Buljina is an independent private practice physician.

Marissa began her nursing career at Northwest Medical Center as a staff nurse. She later advanced to clinical nurse leader and managed the cardiovascular intensive care unit for three years. She received her Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) in 2004 from the University of Arizona and is currently enrolled at Grand Canyon University to obtain her MBA and MSN in nursing leadership. In her new role as chief nursing officer, Marissa can ensure staff provides quality, compassionate care.

Michele joined Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson in 2003 as a staff physical therapist in Evansville, IN. She most recently served as a therapy manager in Indiana before relocating to Tucson in 2014 to become the director of therapy operations at the Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson. She is a graduate of the University of Evansville with her master’s degree in physical therapy. She also is a board certified wound care specialist (CWS) with the American Board of Wound Management.

Mary joined Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson in 1992 with more than 20 years of financial management experience. She holds an accounting degree from Chaparral College and has stepped-up to serve as Encompass Health’s interim administrator on more than one occasion.

Mindy Flannery, LMSW, CCM, joined Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson in August 2016 as a case manager. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona and her master’s degree in social work from Arizona State University and has nearly 20 years of experience in child welfare, behavioral health crisis intervention and medical social work. Mindy is a trainer for Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, teaching detectives, county attorneys and child welfare professionals how to interview children who are suspected victims of abuse or neglect. In addition, she has served on the Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission since 2015.

Scott joined Encompass Health Rehabilitation Institute of Tucson (RIT) in 2018 as the facilities management director. He is originally from Colorado but has spent most his life in Arizona and served his country in the U.S. Navy working in aviation maintenance. Prior to joining the RIT team, Scott spent four years as director of plant operations of another hospital. He is a member of ASHE and is currently a student at the University of Arizona, Eller College of Management. 

Jane is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. She has worked in Tucson as a pharmacist since 1992. She has experience in many aspects of pharmacy including acute care, long-term care, oncology and compounding.

Carol joined the Encompass Health team in November 2020, relocating from Chattanooga, Tennessee. She brings more than 10 years of healthcare business development experience to her role as area business development director. Carol holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education and economics and a master's degree in management and leadership. Carol brings expertise in relationship building, team leadership and business growth.

Salvatore Tirrito is a Tucson cardiologist who has dedicated his career to promoting healthy lifestyles in the community. He was worked at Pima Heart Associates for 15 years and specializes in primary and secondary prevention of heart disease, advanced cardiovascular imaging and vascular medicine. Dr. Tirrito is board certified in cardiology, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology, and has completed a fellowship in integrative medicine. He also has a MBA at the Eller School of Management at the University of Arizona.

He graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia in 1998 and is a Fulbright Scholar. He has spoken at dozens of conferences throughout the world and his research and work has been published on numerous occasions. He has also contributed to Triathlete Magazine and published a book: “So You Are Fat. Now What?,” a guide to losing weight and unlocking athletic potential.

Dr. Tirrito strongly feels that in order for us to really have a positive impact on our health, we need to take a more integrative approach to medicine. He is passionate about empowering people to break the cycle of chronic disease through appropriate lifestyle changes.

Dr. Tirrito is an independent private practice physician.

Donna, a Tucson native, has more than 20 years of professional human resource management experience. Donna obtained her bachelor'a degree in human resource management from Park University and holds a certificate in human resources management from the University of Phoenix. She has held the Senior Professional Human Resource (SPHR) certification since 2009 and Society of Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) since 2015. She is passionate about employee engagement and sharing her human resources knowledge.