Meet Our Team
John O’Connell
Employee Benefits Advisor
John O’Connell, CEBS, CLU, CPBS is an employee benefits advisor who specializes in the hospital and health care sector. With over 40 years of experience, John brings a strategic perspective and unique expertise to the Healthcare Liability Team. John is also a founding partner of Alera Group.
Dean Schink, CIC, LIC
Senior Vice President
Specialization: Ambulatory Surgery Centers, Physician Groups, Other Professionals
Dean has dedicated his career in the area of professional liability and business insurance for physicians, dentists and attorneys since 1989. Dean manages the team in our MI office and regularly consults on medical professional liability insurance for several local healthcare systems and physician organizations.
Sapan Shah, MD, JD
Partner
Specialization: Physician Groups, Private Equity Firms, Collaborative Organizations
Sapan is a physician, attorney and insurance expert. Sapan’s medical and legal backgrounds give him unique insight into the legal issues facing healthcare practices. Based in Chicago, he provides expert, trustworthy representation and advocacy for hundreds of clients around the country. For private equity clients focused on healthcare firms, Sapan implements innovative programs that dramatically increase accretive value and coverage without sacrificing the service that the portfolio companies need.
Jason Shah, MD
Managing Partner
Specialization: Hospitals/Health Systems, Physician Groups
As head of Alera Group's Healthcare Liability team, Jason has helped develop the company's healthcare practice into a national leader. With a background in medicine, information technology and business development, Jason utilizes his physician experience and insurance expertise to develop risk management and insurance programs for hospitals, health systems, physician groups and other healthcare practices around the country.
EXPERT EDUCATION
Events and Webinars
Wealth Services
State of the Markets
Join us as we unveil the factors that drive the nation's financial pulse and how they may impact your personal finances.
July 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm CT | Virtual
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Medicare Educational Meeting
Join Deanna from Alera Group (JA Counter) for an educational event designed to help you understand your Medicare options
July 29, 2025 at 04:00 pm CT | New Richmond WI
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Medicare Educational Meeting
Join Deanna from Alera Group, JA Counter for an educational event designed to help you understand your Medicare options
August 19, 2025 at 04:00 pm CT | New Richmond WI
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Insights
Property and Casualty
Severe Weather Is Getting Worse. Is Your Business Interruption Insurance Keeping Up?
The increasing frequency and severity of weather- and climate-related events such as catastrophic storms, floods and wildfires make business continuity planning more important than ever. Part of your plan should include reviewing your organization's Business Interruption Insurance coverage.
May 5, 2025
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Property and Casualty
International Roadcheck Is May 13-15. Is Your Commercial Transportation Fleet Ready?
For 72 hours next month, commercial motor vehicles and drivers throughout North America will be subject to what the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) calls a “high-visibility, high-volume” inspection and regulatory compliance enforcement initiative.
The annual event, known as the International Roadcheck, will take place at weigh and inspection stations, temporary sites and locations selected by mobile patrols from May 13-15 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
April 14, 2025
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Improving Transportation Fleet Safety Through Gamification
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed companies to find creative ways to engage employees as isolation hit an all-time high. Many turned to gamification — the application game mechanics such as points, badges and leaderboards to everyday tasks — to reconnect with staff and improve retention, especially around key initiatives like safety. It’s a concept so suitable for the transportation industry, it could have been conceived with truckers and other commercial auto drivers in mind.
April 7, 2025
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5 Steps to a Lower Workers’ Compensation Mod
Understanding how your Workers' Compensation Insurance premium is calculated can help you manage costs more effectively. One of the primary factors in determining your premium is your experience modification factor — the number that reflects your company’s claims history and directly determines what you pay.
March 13, 2025
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