About PBI

Our objective is to safeguard professionals and the public.

Our Mission

PBI Education is dedicated to providing high quality, continuing education events that are clinically and academically based on the topics of professional boundaries, ethics, medical record keeping, prescribing practices, risk management, and law. We offer lifelong learning opportunities for professionals enhancing their ability to provide the highest quality of public care, patient care, and safety. These educational experiences assist professionals perform optimally and ethically, measured by improvements in competence, performance, and care, thereby elevating the overall health and safety of the community.

Fiduciary Duty

Professionals in the fields of medicine, psychotherapy, law, education, and religion are fiduciaries. By definition, they are agents that stand in relation to trust, confidence and responsibility. With this duty comes an obligation to serve others morally, ethically and competently. To successfully uphold this fiduciary duty professionals must posses an increased awareness of personal and professional influences that can place them at risk for a violation.

Our Methodology

We believe everyone has the potential to slide down the slippery slope and make a mistake—whether it be a boundary violation or other behavior that crosses a line—but not everyone slips. We believe professionals who stray do so because of a particular combination of professional risk factors (e.g., practice type or setting), personal vulnerabilities (e.g., personality type, unmet needs), resistance (e.g., denial, rationalization), and lack of accountability, all of which create conditions for professional lapses to occur.

In our courses, participants learn to examine their flawed reasoning and understand how they failed to uphold professional conduct, whether through inappropriate prescribing, dual relationships, professional misconduct, failing to disclose prior discipline to another jurisdiction, giving professional advice to a family member or friend, or other type of professional lapse. Our courses help participants develop the insights and habits essential to protecting the public as well as their ability to serve as a licensed professional.

Our Story

Initially developed for the healthcare fields in 2001, PBI now provides state, specialty, and violation specific education to numerous professions, regulatory agencies and licensing boards, medical facilities and practices, organizations, governmental agencies and the military.

PBI is a consortium of dedicated professionals from across the country that serve as our core teaching faculty. They are united through a shared mission and their nationally recognized expertise. PBI faculty practice in the areas of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of impaired and/or disciplined professionals.

PBI Staff

Stephen J. Schenthal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

“No one is perfect, we all err.  Humans are not designed to be perfect but to learn from our mistakes and to be better through the experience. Some take longer to learn than others, but all have the potential to get there. We hope and trust the system.”

Dr. Stephen Schenthal is trained as a Board Certified Psychiatrist and Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work. In 2001, after his medical license was revoked for a professional boundary violation, Dr. Schenthal created the Smart Boundaries™ courses and seminars with the goal of protecting professionals and the public they serve by preventing the occurrence of boundary violations.

Mark Schenthal, Chief Operating Officer 904-401-2324
mark@pbieducation.com

Mark joined the PBI team as Project Manager in 2015, focusing on planning, implementation, and tracking of a specific short-term project which has a beginning, an end and specified deliverables. Mark handles operations, marketing, information, and strategies for PBI.

Prior to PBI, Mark served as vice president of marketing & communications for local publishing firm for five years and he has served 12 years at The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, as the vice president of marketing & communications. While serving for the Chamber he graduated from The Institute of Organizational Management (US Chamber) in 2008 and received the designation of Accredited Chamber Executive (ACE) from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executives, and served on the US Chamber of Commerce Institute’s Midwest Board of Regents, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executive (KCCE) Board of Directors, ACCE Communications Board and local boards in his community. Mark graduated from The Ohio State University and Washington University in St. Louis. When not working, Mark is passionate about his family, his dog, walking & exercising, cooking, art, Ohio State football and enjoys a great adventure.

Catherine Caldicott, Regulatory Liaison and Special Projects 904-612-3773
catherine@pbieducation.com

Catherine Caldicott, MD, FACP joined the PBI team as faculty member in 2017. With years of experience in healthcare professional ethics education, remediation, coaching, and research, Dr. Caldicott handles special projects for PBI focusing on public lectures, articles and course developments. As the Board Liaison, Dr. Caldicott maintains a strong and active interaction and communication with regulatory boards, treatment centers, Physician Health Programs, and colleges in the United States and Canada.

Leia Leiser, Education and Development Manager 904-860-6204
leia@pbieducation.com

Leia joined the PBI team as Course Administrator in 2016. Since then she has transitioned into the Education and Development Manager role, focusing on online course development, event planning, and education administration. Leia is a graduate from Florida State University and brings her prior experience in medical conference planning and medical association management into her work at PBI. Her passion is helping people achieve their career goals by developing and managing high quality, impactful professional development programs. When not working, Leia loves camping, cooking, gardening, and relaxing with her friends, family, and cat.

Amanda East, Program Coordinator 904-489-0900
amanda@pbieducation.com

Amanda joined the PBI team as Program Coordinator in 2019. Since completing her degree in Business Marketing at Florida State University, Amanda’s career has focused on the management of non-profit associations, ministries, and organizations. She brings her expertise in marketing strategy, continuing medical education, and project management to the PBI Team. Amanda is passionate about helping others develop and reach their goals. When not working, Amanda enjoys expressing her creativity through activities such as painting, graphic design, and drawing. Amanda is also an avid fan of all things Disney. One of Amanda’s passion is learning; and her favorite topic of study is paleontology. 

Accreditation Statements

Designated CME courses have been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education provided by the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and Professional Boundaries, Inc. The University of California, Irvine School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide medical education for physicians.

California Assembly Bill 1195 requires continuing medical education activities with patient care components to include curriculum in the subjects of cultural and linguistic competency. It is the intent of the bill, which went into effect on July 1, 2006, to encourage physicians and surgeons, CME providers in the state of California, and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to meet the cultural and linguistic concerns of a diverse patient population through appropriate professional development. The planners, speakers and authors of this CME activity have been encouraged to address issues relevant in their topic area. In addition, a variety of resources are available that address cultural and linguistic competency, some of which are included in your syllabus or handout materials. Additional resources and information about AB1195 can be found on the UCI CME website at meded.uci.edu/cme.

Disclosure Policy

In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for Commercial Support, PBI faculty and planners for these activities have executed and filed with the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Department of Continuing Education, Disclosure of Conflict of Interest documentation related to any relevant financial relationship with commercial interests. Participants are advised, in advance of this Disclosure.

Disclosure: No outside funding is received.