Janine Thomas appointed Commissioner Editor in Documentaries
WEBWIRE – Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Janine Thomas, has been appointed as Commissioning Editor and will directly report to Head of Documentaries Alisa Pomeroy. She will support Rita Daniels by taking on the day-to-day running ofthe career defining strand First Cut, freeing up Daniels to focus on new blue-chip documentary series.Janines other responsibilities will include working with on and off screen talent.
She joins from Sky UK where she delivered a string of shows across the pay-TV broadcasters Documentaries, Crime and Nature channels. Highlights included ArrowPictures Grierson and Edinburgh nominated Positive: 30 Years Of HIV In Britain,Minnows Mother Teresa, Top Hats BroadcastDigital Award-nominated Look Away, Lion TVsArctic From Above With Liz Bonnin and Blast!s Italia 90 series.
Janine has also made her mark by nurturing off-screen talent with her launch of the DocShorts Initiative. The scheme offered emerging film-makers with disabilities and those from ethnic minority backgrounds access to a 500,000 fund to direct cinematic short films.Previously at Channel 4, Janine was Documentaries Assistant Editor and worked across a diverse slate including, Damilola:The Boy Next Door, Secret Life of the Zoo and 24 Hours in A&E.Additionally she commissioned into the digital Factual strand True Stories and E4.She also championed Black History Month programming, such as Gal-dem presents;Black British History, comedian Mo Gilligans Black British & Funny and the film series Take Your Knee off my Neck, a response to the killing of George Floyd.
Janine Thomas, Commissioning Editor said:I am thrilled to be joining the award-winning Documentaries team. Without doubt this is an exciting opportunity to continue the storytelling legacy of First Cut.I will look forward to working with Rita Daniels on this strand and aim to develop distinctive and uniquely Channel 4 programmes with new on and off-screen talent.
Alisa Pomeroy, Head of Documentaries added: Janine is a rising star and Im delighted that she will be joining the Documentaries team and working across one of our most cherished strands. She has a great reputation for working with new talent on and off screen which I am sure will lead to First Cut delivering some incredible programming from the next generation of directors.
For First Cut Rita Daniels has been responsible formentoring and nurturing the next generation of story tellers. Since 2016 she has placed a host of emerging filmmakers on the stage at Sheffields Doc Fest First Cut live pitches.Those she has worked with include:Ashley Francis-RoyFirst Cut winner for 2019 has received a Edinburgh New Voices Award, an RTS award and a Bafta nomination for his First Film The Real EastEnders.He then went on to direct the multi-award winningDamilola, the Boy Next Doorand is currently working onThe Real Line of Dutywith Story Films (wt).Ashley was also Bafta Breakthrough winner for 2021.Others includeLyttanya Shannonwho after making her high rating First Cut,Sun, Sea and Surgerywent on to direct onHospitaland thenAmbulanceand recently madeSubnormalwithSteveMcQueen as exec producer andThe Black Maternity Scandalfor C4.She was also the Bafta Breakthrough winner for 2021 .Also in the mix,Chloe Fairweather.First Cut FilmI Do At 92who most recently made the Oscar nominated feature docDying to Divorce.
She has been at the forefront of providing health care for the underserved in Bucks County for the past 50 years. During her tenure at the Ann Silverman clinic, she led the expansion of its programs and facilities to fulfill its mission of providing free medical, dental and behavior health services to low-income and uninsured families in the community.
As executive director since 2016, Fabian-Oresic met every public health challenge and opportunity with passion and energy. As other community health clinics in Bucks County closed, she expanded the programs and services at the Ann Silverman Clinic, which is the only remaining free clinic in Bucks County.
Under her leadership, Fabian-Oresic secured the clinics future with successful fundraising initiatives to support its programmatic growth and construction of larger facilities to accommodate the new services.
Sallys retirement will mark the last chapter of a remarkable public health career, said Paul Edgerton, Board chair of the Ann Silverman Health Clinic. She has led the clinic with a clear focus on improving the health of our patients and approached her work with compassion and a collaborative spirit. We are very grateful that shes put the clinic on a great path to ensure our important work continues.
The impact of Fabian-Oresics legacy is immediate and will be enduring. The comprehensive medical care that she built is provided by first-rate clinicians and a robust network of volunteer physicians from internists to specialists, including orthopedics and ophthalmology. She led the expansion of the dental clinic to include both preventative and restorative care.
She established for the first time a behavioral health program, with both English and Spanish-speaking counselors, as there is significantly limited access to mental health services for the uninsured.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fabian-Oresic faced the most challenging time in her career as the clinics patients were disproportionately at risk for infection and hard hit by job losses, closed schools, and food insecurity. She quickly mobilized the clinic to pivot to telehealth visits and organized vaccination clinics that protected nearly 900 people, with the assistance of Doylestown Health.
Despite the urgent medical needs, Fabian-Oresic made it a priority to address food insecurity patients faced by securing more than $90,000 in grocery gift cards.
I am enormously grateful for the opportunities to live out my passion for public health these past 50 years, said Fabian-Oresic. Ive been fortunate to serve with some of the most dedicated caregivers and leaders in health care, and although I will retire this summer, my commitment to community health will never waver. I will always support efforts to make the world a better place for all. I am, however, very excited to be able to spend more time with my family and granddaughter.
Prior to joining the Ann Silverman Health Clinic, Fabian-Oresic served 16 years as the executive director of the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP), a nonprofit collaborative partnership initiative of the County of Bucks, the hospitals located in Bucks County, and the Bucks County Medical Society. Sally was selected as its first executive director. While there, she directed two free clinics, developed tobacco education and cessation programs, initiated an advanced care planning program with five hospitals, and helped create the Domestic Violence Awareness Task Force and the Bucks County Child Advocacy Center.
For the first 27 years of her career, Fabian-Oresic worked at the Bucks County Department of Health where she started as a staff nurse and advanced to become director of Personal Health and Nursing Services for her last 10 years. As director, she managed a 70+ nursing, nutrition, and support staff; vaccination clinics; TB, HIV/AIDS and well child services; the Women, Infant and Childrens Supplemental Food Program (WIC); and investigated communicable disease cases and outbreaks.
Her awards include Family Builder of the Year Awardee from the Family Association of Bucks County and Woman Who Make a Difference Honoree from the Bucks County March of Dimes. She served as Secretary and Vice Chair of the Free Clinic Association of Pennsylvania, and as an officer of the Pennsylvania Public Health Association.
Fabian-Oresic was born and raised in Doylestown, and received her bachelors in Nursing from Keuka College, NY, and her masters in Nursing Administration and Community Health from Villanova University. She is an avid skier, swimmer and enjoys hiking and relaxing on the New Jersey shore.
About the Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic ### Ann Silverman Health Clinic Executive Director Announces Retirement
After 50 Years of Public Health Service
The Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free medical, dental, and behavioral health care and social services to low-income, uninsured families in Bucks County. The clinic is made possible by volunteer physicians, dentists, nurses, and support staff; Doylestown Health, which contributes facilities, and other support services; and generous donations from the community Visit us at www.aschealthclinic.org and follow us on facebook.com/ann-silverman-community-health-clinic and instagram.com/annsilvermanclinic.
