2021 - 2022 Presentation Calendar

September 2021

9/17:  Practitioner Fatigue/Burnout

Carilyn Ellis, PsyD, MSPD
Autumn Leaf Therapeutic Services
Salem, OR
www.autumnleaftherapy.com

Dr. Ellis became a psychologist because of a profound personal belief that everyone has the right to an advocate: someone completely on their side. An avid believer in the strength and resilience of people, she finds consummate joy in working with people to discover who they are, and to live life according to their personal values, goals and passions. She lives by one of her favorite quotes by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), "It is never too late to be what you might have been."

Dr. Ellis received her Masters and Doctorate in Psychology from George Fox University, and her postdoctoral Masters in Clinical Psychopharmacology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She completed her APA accredited internship with the Salt Lake VA, Residency with the Boise VA and Providence Medical Services. She has worked in oncology, pain and palliative care for years, having completed formal training as well as professional development in the areas of chronic medical conditions, pain and end of life.

 
9/24:  Case Studies in Hyponatremia

Zach Carlson, MD
Family Medicine Residency of Western MT
Missoula, MT

Zach Carlson is a PGY-3 in Missoula who grew up in Northern Minnesota and then went to medical school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he fell in love with family medicine. His interest in pursuing rural training brought him west to Missoula where he has engaged in rural rotations throughout Montana whenever possible during residency. He still isn't sure what kind of practice he envisions himself in, as he enjoys many aspects of family medicine including sports medicine, rural health and wilderness medicine. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, fishing and exploring Montana with his wife and dog.

October 2021

10/1: Ceremony as Prevention: A Culturally Tailored Approach to Prevent Problem Substance Use Within an Urban American Indian Community

D'Shane Barnett (Mandan/Arikara), MS (PhD Candidate)
Health Director & Health Officer
Missoula City-County Health Department

D'Shane serves as the Health Director and Health Officer at Missoula City-County Health Department.  He has worked in the American Indian health field for more than two decades including as executive director for Missoula Urban Indian Health Center, and as the former executive director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) in Washington, D.C. D’Shane has a Master of Science (MS) degree in Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership from the University of California, San Francisco and he received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Sociology, with an option in Inequality and Social Justice, from the University of Montana, Missoula. He is currently a doctoral student in Public Health at the University of Montana, Missoula, where his research focuses on the protective factor of American Indian ceremony. D’Shane is a member of the board of directors for the Montana Primary Care Association and is also a member of the Providence Montana Service Area Community Ministry Board.

 

10/8:  Behavioral Health Crisis in MT

Mary Windecker
Executive Director
Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana
Missoula, MT

Mary is the executive director of Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana, an advocacy group representing children, adult, substance use and tribal behavioral health provider organizations. She has 30 years of experience in nonprofit health care including strategic planning, business development, advocacy, patient satisfaction, and marketing and outreach. Mary has developed multi-million-dollar healthcare programs including in oncology, gynecological oncology, breast health, wound care, pain management, and others. She moved an organization to the 78th percentile nationally in patient satisfaction and has worked in patient advocacy, patient satisfaction, and quality outcomes throughout her career.

She has volunteered in leadership positions with the Make-A-Wish Montana, Missoula YMCA, Rotary, Big Brothers Big Sisters, United Way, Missoula Writing Collaborative and served as the board chair for the Missoula Chamber of Commerce in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

 

  10/15: Genetic Counseling, Part 1

Michelle Weaver Knowles, MSN FNP-C
Ava Health 
Missoula, MT

Michelle Weaver Knowles is a Family Nurse Practitioner and the owner of Ava Health.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Fort Hays State University and her master’s as a Nurse Practitioner from Gonzaga University.  She is a Certified Breast Health Navigator, has a certification in Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment from the National Consortium of Breast Centers and has obtained an Advanced Clinical Genetic Nurse credential from the Nurse Portfolio Credentialing Commission.  She has also completed the City of Hope Cancer genetics course.  She has been awarded the Breast Health Navigator of the Year award from the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators, the Certified Breast Care Nurse of the Year from the Oncology Nursing Society as well as the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Foundation for Community Health. Her passion for hereditary cancer stems from her own diagnosis with a BRCA 1 positive breast cancer at age 38. 

Michelle and her husband Ron have 2 grown daughters.  She is a part of the Silver Lining Foundation Dragon boat team,  Run Wild Missoula Run/Walk community and enjoys fiber arts and is known for her love of pink and cool shoes! 

 

10/22:  Limb Salvage Using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Camilla Juhl-Petersen, MD
Community Medical Center
Missoula, MT

Dr. Peterson is the medical director of the Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Center specializing in treating non-healing wounds, diabetic wounds, limb preservation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.  She is board-certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners.  She is certified in Advance Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine with Chamber Operations.

  

10/29:  Genetic Counseling, Part 2

Michelle Weaver Knowles, MSN FNP-C 
Ava Health 
Missoula, MT

Robert Frost, MD
Inland Imaging
Missoula, MT

Michelle Weaver Knowles is a Family Nurse Practitioner and the owner of Ava Health.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Fort Hays State University and her master’s as a Nurse Practitioner from Gonzaga University.  She is a Certified Breast Health Navigator, has a certification in Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment from the National Consortium of Breast Centers and has obtained an Advanced Clinical Genetic Nurse credential from the Nurse Portfolio Credentialing Commission.  She has also completed the City of Hope Cancer genetics course.  She has been awarded the Breast Health Navigator of the Year award from the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators, the Certified Breast Care Nurse of the Year from the Oncology Nursing Society as well as the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Foundation for Community Health. Her passion for hereditary cancer stems from her own diagnosis with a BRCA 1 positive breast cancer at age 38. 

Michelle and her husband Ron have 2 grown daughters.  She is a part of the Silver Lining Foundation Dragon boat team,  Run Wild Missoula Run/Walk community and enjoys fiber arts and is known for her love of pink and cool shoes!

 

Dr. Frost attended medical school at University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine; completed a transitional internship at Michigan State University.  Also from Michigan State University, he completed a diagnostic radiology residency at Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners.  In 2019 he finished an abdominal imaging fellowship at University of CO, Anschutz Medical Campus.

 

 

 

 

November 2021

11/5:  Vancomycin Dosing in Montana: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

James 'Ike' Moody, PharmD
Antibiotic Management Consultant

Dr. Moody is a clinical pharmacist specializing in antibiotic management. Ike received his Doctor of Pharmacy from Idaho State University with Infectious Diseases clerkship at Salt Lake City V.A. Hospitals.  He was clinical coordinator for Antimicrobial Stewardship at St. Patrick Hospital, which was named antimicrobial benchmark hospital in 2001. As clinical assistant professor and Infectious Diseases clerkship instructor at University of Montana, he brought Bayesian antibiotic dosing to the hospital some 25 years ago. He has received certification in Antimicrobial Stewardship: Optimization of Antibiotic Practices from Stanford University School of Medicine (2016 & 2018). He is a member of Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists and the Rocky Mountain Pus Club.

  

11/12:  Family Panel on Complex Care Coordination 

Patricia M Notario, MD FAAP
General Pediatrics and Complex Care Medicine
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Chicago Medical School
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Billings Clinic

Dr Patricia Notario is a pediatrician at the Billings Clinic who is passionate about caring for children with special health care needs and is the medical director of the only Pediatric Complex Care Program in Montana and the surrounding region. She believes that family-centered, team-based, goal-driven preventative care is crucial to providing coordinated and continuous care that treasures the dignity of each child with chronic illness. It is her interactions with the tremendous caregivers of children with special health needs that motivate her and her team to strive towards the highest quality of care. She is the mother of three (soon to be four!) boys and 2 dogs, and enjoys the outdoor activities and beautiful landscape of Montana.

Linda Starnes, Panel Moderator

 

11/19:  Demystifying Capacity Evaluation

Grayson Cobb, MD
Family Medicine Residency of Western MT
Missoula, MT

Grayson Cobb is a PGY-3 at the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana in Missoula. He completed his undergraduate medical studies at Eastern Virginia Medical School and during his studies fell in love with broad spectrum family medicine. His passions within medicine are inpatient medicine, medical ethics, evidence-based medicine, and reproductive health. He has fallen in love with all facets of hospital medicine during his training and will be pursuing a career as a hospitalist. Outside of medicine he enjoys mountain biking, climbing, and is clumsily learning how to ski.

 

11/26:  Holiday Break.  No presentation

December 2021

12/3:  Pharmacist Led Pain Management

Rachel Johnson, PGY1
Alec Bohn, PGY1 
Providence St Patrick Hospital
Missoula, MT

Alec Bohn is a PGY-1 pharmacy resident who grew up in Minnesota and graduated pharmacy school in 2017 from North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. His passion for improving clinical outcomes through proper medication counseling and therapy management led him to a position with City Market Pharmacy in Grand Junction, CO. After three years in community pharmacy, he wanted to advance his clinical knowledge and is completing a residency with St. Patrick hospital. He is not sure what pharmacy discipline he envisions himself in, but has a strong interest in emergency medicine. Outside of work, he loves mountain biking, snowboarding, and going on adventures with his girlfriend, Stephanie, in their small campervan.

Rachel Johnson is currently a PGY-1 pharmacy resident at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from North Dakota State University earlier this year.  As a new pharmacist, she is excited to explore the different areas hospital pharmacy practice and deepen her clinical knowledge and patient care skills. Her professional interests include cardiology and ambulatory care pharmacy. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the beautiful Montana scenery, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

 

12/10:  Gender Affirming  Nursing Care : The Discussion Continues TGD 102

Denise Rivera, PhD
Montana State University

Denise S. Rivera received her Doctorate in Education from Wilmington University, her master’s in nursing from Wesley College and her primary nursing diploma from Beebe School of Nursing. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate nursing since 2010.  She is currently teaching graduate and undergraduate nursing courses at Montana State University. A strong advocate for inquiry based education and active participatory learning, she involves student in research and evidence based practice in a variety of community and small group settings focused upon health promotion and wellness.  Her professional interest focuses on transgender nursing, the spirituality of caring in nursing, the use of virtual and live actor simulation in prelicensure nursing education and promoting a culture of curiosity in nursing education. After a decade of transgender research, Dr Rivera developed a Gender Affirming Nursing Care (GANC) middle range theory and has published her research in the International Journal of Human Caring, the DNA reporter, and The Colorado Nurse, and has pending publications in The Journal of Holistic Nursing and Nursing Reports.   She has spoken extensively regarding her research on transgender health around the country and is a recognized advocate for transgender equality and healthcare equity.  Dr Rivera is a member of the American Nurses Association, World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the National Association for Clinical Nurse Specialists and the American Holistic Nurses Association.  She is a certified transgender health care professional through the international transgender certification association (ITCA).  She is currently seeking national certification in transgender nursing through WPATH.   Dr Rivera can be reached at denise.rivera2@montana.edu


12/17:
  Examining Healthcare Systems, A Global Perspective 

Nick Zakovich, DO
Family Medicine Residency of Western MT
Missoula, MT

Attended Michigan State for undergrad and Medical School. 3rd year resident at the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana. Planning on working rurally in Montana after graduation. 

 

 

12/24:  Holiday Break.  No presentation

 

12/31:  Holiday Break.  No presentation

January 2022

1/7:  Deprescibing: When Less is More

Kerry Haney, PharmD, BCACP
Familiy Medicine Residency of Western MT
University of MT

Kerry Haney is Clinical Pharmacy faculty for the Family Medicine Residency of Western Montana and UM Skaggs School of Pharmacy.  Her current practice site is Partnership Health Center where she coordinates pharmacy student rotations, assists with precepting family medicine residents and coordinates geriatric training experiences for the residency program.  She received a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Wyoming in 1998 and in 2010, completed a PharmD degree at the University of Montana.    Dr. Haney completed a general pharmacy practice residency in 1999 at Overlake Hospital Medical Center, Bellevue, WA.  Over the past 24 years, she has worked on teams caring for older adults in a variety of settings including; a geriatric primary care clinic, Missoula nursing homes, community and hospital pharmacies and most recently at Partnership Health Center.

 

1/14:  Vascular Surgery

Jason R. Hurd, MD
Providence St Patrick Hospital
Missoula, MT

 

1/21: Reproductive Health Potpourri 

Michelle Metcalf, MD
Family Medicine Residency of Western MT
Missoula, MT

 

1/28:  Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program - ICAP

Catherine Off, PhD, CCC-SLP
University of MT

Catherine Off is a speech-language pathologist and an associate professor & Interim Chair in the School of Speech, Language, Hearing, & Occupational Sciences in the College of Health at the University of Montana. She directs the Brain Research of Aphasia and Intensive Neurorehabilitation (BRAIN) Lab and founded and co-directs the Big Sky Aphasia Program, a post-acute, community-based stroke rehabilitation program located at the University of Montana. One component of the Big Sky Aphasia Program is the Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program that takes place each summer at UM. During this program, stroke survivors and their care partners engage in aphasia rehabilitation 5-6 hours per day, 4 days per week, for 4 weeks. Dr. Off is a member of the Stroke Work Group for the Cardiovascular Vascular Health Program for the Department of Public Health and Human Services in Montana and has recently joined the Montana chapter of the American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline Stroke, Post-Acute Care Subcommittee to provide expertise about reducing gaps in stroke rehabilitation and improving access to post-acute stroke and brain injury rehabilitation for individuals living in the rural Mountain West. She is affiliated with the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS), the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Dr. Off completed her Ph.D. in Speech & Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington in 2008 with an emphasis on stroke and aphasia rehabilitation and joined the University of Montana in 2011. Her research focuses on investigating innovative models of intervention for stroke and brain injury survivors living in the rural Mountain West - with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes for both stroke/brain injury survivors and their care partners. Dr. Off and her research team investigate principles of neuroplasticity as they relate to the behavioral rehabilitation of acquired cognitive-communication disorders stemming from stroke and traumatic brain injury.

 

 

February 2022

2/4: Sexuality and Cancer Survivorship

Glenn Blumenson, LCSW
Five Valleys Therapy
Missoula, MT
www.fivevalleystherapy.com

Glenn Blumenson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing in Missoula, Montana.  Glenn received his Master's in Social Work from NYU and has had advanced training in Couple and Family Therapy through the Ackerman Institute as well as the New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy.  Prior to relocating to Missoula, Glenn spent 5 years working in the field of Oncology and was a member of the family therapy clinic at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC.  For the past 3 years he was the therapist for the Montana Cancer Center.  Now solely in private practice, Glenn is continuing to pursue higher learning by working towards his certification in sex therapy as well as a Ph.D in Clinical Sexology from Modern Sex Therapy Institutes.  His combined interest in oncology as well as sexuality/sexual health will guide this upcoming presentation.  

 

2/11: Skaggs Institute for Health Innovation: Implementation of a State-Wide Pharmacogenetic Consultation Service

Karen Brown, PharmD
Jade Bosic-Reiniger, PharmD, MPH
University of MT
Missoula, MT

Karen Brown is a pharmacogenomics post-doctoral fellow at the University of Montana Skaggs Institute for Health Innovation under the mentorship of Dr. Erica Woodahl. She is currently focused on developing a pilot program with the Medical Genetics Laboratory at Shodair Children’s Hospital to offer pharmacogenomic testing and consultations to their patient population. Karen previously worked with Dr. Woodahl and the Precision Medicine Project at the University of Montana while completing her degree in pharmacy. As a student researcher, her primary focus was the development of qualitative research protocols to perform needs assessments within early adopter sites and determine the feasibility of implementing a centralized, pharmacist-led pharmacogenomics and comprehensive medication management program. Karen received her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy in 2020. 

Jade Bosic-Reiniger is a post-doctoral pharmacy fellow at the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy under the mentorship of Dr. Hayley Blackburn. Her fellowship focuses on rural health with an emphasis in chronic disease management, population health and pharmacogenetics. Jade received her Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Montana in 2021.

 

2/18: Expedition Medicine on Everest Spring ‘21

Christian Dean, MD
Community Medical Center

Dr. Christian Dean is a family medicine trained hospitalist based in Missoula who is passionate about wilderness, travel, and sports medicine. The mountains in Maine and Colorado inspired him to earn a B.A. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He then completed a year of clinical research in a virology lab before earning a M.S. in Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. He later earned his D.O. degree from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth. Dr. Dean chose to attend an osteopathic medical school to better understand musculoskeletal ailments and to develop a more holistic approach to medicine. Once he completed Family medicine residency at Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas, he earned board certification from the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians. After completing residency, he returned to the mountains, moving to Jackson Hole where he practiced inpatient and outpatient medicine, in addition to being the team physician for the Moose Hockey team and doing ski patrol at Snow King. Looking to expand his medical expertise and become more involved with teaching, he worked for two years doing primary care with Swedish Hospital in Seattle before spending almost three months as a hospitalist at the onset of COVID pandemic in New York City. He now calls the mountains surrounding Missoula home and works as an adult hospitalist when not being a physician on the sideline, ski hill, or remote expedition. Dr. Dean has earned his Diploma in Mountain Medicine through the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, and he is a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine earned through the international Wilderness Medical Society. He also runs a business, MyDocInTow, where he offers compassionate and comprehensive on-site or on-call medical direction and advisory as well as offering wilderness medical adventure education programs. 

 

 

2/25:  Congestive Heart Failure: Therapy and Clinical Pearls 

Samantha Tracy, PGY1
Kayla Schapp, PGY1
Providence St Patrick Hospital
Missoula, MT

Samantha Tracy was born and raised in Great Falls Montana. She moved to Missoula Montana after graduating high school to pursue a career in Pharmacy as a first-generation college student and received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in May of 2021. She is proud to have had the opportunity to spend both her IPPE and her APPE rotations at Providence St Patrick Hospital prior to becoming a PGY1 Pharmacy Resident at the same facility. Her professional interests include cardiology, critical care, pain management, and education. In her free time, Sam enjoys reading, going to the gym, and spending time with her fiancé and goldendoodle Duke in the beautiful Missoula area. 

 

 

 

March 2022

3/4:  Child and Adolescent Vaccine Coverage in Montana:  Challenges and Opportunities

 Sophia Newcomer, PhD
University of MT
Missoula

Sophia Newcomer, PhD, MPH is an assistant professor of epidemiology with the University of Montana (UM) School of Public and Community Health Sciences and a research investigator with UM’s Center for Population Health Research. Dr. Newcomer’s research focuses on vaccine safety, vaccine confidence and vaccine hesitancy, and immunization services delivery, with an emphasis on reducing rural-urban disparities in vaccine uptake.  Dr. Newcomer has served as principal investigator (PI) or project lead on multiple NIH- and CDC-funded projects focused on identifying barriers to and facilitators of child and adolescent vaccination in Montana.  She is currently the PI on a four-year R01 study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases investigating national trends in adherence to the childhood immunization schedule.

 

3/11:  Menopause: Review of Symptomatic Treatment Options

Katie Walicki, DO
Family Medicine Residency of Western MT
Missoula, MT

3/18:  Individual Behavioral Responses to Lockdown Policies 

Robert Sonora, PhD
College of Business
University of Montana

Dr. Sonora is the Associate Director and Director of Health Research at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research and Senior Research Professor and Adjunct Professor of Economics at the University of Montana. Prior to coming to the University of Montana he was a Professor of Economics at Fort Lewis College in Colorado and an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a Visiting Scholar of Economics at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb, Croatia and a two time Fulbright recipient. He has guest lectured at the Universities of Guadalajara (Mexico), Zagreb, Rijeka, Pula, Osijek, Zadar (Croatia), Alpen-Adria (Austria), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Friederich-Alexander Universität Erlangen- Nürnberg (Germany), Loyola-Andalucia (Spain),  and the Institute of Public Finance in Croatia. His current research interests are: Economic growth, behavior and policy implementation, income inequality, transition economics, and international finance and trade. He holds a BA in economics from Connecticut College, a MA in International Economics from the University of Essex in the UK and a MA and PhD in Economics from The Ohio State University.

 

3/25:  A Multidisciplinary Approach to Eating Disorder Treatment

Sara Boughner received her DPT from UM School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitative Sciences in 2019, and currently works at Endurance Physio Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy in Missoula. After noticing a tendency of exercise dependency, body dysmorphia, and disordered eating habits in her patients, she became interested in eating disorder management and how it applies to the world of physical therapy. She currently treats patients with eating disorders with a focus on healthy movement, reintroduction to exercise, and progressive bone loading if indicated. 

Nicole Cirilli is a Registered Dietitian and licensed nutritionist with 4 years of experience in inpatient nutrition support and outpatient nutrition counseling. She became passionate about eating disorder prevention after noticing a trend of patients with unhealthy relationships with food and poor body image being referred to her for harmful fad diets. This inspired Nicole to adopt an intuitive eating approach and help individuals of all paths of life heal their relationship with food, movement, and their own body in the name of holistic health. 

Katie Foote has been a Family Nurse Practitioner for 9 years and has worked in Family Practice and Women’s Health for 5 years. She currently works at PMG Women’s Care & Family Wellness. She dove into eating disorder management after people close to her experienced eating disorders and had few places to turn to in Missoula.  She loves this part of her family practice panel. She is an avid skier, mountain traveler, reader, and new mother.

 Kelli Larson, LCPC, is an individual and family therapist that specializes in counseling individuals that struggle with eating disorders. She has worked in this specialty for 15 years, having worked back east in an inpatient, day treatment and outpatient setting. She currently works in Missoula in private practice along with working at the University with collegiate athletes. She loves her work in helping other, and keeps herself busy raising 3 girls with her husband watching them play sports, going on family hikes, and trail running with friends.   

Denise Zimmer, RDN, LDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with over 30 years of experience.  She opened Strive Nutrition LLC in 2018 and quickly discovered a need to provide nutrition therapy for clients with Eating Disorders. Denise is passionate about positive food and body relationships. Due to increased demand, her daughter Kate Zimmer joined the practice in 2021. We utilize a non-diet, HAES and Intuitive Eating approach. Both have done advanced training in the area of Eating Disorders and are one part of the team approach. Denise and husband Chip have 3 adult children and enjoy all the activities the MT outdoors offers.

 

April 2022

4/1: Health Care Communication with Patients Who Communicate Differently

Isaac Baldry
The Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
University of Montana

After graduating high school, Isaac Baldry created his own company, Isaac Baldry Consulting, to focus his self-employment on using his lived experience to create impact.  Isaac’s work at the state and national level, has focused on assistive technology, self-advocacy, and healthcare topics.  He has participated in research projects, trainings, and tool development for people who use augmentative and alternative communication.  He was a member of the ACES, Augmentative Communication and Empowerment Supports series called Talking with Doctors, a collaboration between Temple University and TechOWL, Technology for our Whole Lives. Currently, one of his contracts is with the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities providing opportunities such as today

 

4/8:  Initiatives of the Strategic Alliance for Improved Behavioral Health

Terry Kendrick, MA
Partnership Health Center

Ms. Kendrick is the project facilitator for the Strategic Alliance for Improved Behavioral Health, a group of Missoula County health providers, elected leaders, and representatives from city and county agencies working to address unmet behavioral health needs. She also serves as Partnership Health Center’s program manager for the Missoula Mobile Support Team. She has had the good fortune of spending her career working for a variety of organizations committed to equity, social justice, and education. Ms. Kendrick loves Missoula in the spring, summer and fall, not so much in the winter

 

Jeremy Williams, MHA, RN
Providence Health and Services

Laurie Francis, MPH, RN
Partnership Health Center 

Laurie has been working in health care for the past 20+ years, pursuing strategies to improve health and wellbeing in individuals and communities, systemically.  After working in critical care, she founded a community health center (medical, dental, behavioral health, education) 21 years ago. Related to this work and more recent exposures, she has given numerous talks concerning patient centeredness, staff engagement, organizational alignment, health literacy, social determinants, and measurement systems that drive improvement.  Publications are in the areas of health literacy, outcomes, and self-efficacy. 

During the summer of 2017, Laurie returned to health center leadership after six years at the Oregon’s Primary Care Association as Senior Director of Innovations.  There she led an incredible team of talented individuals while advancing the understanding and implementation of advanced and emergent models of care, services, and partnerships to move upstream in order to dramatically improve population health and wellbeing.  Laurie now resides in Missoula, Montana and serves as executive director of Partnership Health Center, Montana’s largest CHC.  The CHC experiments with programs that attend to drivers of health while focusing significantly on powerful teams, data-driven decision making, and joy at work. She has served and continues to serve on numerous boards. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s in human biology from Stanford, a bachelor’s in Nursing at Montana State University, and an MPH from the University of Washington.  Laurie has two daughters, one living in Southern California and working with Hulu and the other in her first year of a Family Medicine residency program. 

Levi Anderson, MHA, FACHE
Western Montana Mental Health Center

 

4/15:  Using Journaling to Improve Health

Kathy Mangan, MS
Executive Director of Red Willow Learning Center
https://redwillowlearning.org/

Kathy Mangan is the founder and Executive Director for Red Willow Learning Center, a nonprofit dedicated to using mind/body medicine to support stress and trauma resilience.   Passionate about optimizing human potential, she is dedicated to whole mind/body/spirit health and focuses on offering both thought-provoking and practical ideas to help her workshop participants best grow their own potential.

 4/22: Food as Medicine

Mallory Koula, MD
Family Medicine Residency of Western MT
Missoula, MT

Mallory is a third year resident graduating from the FMRWM program in Missoula, MT.  She will be starting practice after residency at Providence Grant Creek Family Medicine.

 

4/29:  Electro-Convulsive Therapy 

Jason Molinaro, MD
Jessica Wolf, RN, BSN, PMH-BC

Providence Psychiatric Services

Dr. Rocco Molinaro was born in Augusta, Georgia and is a graduate of James Madison University. He obtained is medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia. He completed his Psychiatry Residency and Geriatric Fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Molinaro has over 10 years of experience in psychiatry. He previously worked in Florida at Baptist Hospital and was an Assistant Professor at University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville. He has been at Saint Patrick Hospital for 5 years as Inpatient Psychiatrist and Director of ECT.

 Jessica Wolff is originally from Stevensville, Mt. She received her associate degree from Carrington College in Boise, ID. She then continued in pursuit of her BSN online through Chamberlain University and received her certification in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. Jessica has worked on the Neuro Behavioral Medical Inpatient Unit (NBMI) at Providence St. Patrick hospital since 2016. She enjoys working in mental health and being an advocate for this patient population. Jessica started working with the ECT team shortly after the program started and found that it was her calling and developed a deep interest in the treatment and wanted to learn more. Over the last few years Jessica has followed and cared for many ECT patients and family members. Jessica accepted the ECT RN Patient Care Coordinator position in November 2022.  Jessica has a fierce dedication to her patient population and treats all patients and family members with compassion, respect, and empathy

 

 

May 2022

5/6:  Missoula’s Mobile Support Team

John Petroff
Missoula Fire Department

Gretchen Neal, MS, CHES
Partnership Health Center

Gretchen Neal is the Program Development Manager for the Community Health Worker program at Partnership Health Center. She is a University of Montana alumna with a Master of Science in Community Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. She also holds a Certificate in Public Health, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Gretchen works on programs and systems-change efforts to increase health equity in Missoula County and beyond.