All content in Teen Health & Wellness: Real Life, Real Answers is reviewed by a team of leading professionals across fields including medicine, mental health, nutrition, substance abuse prevention, guidance, and career counseling.

Louis M. Aledort, M.D., M.A.C.P.

Dr. Aledort (master, American College of Physicians) is the Mary Weinfeld Professor of Clinical Research in hemophilia at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He was educated and trained at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Universities of Rochester and Virginia, and spent two years at the National Institutes of Health. He has spent his career in the area of bleeding disorders. He has served as consultant to the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, and the House Ways & Means Committee. Aledort has chaired and/or been a member of the practice committees of the American Society of Hematology and American College of Physicians. He has written more than 300 articles on several aspects of bleeding and clotting disorders. Emphasis has been on the supply availability and affordability of blood products. He has been involved in developing health-care programs and their underwriting in developing nations. Aledort has consulted for Aventis Behring, the American Red Cross, and Baxter BioScience.

Amyn M. Amlani, Ph.D.

Amyn M. Amlani is an assistant professor on the faculty of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Texas, where he has held an academic appointment since August 2005. He has also held an appointment of assistant professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center from January 2003 through August 2005. Dr. Amlani holds a B.A. degree in communication disorders from the University of the Pacific, an M.S. degree in audiology from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. degree in audiology from Michigan State University. Dr. Amlani is also a member of several professional organizations and has authored and coauthored papers related to hearing aids in the American Journal of Audiology, Audiology Today, Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, Journal of Speech-Language-Hearing Research, Trends in Amplification, The Hearing Journal, and Hearing Review. His research interests include hearing aid fitting and selection procedures, auditory perception in real-world environments, cognitive effects on hearing aid use and benefit, and economic and marketing trends within the hearing aid industry.

Catherine Anne Hostler Anderson, B.S.N., M.L.S., M.S.N., B.L.S., P.N.P., R.N.

Catherine Anne Hostler Anderson is a nurse practitioner at the Adult Health Center in the Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio, and a clinical instructor/preceptor for M.S.N. students at Kent State University. She also serves as clinical instructor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, and as an adjunct faculty, the University of Akron. Ms. Anderson holds a B.S.N. degree from Kent State University; a P.N.P. certification from Metro General Hospital, Cleveland; an M.L.S. from Kent State University; and an M.S.N. from Case Western Reserve University.

Paul C. Armbruster, DDS, MS

Dr. Armbruster is an associate professor of orthodontics at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry.

Nneka R. Azikiwe, M.D.

Nneka R. Azikiwe is a board-certified pediatrician and graduate of the Harvard Medical School. Mr. Azikiwe served his residency in pediatrics at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and has held fellowships from the center in adolescent medicine. He has also served as assistant professor of pediatrics, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.

Kelly Baden

Kelly Baden is the public policy manager for Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH). Prior to joining the PRCH staff, Baden was on staff at Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey, EMILY’s List, the American Political Science Association, and the Close Up Foundation. Baden has volunteered for numerous campaigns, including the Stephanie Herseth for Congress campaign in South Dakota in 2004 and the Jon Corzine for Governor campaign in New Jersey in 2005. Baden also traveled to South Dakota in 2006 and 2008 as a volunteer for the SD Campaign for Healthy Families to oppose the abortion ban ballot initiatives. Baden has a B.A. in political science and women’s and gender studies from The College of New Jersey and a graduate certificate in women, politics, and political leadership from the Women and Politics Institute at American University.

Michael T. Barta, Ph.D., L.P.C.

Michael T. Barta has a successful private practice working with eleven- to-eighteen-year-old youths, treating both academic and social/emotional issues. Dr. Barta has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, with a specific focus on adolescents.

Marlene Bedrich R.N.C., M.S., C.D.E.

Marlene Bedrich has been the program coordinator for the Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center since 2000. She received her degree in nursing from Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1978 and completed her master’s degree in health services in 2002. Bedrich is a certified diabetes educator (C.D.E.). She is an instructor for self-management workshops and consults with patients in the diabetes clinic.

Lauri Benblatt, M.A., L.P.C.

Lauri Benblatt received her M.A. from New York University in art therapy, incorporating counseling studies. She is a practicing licensed psychotherapist in Colorado. Ms. Benblatt has been practicing for the past eleven years, working with adolescents, youth, and adults in both individual and group settings. She also provides family therapy as needed. Currently she has a private practice in Boulder County and provides contracted therapeutic services (individual/groups) through Compass House and has worked as the art therapist at the Denver Children’s Hospital in the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit with adolescents/children. Her past experience includes working in school/hospital settings as well as in private practice. In addition to ongoing therapy, Ms. Benblatt also provides crisis intervention. Areas of interest and expertise include trauma, PTSD, eating disorders, self-injurious behaviors, abuse, depression (including suicide ideation and/or attempts), self-esteem/personal empowerment, anger, anxiety, stress, bipolar disorder, borderline disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Keith Berman, M.S.Ed., Ed.M.

Keith Berman is a Certified Educational Planner and the President of Options for College, Inc. He has served hundreds of families as a private college counselor at Options for College, and as the Head of Guidance at the Rudolf Steiner School and Yeshiva University High School. Mr. Berman has trained over 100 counselors in school districts ranging from New York to California as well as the Academic Counseling Staff of the Princeton Review–India. He has been quoted extensively in U.S. News and World Report, The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, and many other publications, and has spoken to many audiences, including Merrill Lynch, the Young Presidents Organization, and the New York University Family Center. Berman also worked as an interviewer in the Harvard and Yale University admissions offices. He has been a public school teacher and a researcher for an education think tank in Washington, DC. Berman got his B.A. from Yale University, his M.S.Ed. from Bank Street College, and his Ed.M. from Harvard University. He is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP). He has received awards from Americorps, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Harvard University, and the New York City Teaching Fellowship.

Sophie Brookover, M.I.St.

Sophie Brookover is the librarian at Eastern Regional Senior High School in Voorhees, New Jersey. She works closely with classroom teachers to help her students learn and put into practice the fundamentals of ethical research and digital literacy, and to develop their skills as savvy consumers of information.

Suzanne Nieman Brown, R.D.

Suzanne Nieman Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist and a certified ACSM health and fitness instructor, and holds degrees in both human biology and clinical nutrition. Her seminars, classes, and one-on-one counseling sessions teach her clients how proper nutrition and frequent exercise can help prevent illness.

Brenda Chaney, Ph.D.

Brenda Chaney, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the Ohio State University at Marion. She received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Dr. Chaney’s areas of interest and expertise include deviance, school violence, public reactions to deviance and crime, agencies of control, attitudes toward animals, and the death penalty and exonerations.

Susan Burns Chong, LMSW

Susan Burns Chong, LMSW, joined the Catherine E. Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy of the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine in 2005, and has been actively involved with engaging young people in foster care in policy initiatives and child welfare systems reform. She has supported efforts to engage youth and their communities around leadership, partnership, permanency, education, and financial literacy; to creatively express the experiences of youth in foster care through film and theater; and to build a youth philanthropy grant-making process. She has served previously as a community organizer, teacher, and program coordinator with both older and younger populations. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Sarah A. Clock, Ph.D.

Sarah A. Clock, Ph.D., has a research background in microbial genetics, molecular biology, and infectious diseases epidemiology. She has received a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Rochester, a Ph.D. in microbiology from Columbia University, and a fellowship in the Training in Interdisciplinary Research to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance (TIRAR) program at Columbia University. She conducts applied research to determine patient risk factors and outcomes related to healthcare-associated infections, new treatment strategies for infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria, and interventions to decrease the prevalence of resistant strains in the hospital.

Wendy Conquest, M.A., L.P.C.

Wendy Conquest, M.A., L.P.C., has an M.A. in counseling psychology and counseling education from the University of Colorado in Denver. In addition, Ms. Conquest holds her professional counselor license with the state of Colorado. She has extensive experience working with high-risk teens and their families in individual and family therapy settings. She has worked with teens struggling with substance abuse and dependency in numerous intensive outpatient settings, one of which Ms. Conquest codeveloped in Boulder, Colorado. Ms. Conquest also specializes in working with families, especially stepfamilies, and has authored articles for Colorado newspapers and magazines. She gives public talks on topics including parenting, drugs and alcohol, addiction, successfully remarrying, transitioning to high school, and conflict resolution. Ms. Conquest also works with the court system providing parenting coordination work for high-conflict divorces. She currently lives and works in private practice in Boulder.

Colleen Cooke, M.S., R.D.

Colleen Cooke is a registered dietitian with an M.S. in exercise science. She currently works as a sports dietitian for the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. She works with athletes and nonathletes of all ages and abilities. She specializes in sports nutrition, eating disorders, and weight loss. She is also a dietitian at the La Luna Center in Boulder where she works with psychotherapists in treating eating disorders.

Ernie Cox

Ernie Cox, a 2010 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, is the teacher-librarian at Mark Twain Elementary School in Iowa City, Iowa. His doctoral studies at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill include reading comprehension and the Web, children’s and young adult literature and services, and transmedia narratives.

Mary Cullinan, M.A. Ed.

Mary Cullinan is the Advanced Standing Counselor at Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she provides personal, academic, and career counseling to students. She worked for eight years developing a school counseling program at Holy Cross Academy in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and has worked in a variety of educational settings from kindergarten through the university level. Previously, she served as an advisor for academically at-risk students at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she coordinated a campus-wide mentor program that was recognized by the San Antonio Area Mentorship Association as a model program. Cullinan served four years in the U.S. Army as a Medical Service Corps Officer at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Locally, she works with young people as a Girl Scout leader and as a volunteer with community soccer and swim leagues. She received her master of arts in education from the University of Texas at San Antonio and her bachelor of arts from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. She has begun work on her doctor of jurisprudence at Columbus Law School at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Her areas of interest and expertise include interpersonal relationships, communication, training, and leadership. She is married and the mother of three.

Avani G. Dilger, M.Ed., M.A., C.A.C.III, D.T.R.

Avani G. Dilger is a certified addiction counselor supervisor, a somatic psychotherapist, and a registered dance/movement therapist who has specialized in substance abuse treatment with adults, teens-at-risk, and their families. She has done extensive research and training in traditional and alternative approaches to substance abuse treatment. Ms. Dilger founded the Pure Trance Project, a recognized innovative addiction prevention program for German public schools that uses trance dancing and meditation as an alternative to substance abuse. She currently teaches graduate students at Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado, in the M.A. Somatic Counseling Psychology Program and in the M.A. Transpersonal Psychology Program and works as a substance abuse counselor for teens and families at Compass House, a non-profit agency in Boulder. Ms. Dilger has developed a cutting-edge treatment format called Natural Highs—Healthy Alternatives to Drugs and Alcohol. The treatment teaches teens and adults strategies of working intelligently with their own brain chemistry and the strategies to feel good naturally. She is trainer and consultant in the criminal justice system and has trained motivational interviewing and evidence-based practices in Maine, Illinois, Nebraska, Idaho, Arizona, and Colorado. She is developing creative formats that allow people who live on the edge of society to share and celebrate their wisdom. She holds a weekly philosophy circle at the local addiction recovery center.

Matthew B. Drake, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.

Matthew B. Drake is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in Boulder, Colorado. He graduated Phi Kappa Phi from the University of Utah. He specializes in working with teens and their families. He has served on the Colorado board of directors for the National Association of Social Workers.

Susan Drake, B.S., M.S., R.D.

Susan Drake has been a registered dietitian since 2004. She received her B.S. from Colorado State University in 1991 and her M.S. from Eastern Illinois University in 1994. She has worked as a nutrition educator, provided nutritional care at a regional hospital, and consulted with numerous companies assisting with their sales and marketing.

Burris Duncan, M.D.

Dr. Duncan is a full professor of pediatrics at the University of Arizona in Tucson. After his pediatric residency, he served as the associate director of the Birth Defects Center at the University of Colorado for two years. Then, between 1967 and 1970, he was director of community pediatrics at that same institution and director of pediatrics at the Eastside Neighborhood Center in Denver. From 1970 to 1975, he was director of the Pediatric Outpatient Department at the University of Colorado. From 1975 to 1978, he was director of Project HOPE’s land-based program in Natal, Brazil, and a visiting professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. Between 1981 and 1986, he was chief of the General Pediatric Section at the University of Arizona. While maintaining his academic position, for the past ten years he has been working primarily in a community setting at the Children’s Clinic for Rehabilitative Services in Tucson. There, he established a primary-care clinic for Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) and sees children who have complicated and multiple interdisciplinary problems, many of whom have cerebral palsy. He was selected by the families of CSHCN to be the recipient of the Rosa Award, an award that recognizes a health-care provider who has contributed to the health and well-being of CSHCN and their families. He has published fifty-four articles in peer-reviewed journals, has written sixteen chapters in pediatrics textbooks, and is the coeditor of a handbook on pediatric nutrition. He currently is the principal investigator for a three-year research project in Beijing, China, to determine if acupuncture is an effective complementary treatment for children with cerebral palsy.

Jenny Epstein, M.A., L.P.C, D.T.R.

Jenny Epstein is a licensed professional counselor, a registered dance movement therapist, and a body-centered psychotherapist. She has worked with adolescents for more than a decade in a variety of settings. Her areas of specialization include social justice issues, trauma and its effects on the body, and work with groups. She was the founding director of Jewish Youth for Vision and Empowerment, a social justice leadership program for Boulder-area Jewish teens. She has worked clinically with international survivors of torture and teens in substance abuse treatment, and now works with adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses.

Andrea Feder, L.C.S.W.

Andrea Feder is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with a broad range of professional experience working with individuals and groups, both children and adults. She received her M.A. in social service administration from the University of Chicago in 1980 and completed subsequent psychoanalytic training at Washington Square Institute in New York. In addition to her private psychotherapy practice, Ms. Feder has provided counseling to geriatric patients and their families at Daughters of Miriam Home and Hospital for the Aged in Clifton, New Jersey; has worked as a hospital social worker at the University of Chicago Billings Hospital in Chicago and the Tufts New England Medical Center Hospital in Boston; has directed summer day camp and after-school programs for elementary school-age children at the 92nd Street Y in New York; and has led group therapy sessions for parents, wives, and significant others of drug addicts at Daytop Village in New York. She currently provides individual and family therapy to teens and their families at Compass House in Boulder, Colorado.

Megan Fromm, Ph.D.

Megan Fromm is an assistant professor at Colorado Mesa University and faculty for the Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change, a summer study abroad program. She is also the educational initiatives director for the Journalism Education Association. Fromm received her doctorate in 2010 from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Her dissertation analyzed how news media frame student First Amendment court cases, particularly those involving freedom of speech and press. Her work and teaching centers on media education, scholastic journalism, media literacy, and media and democracy. She has also worked as a journalist and high school journalism teacher and regularly teaches at journalism education workshops around the country. As a working journalist, Fromm won numerous awards, including the Society of Professional Journalists Sunshine Award and the Colorado Friend of the First Amendment Award. Her first coauthored textbook, Student Journalism and Media Literacy, was released in November 2014. Fromm has recently authored texts on media literacy pedagogy and social media and youth empowerment. She also writes for PBS’s MediaShift website EducationShift on topics such as media and journalism education.

Hollie Granato, B.A., M.A.

Hollie Granato is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Washington. She received her B.A. from Rollins College, where her research interests focused on sexual assault, acquaintance rape, and the role of substance use. She then moved to Denver, Colorado, where she received a masters degree in clinical psychology from the University of Colorado Denver and focused her research interests on sexual risk, substance use, and culture. She has been involved in work with HIV prevention programming, program evaluation, and has worked as a residential counselor for individuals living with mental illness. She remains currently interested in studying the role of substance use in sexual risk taking and sexual assault—both perpetration and victimization, and the role of culture and gender stereotyping in these areas. She also has a general interest in issues surrounding social justice, equality, and multiculturalism.

Fran Ganz-Lord, M.D.

Dr. Ganz-Lord is an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College/The New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She is board certified in internal medicine. She completed medical school at Tufts University and did her residency training at the New York Presbyterian Hospial/Weill Cornell Campus. In addition to seeing patients, she works on research studies and teaches internal medicine to medical students and residents. Ganz-Lord has a particular interest and expertise in women’s health and type 2 diabetes.

Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW

Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, is a professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota in Twin Cities. She does research on the development of violent behaviors, the meanings of violence to perpetrators, and how children overcome adversities. She also helps social service agencies develop theories of change and clinical assessment instruments. She has published articles and books in academic settings and for the general public. She has a bachelors and masters degree in English; a master’s in social work from the University of Chicago; a licentiate in family studies and sexuality from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium; and a Ph.D. in child and family studies from Syracuse University.

Melinda Gonzales, Youth Services Director

Melinda Gonzales is the youth services director at Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center. She has extensive experience working with teens both in a clinical and educational setting. During her two years at Women’s Health, Ms. Gonzales has supervised a free and confidential teen clinic where teens can access reproductive and sexual health-care services. She is also responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive sexual health education program that includes a youth-led peer education program. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in international affairs and a B.A. in Spanish and Portuguese language and culture, which included an honors thesis that explored the role of Cuban youth in the Cuban Revolution over the past three decades.

Trevor Graham, Ph.D.

Trevor Graham, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist living and practicing in Boulder, Colorado. He lectures in the Psychology Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder and maintains a private practice where he works with individuals, couples, and adolescents. Graham has worked with numerous college students to help them more effectively cope with issues of stress and anxiety related to college adjustment.

Anthony L. Graves, Ph.D.

Anthony Graves is an associate professor of ethics at New York University.

L. John Greenfield Jr., M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Greenfield is associate professor of neurology at the University of Toledo College of Medicine. He obtained his bachelor’s degree at Yale University and completed an M.D. degree and Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Virginia. His residency and fellowship training were at the University of Michigan. He is board certified in neurology and clinical neurophysiology.

W. Dan Hausel, Soke/10th Dan (Grandmaster, 10th degree black belt), Shorin-Ryu Karate and Kobudo

W. Dan Hausel is the grandmaster of Seiyo Shorin-Ryu karate and Kobudo with more than forty-two years’ experience in martial arts. He holds black belt ranks in eight martial arts, is certified in eighteen martial arts, and has been inducted into fourteen halls of fame since 1998. He holds the highest rank possible in Shorin-Ryu karate (10th degree black belt) and has been an instructor of martial arts at the University of Wyoming for the past thirty years.

Lisa B. Hightow, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Lisa B. Hightow is an assistant professor of medicine in the Department of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Hightow completed her medical school training at the University of Virginia and became board certified in internal medicine in 2001 after completing three years of residency training at Stanford University. She completed three years of fellowship training in infectious diseases at UNC-Chapel Hill and was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Sub-Board of Adult Infectious Diseases in 2004. In addition, she earned a master’s in public health in epidemiology from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2003. She has been directly involved with the management of HIV-infected adolescents and adults at UNC-Chapel Hill since 2001. In addition, Dr. Hightow cares for HIV-infected adults and adolescents at two North Carolina health department HIV clinics and within the Department of Corrections. Dr. Hightow headed the outbreak investigation that discovered increased cases of HIV infection among black men attending college on North Carolina campuses. Currently, she is the principal investigator on an HRSA Special Projects of National Significance grant to improve outreach, care, and prevention to engage in care HIV seropositive adolescent MSM of color. Dr. Hightow’s work has been featured in medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and AIDS Education and Prevention.

Jan S. Hittelman, Ph.D.

Dr. Hittelman is a licensed psychologist with over twenty years of experience working with adults, children, adolescents, and families in a variety of settings. In addition to clinical practices in California, Colorado, and New York, he has specialized in program development in partnership with school systems, psychiatric hospitals, correctional facilities and the courts, outpatient settings, residential treatment facilities, and private non-profit organizations. He is the founder of Compass House, a non-profit counseling collaborative for teens and their families. Dr. Hittelman is also the author of a monthly newspaper column entitled “Surviving the Teenage Years.”

Thu Ho, M.D.

Dr. Thu Ho is a resident physician in pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco. She was born and raised in sunny San Diego and attended Harvard University, where she volunteered her time on the bone marrow transplant ward at Children’s Hospital Boston and received highest honors for her senior thesis, “The synergy and inter-relationship between the B7 and CD40 pathways, and how their interactions influence T cell responses.” She graduated magna cum laude with a BA in biochemical sciences and spent the next year at the Scripps Research Institute, department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, investigating the electron pathways of oxidative phosphorylation in Complex III within yeast and mammalian mitochondria. At the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, she focused her research in pediatric oncology, specifically Ewing’s sarcoma, and received the Western American Federation for Medical Research Subspecialty Award in 2003. After completing her pediatric residency, she plans on subspecializing in pediatric endocrinology or oncology with continued involvement in basic science and translational research.

Charlotte Hobbs, M.D.

Dr. Hobbs is completing her fellowship training in pediatric infectious disease at New York University. As a fellow, she spends her clinical service time managing the inpatient Infectious Disease Consultation Service at both Bellevue and Tisch Hospitals in Manhattan. She continues to see patients in the pediatric infectious disease outpatient clinic setting, in which she is able to care for patients with a myriad of infectious disease and immunologic problems, including those with HIV infection. In addition, her research time is dedicated to basic laboratory and translational work, taking basic lab benchwork and applying information in the clinical field, in both HIV and malaria in the greater arena of international medicine. Ms. Hobbs also received several awards from the pediatric residents of New York University’s Department of Pediatrics for her clinical efforts and teaching abilities.

Barbara Gottfried Hollander, M.A.

Barbara Gottfried Hollander has a B.A. in economics from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in economics (specializing in statistics and econometrics) from New York University. She is the author of Managing Money and Raising Money as well as the Economics and Education Editor of The 2009 World Almanac and Book of Facts. Hollander has designed, written, and assessed courses in finance, marketing, accounting, mathematics, and economics and the environment for Knowledge Learning Corporation. She has also written standardized testing material for the Educational Testing Service and New Leaders for New Schools. Hollander promotes literacy in special needs schools through her involvement with the Literacy Connections Committee.

MaryBeth Horodyski, Ed.D., A.T.C., L.A.T.

MaryBeth Horodyski is a professor and the director of research in the department of orthopaedics and rehabilitation at the University of Florida. She is the president of the Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association and vice president of external affairs for the NATA Research and Education Foundation. Dr. Horodyski and a group of researchers have conducted investigations on prehospital and inpatient care of spine-injured patients. This research has resulted in several funded grant proposals, over fifty abstracts/presentations at national and international conferences, and fourteen published manuscripts. Dr. Horodyski has taught workshops on the management of the spine-injured patient in the U.S., England, Italy, and Poland. Dr. Horodyski was a co-author for the NATA Position Statement on the acute management of the cervical spine-injured athlete.

Lori S. Hosack, M.S., R.N.

Lori Hosack received her B.S. in nursing from Bowling Green State University and the Medical University of Ohio. She worked as an obstetrical nurse and in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutritional program before earning her M.S. from the Ohio State University College of Nursing. Ms. Hosack also worked as a staff nurse at the Birthing Center of Fayette Country Memorial Hospital in Washington Court House, Ohio. There, she managed a prenatal clinic in addition to teaching childbirth education classes. She is presently the health technologies (college tech prep) instructor at Mount Gilead High School in Mount Gilead, Ohio. This two-year vocational program prepares interested juniors and seniors to pursue careers in health care.

Amy Jenkins, L.C.S.W.

Amy Jenkins is a licensed clinical social worker who has been working and specializing with adolescents and families for approximately thirteen years. She has worked in many different settings, such as department of social services, foster care, outpatient counseling, various levels of residential care centers for adolescents, day treatment for SIED adolescent males, psycho-educational school for expelled youth, private practice, and college teaching. She continues to offer direct counseling services as well as develop, restructure, and manage programs for youth and their families. She is currently the clinical director for Compass House Inc. in Boulder, Colorado.

Vicki Kalabokes

Vicki Kalabokes is president and chief executive officer of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), a position she has held for nineteen years. Ms. Kalabokes also served as the cochair of the Coalition of Patient Advocates for Skin Disease Research, a coalition of twenty-five skin disease patient groups. In 1999, Ms. Kalabokes was chosen to be one of the original twenty members of the National Institutes of Health Council of Public Representatives, which advises the NIH director on how to increase public understanding of NIH and public participation in NIH activities. In 2001, former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson named her to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Advisory Council, her term ending December 31, 2005. She received her undergraduate degree from Towson State University. She also holds a certified meeting professional certificate.

Siobhan Kelly

Siobhan Kelly earned a First Class Honors B.A. in English Literature and Sociology from The University of Dublin, Trinity College. She splits her time between Los Angeles, CA, and New York, NY, working as an environmental consultant, writer, editor, and animal protection advocate. Currently she is living and working in New York City campaigning and lobbying for the humane treatment of farm animals.

Jennifer Key, L.C.S.W.

Jennifer Key specializes in equine psycho-spiritual therapy and an integrative, mind-body-spirit approach. She graduated with her M.S.W. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She also has in-depth experience facilitating individual, group, and family therapy for adolescents with severe emotional disturbance in a special-education school. During her five-year practice in the school environment, Ms. Key worked extensively with adolescents that had a variety of diagnoses including bipolar disorder, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, autism and Asperger’s syndrome, major mood disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She also specialized in working with pregnant teens, victims of sexual abuse, and the Latin American culture. Her continued educational training includes clinical seminars on working with Asperger’s syndrome, school violence, oppositional defiant disorder, and attachment disorder. In addition to her expertise with the severely emotionally disturbed population, Ms. Key has worked in a variety of settings including therapeutic foster care, inpatient psychiatry, sexual assault centers, and private practice. She completed twenty-four hours of crisis training for sexual assault, trauma, and abuse, along with training in domestic violence. Upon relocating her private practice to Colorado, Ms. Key completed an intensive six-month experiential training in equine psychotherapy and spiritual mentoring for a variety of populations. She currently has her own practice in the Denver/Boulder area providing mentoring, psychotherapy, and relationship coaching to adults, adolescents, families, and horses. Her experience includes continuing her passion in working with adolescents through Compass House and consulting for Rocky Mountain Equi-Rhythms, Equine Experiential Therapy Program.

Brian M. Kirmse, M.D.

Dr. Kirmse received his undergraduate education at the Medical School at the University of Miami. He served his internship in pediatrics at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans. Dr. Kirmse completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of Florida/Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida. He is currently in his final year of fellowship in medical genetics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

Anne Laumann, MBChB, MRCP (UK)

Dr. Anne Laumann has a bachelor of medicine (MB) and a bachelor of surgery (ChB). She is a member of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom. Laumann is an actively practicing board-certified dermatologist with over thirty years experience in the field. She is an associate professor of dermatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She has participated in the training of many medical students and dermatologists as well as talked in high schools about skin problems and skin care. Laumann has written and published over thirty peer-reviewed papers and chapters herself as well as reviewed many written by others over the years. She has a particular interest in the distribution, meanings, and difficulties related to the application of body art and, in recent years, she has published papers and talked to professionals across the country about this subject. Laumann is happily married with four grown children and seven grandchildren, none of whom have permanent tattoos and some of whom have soft earlobe piercings.

Eleni Lantzouni, M.D., F.AA.P.

Dr. Lantzouni is currently an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics, practicing adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio. She received her M.D. from the University of Athens Medical School in Greece. Dr. Lantzouni served her pediatrics residency at Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, and at Schneider Children’s Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York, where she also had an adolescent medicine fellowship. Her fellowship in adolescent gynecology was at the Columbus Children’s Hospital. She is board certified in pediatrics and adolescent medicine, and her academic appointment includes assistant professor of pediatrics at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Clinical and research interests include eating disorders, gynecologic issues, and mental health care of Adolescents.

Debra Kay Logan, B.S., M.L.S.

Debra Kay Logan began her career as a children’s librarian and has been 
a school library media specialist for over twenty years. She has worked 
in school libraries from K-12. Logan is currently the Mount Gilead (OH) Middle 
High School Librarian. Logan is also the author of professional 
books including, Information Skills Toolkit: Collaborative Integrated 
Instruction for the Middle Grades and the co-author of K-12 Web Pages: 
Planning & Publishing Excellent School Web Sites. In 2004, Logan was 
presented an Ohio Department of Education & OELMA (Ohio Educational Library Media Association) Innovative School 
Library Practices Award and was awarded the OELMA/Follett Library 
Resources School Librarian of the Year Award in 2008.

Keith J. Loud, M.D.

Dr. Loud attended medical school at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. His residencies include pediatrics at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and orthopedic surgery at Ohio State University. He received a fellowship in adolescent medicine and sports medicine at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, with a subspecialty certification in adolescent medicine and a certificate of added qualification in sports medicine.

Ross Macmillan

Ross Macmillan is an associate professor of sociology, Director of the Life Course Center, and Director of Population Studies at the University of Minnesota. His research interests include aging, family studies, demography, health, and criminology.

Faye Gothard Mangrum, Ph.D.

Dr. Faye Gothard Mangrum is a professor in the Department of Communication and Theatre at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU). Mangrum earned a Ph.D. in communication with an emphasis on organizational communication. Her master and bachelor degrees are in English education. She has taught public speaking, interpersonal, small group, and organizational communication at SOSU for 22 years. She has also taught English composition at the community college and public school levels. She has incorporated technology in her courses by including electronic presentations in the classroom, teaching through interactive education television (IETV), and developing multiple online communication classes. Mangrum’s online and face-to-face students have successfully produced scholarly work and have presented top research projects and papers at national, regional, and state conferences. She consistently states that teaching is her highest priority. Her colleagues from other universities in Oklahoma have presented her with the Outstanding College Communication Educator Award. In her own research, she has studied informal problem solving interactions performed by workers in organizational settings and has presented top research papers at national and regional communication conferences on this topic. She has also published articles on her research on informal problem-solving meetings. Mangrum also serves her university with her participation in distance learning and curriculum committees. She has also served the community by providing communication workshops on such topics as managing interpersonal conflict in the workplace.

Annie Laurie McRee, M.P.H.

Having been involved in the field of reproductive health and sexuality education for over a decade, Annie Laurie McRee’s experience has spanned from the front line to management behind the scenes to health research. Her work has included direct service provision and program administration in a federally funded family planning clinic, development of collaborative adolescent health programs, and independent health consulting at local and regional levels. Ms. McRee was previously the youth services director at Women’s Health in Boulder, Colorado, and she has brought her expertise in adolescent health to bear on her volunteer work with community-based organizations serving those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and HIV. Ms. McRee holds a B.A. in education from Millsaps College and an M.P.H. in health behavior and health education from the University of Michigan where she completed an interdisciplinary concentration in reproductive and women’s health. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in maternal and child health at the University of North Carolina.

Sophia Medinsky, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.

Sophia Medinsky is a registered dietitian with the American Dietetic Association and a certified dietitian-nutritionist in New York State. She has expertise in several areas, including weight management, oncology, general nutrition, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome management, diabetes, and hypertension. Medinsky has a private practice in the midtown where she counsels clients on weight loss, irritable bowel syndrome management, diabetes, hypertension, and various nutritional issues. Her nutrition classes for Partners in Care and Visiting Nurse Service of New York teach her students how healthy eating, smart food choices, label reading, and daily physical activity can help prevent obesity, maintain a healthy weight, and promote a healthy lifestyle. Medinsky is actively involved in educating children and young people about nutrition and healthy lifestyle. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association, Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group, New York State Dietetic Association, Greater New York Dietetic Association, and Council of Renal Nutrition of Greater New York. Medinsky received her bachelor of science in nutrition and food studies and her master of science in clinical nutrition from New York University. She completed her one-year dietetic internship through New York Presbyterian Hospital. Medinsky lives with her husband, Boris, and her sons, Robert and Richard, in New York City.

Valerie Mendralla, M.P.H, CHES

Valerie Mendralla, M.P.H, CHES, is the director of membership for the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS). Valerie became involved with NOYS in 2003 when she served as a representative for The BACCHUS Network. Since then, Valerie has had the opportunity to speak at dozens of national conferences that address the topics of traffic safety, alcohol and other drug prevention, school health, and overall youth safety. She received her masters in public health from the University of Minnesota in 2005 and her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2003. She is a certified health education specialist and will receive her RN licensure in summer 2010.

Marsha Miller, Ph.D.

Miller has a husband with Huntington’s disease and a daughter at risk for the disease. Recently, a cousin in his eighties was also diagnosed with late onset HD. She received a bachelor’s in psychology and sociology from the University of Delaware and a master’s and Ph.D. in sociology from Bryn Mawr College. Formerly an associate professor of sociology, she turned to policy research in 1990 and has been a consultant for nonprofits and state governments regarding effective programs since 1993. With the unexpected diagnosis of her mother-in-law (the first in her husband’s family) in 1997 and her husband’s diagnosis shortly afterwards, she has devoted most of her spare time to HD advocacy.

Rachel O’Connor

Rachel O’Connor is a certified yoga instructor who lives in Manhattan. She trained at BeYoga and has been teaching in gyms and fitness centers for over two years. O’Connor teaches Vinyasa and Yin yoga. She has attended conferences and workshops throughout the United States, studying with such renowned yogis as Patricia Walden and Tias Little.

Marcela Ot’alora G., MA, LPC

Marcela Ot’alora G. holds a masters degree in transpersonal psychology from Naropa University and a masters in fine art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She currently works in a private practice in Colorado helping adults, teens, and children. Ot’alora G.’s goal in therapy is to support her clients as they are and help them get where they want to be. Her approach is to look at the whole person—the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self—and focus on the strengths that exist in each individual to help him or her achieve positive changes. Using creativity and intuition experientially, Ot’alora G. helps bring about self-awareness and self-expression in her clients. She specializes in building communication skills, dealing with transitions in relationships, grief and loss, and situations in school and work. She has worked extensively with trauma, specifically post-traumatic stress disorder, and cultural issues. Ot’alora G. is bi-lingual and bi-cultural and brings to her practice a strong knowledge of cultural sensibilities and awareness.

Lester Pardoe, B.P.E.

Lester Pardoe has a bachelor of physical education. After qualifying three times for the Winter Olympics in speed skating, Pardoe continued his education by attending the National Coaching Institute of Canada full time in 1998–1999. Pardoe was the head coach/team leader for the 1998 New Zealand Olympic Speed Skating Team and was the chief of competition for the speed skating events for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Pardoe currently coaches a variety of endurance athletes through his own business, Boulder Training Solutions, and works as a physiologist at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Boulder, Colorado.

Mark Timothy Plaatjes

Mark Timothy Plaatjes is a native of South Africa, a U.S. citizen since 1993, and a world-class runner. He was born on June 1, 1961, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Plaatjes graduated in December 1987 with a bachelor of science in physical therapy (a four-year honors/masters course) from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Some of Plaatjes’s accomplishment include Los Angeles Marathon champion in 1991, World Marathon champion in 1993, and world record holder in the Altitude Marathon. He ranked among the top five runners in the world numerous times. After retiring from competitive racing a few years ago, Plaatjes established a physical therapy clinic in Boulder, Colorado, called In Motion Rehabilitation. He is also the vice president of the Boulder Running Company. Plaatjes lives in Boulder with his wife, Shirley, and three daughters, Gene, Luz, and Camille.

Caroline Potter

Caroline Potter began her own career in recruitment advertising before moving into book publishing, working on a successful series of careers books for children. She later trained at the Coaches Training Institute and has written about careers and the workplace for Yahoo! HotJobs for more than five years.

William K. Purves, Ph.D

William K. Purves is Professor Emeritus at Harvey Mudd College, where he founded the biology department. He is currently a consultant on science education. Dr. Purves holds a B.S. in biology from the California Institute of Technology and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in botany from Yale University, where his research was in plant physiology. He has chaired biology departments at the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of Connecticut, Storrs; and Harvey Mudd College. Dr. Purves was senior author of the first seven editions of Life: The Science of Biology (Sinauer Associates and W.H. Freeman). He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dick Reznik, M.S.W.

Dick Reznik has eleven years of police experience specializing in crime prevention, patrol, and traffic law enforcement. He is a retired member of the United States military and holds a master’s degree in social work.

Philip S. Richards, D.D.S.

Dr. Richards is a clinical associate professor in the department of periodontics and oral medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, where he has taught since 1984. He earned both his D.D.S. degree (in 1984) and his M.S. degree in periodontics (in 1988) from the University of Michigan. He has served as director of predoctoral studies in periodontics at Michigan since 1994 and has received numerous awards for his innovative and energetic teaching style.

Jody Scanlon, L.C.S.W.

Jody Scanlon is a licensed clinical social worker with two decades of experience working in adolescent health. She is the coordinator for GENESIS, a Boulder County, Colorado, program serving pregnant teens and teen parents.

Bryan Shaw

Bryan Shaw is an environmental scientist with Warren & Panzer Engineering in New York City.

Rosalind Smith, Ph.D., L.P.C.

Rosalind Smith holds a doctorate degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in child and adolescent therapy from the University of Denver. She also holds two master of arts degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Denver and Pepperdine University. She has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and their families in outpatient, residential, inpatient, and academic settings. She currently divides her time between a private practice in Boulder, Colorado, and acting as the clinical director at Flatiron Academy, a day treatment school in Lafayette, Colorado.

Linda G. Snetselaar, Ph.D.

Linda G. Snetselaar, Ph.D., is a professor and chair of Preventive Nutrition Education in the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa. She also serves as the interim department head of the Community and Behavioral Health Department in the College of Public Health. Dr. Snetselaar has led numerous research studies related to nutrition and dietary intervention in women, children, and adolescents. She is currently the principal investigator in a follow-up study of 301 girls who participated in the Diet Intervention Study in Children (DISC) at the University of Iowa and who are now in their early twenties. The study examines the effect of diet intervention to lower fat intake during adolescence on intermediate markers associated with developing breast cancer.

Derek Stanovsky, Ph.D.

Derek Stanovsky is an associate professor of philosophy and religion and interdisciplinary studies at Appalachian State University. He is also director of the Internet studies program, and publishes and teaches regularly on issues related to philosophy and the Internet.

Sue Stevens, M.S.S.E.

Ms. Stevens is a life sciences teacher at Mt. Gilead High School in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. She has been teaching high school for twenty-five years, and during the past fifteen years she has taught biology, advanced biology, and anatomy and physiology. She has a master’s degree in science education from Ohio State University.

Aubrey Stimola, M.P.A.S.

Aubrey Stimola graduated from Bard College where she majored in bioethics—an academic blend of biology and philosophy, two branches of study that she feels are inseparable. She went on to work for a nonprofit public health organization in Manhattan, where she translated technical science and medical information into language comprehensible by a non-medical audience. Her publications were designed to separate medical fact from fiction, the latter of which is abundant in the mainstream media and on the Internet. She performed a similar task for the New York State Department of Health before obtaining a master’s degree in physician assistant sciences from Albany Medical College. Currently, Stimola practices emergency medicine in Saratoga Springs, New York, as a physician assistant. She continues to enjoy writing medical nonfiction for a broad audience of readers.

Jen Sutton, L.P.C., L.A.C.

Ms. Sutton is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed addiction counselor in Colorado. She is a graduate of Regis University in Denver, holding a master’s in counseling psychology and a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has ten years of clinical experience working with chemical dependency in adolescents, adults, and families. Ms. Sutton has provided direct clinical care through Boulder County Public Health Substance Abuse Programs, for over six years. Additionally she provides individual, family, and group counseling to adolescents and their families at Compass House, a community outreach center in Boulder, Colorado. Ms. Sutton has worked in a variety of settings including detox, inpatient and outpatient substance abuse programs, schools, and private practice.

Keith W. Swain, Psy.D., L.P.C., D.A.P.A.

Dr. Swain is a licensed professional counselor with a private practice in Denver and has been a professor of psychology at the University of Colorado at Denver and Front Range College. Dr. Swain completed his master’s in counseling psychology at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then completed his doctorate in clinical psychology at California Coast University in Santa Ana. In addition, he studied sex therapy at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. In 1990, Dr. Swain was named a certified diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association for his outstanding research and work with gay male relationships. Dr. Swain is a trainer for the American Psychological Association’s Project HOPE (HIV Office of Professional Education). In this capacity, Dr. Swain teaches HIV prevention and education to other mental health workers.

Lisa Tamis-Bieder, R.N., B.S.N., O.C.N.

Lisa Tamis-Bieder is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Tamis-Bieder is an oncology certified nurse with thirteen years experience in the hematology/oncology setting. She worked as staff nurse in the Ambulatory Chemotherapy and Transfusion Room (outpatient treatment area) at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York. She also worked per diem in the infusion room at a hematology/oncology private practice in New Hyde Park.

Gregory Tasian, M.D., M.Sc.

Dr. Tasian is a urology resident at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Born in Denver, he grew up in Chicago and Kansas City, and in Texas. He received his undergraduate education at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he graduated summa cum laude with degrees in English literature and biology. He then attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine, where he graduated at the top of his class. Before starting his urology residency training, he earned an M.Sc. in neuroscience at Oxford University. He is interested in bladder neurophysiology and reconstructive urology.

Sarah K. Tasian, M.D.

Dr. Tasian attended the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with a B.S. in biological sciences and a B.A. in psychology. She attended Baylor College of Medicine and spent a year in Bethesda, Maryland, at the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, Pediatric Oncology Branch investigating dendritic cell-based tumor immunotherapy in the lab of Dr. Crystal Mackall. Dr. Tasian subsequently graduated Alpha Omega Alpha from Baylor, completed her pediatrics residency at Seattle Children’s Hospital/University of Washington, and is a board-certified pediatrician. She has cared for children with various medical problems, including substance abuse issues and overdoses. She is currently a pediatric hematology/oncology fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, where she studies acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the lab of Dr. Mignon Loh and cares for children with cancer and blood disorders.

Ruth Thorensen

Ruth Thoreson is a Teacher-Librarian who recently retired after 36 years of working in public schools. She has a passion for learning new things and sharing knowledge with learners of all levels. Currently, she is working with adult English Language Learners at Des Moines Area Community College in Des Moines, Iowa. In this position, she provides resources for teachers and students and works to find solutions to problems that are often unique to this field. The importance of being able to discern quality, useful information is indispensable in our digital world and Thoreson strives to foster those skills wherever she can.

Isabelle Tierney, M.A., L.M.F.T.

Isabelle Tierney is a licensed marriage and family therapist, certified play therapist, and certified Brennan healing science therapist with a private practice in Boulder, Colorado. She is the director of the Body Beloved Center, which offers individual, couples, family, and group support for adolescents and adults who struggle with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image. She is also the director of the Eating Disorder Certificate Program, a two-year program designed to educate therapists in the treatment of eating disorders. Ms. Tierney is the cofounder of the Boulder County Eating Disorders Coalition, a group committed to education, risk reduction, and referral information. She is a therapist at Compass House, working with adolescents on a variety of issues. Ms. Tierney is also the creator and president of the Habit Experts, a company dedicated to creating products and services to help people with painful habits, including those related to eating, substance abuse, relationships, and spending. She is a published writer on health and spiritual issues, has hosted an Internet show on healing, and leads workshops and trainings nationally on eating disorders, disordered eating, health, and spiritual issues. She has master’s degrees in child development and international relations/communications.

Jeffrey Watts, M. Ed.

Jeffrey Watts, M. Ed., teaches middle school physical education and received his master’s in exercise physiology from the University of Virginia.

Neil Winawer, M.D.

Neil Winawer is a Master Clinician and a professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. He graduated from Union College with a B.S. in Chemistry/Mathematics and attended medical school at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn. Dr. Winawer was an inaugural member of the 1998 Hospitalist Group at Grady Memorial Hospital, which was the first public hospitalist program in the nation, and is currently the acting director. He spends five months a year as a supervising attending physician on the medical wards of Grady, and supervises medical residents in Grady’s Medical Clinic. During the other months Dr. Winawer continues to teach in the outpatient setting and serves as the Director of the Telemetry Unit.