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Department: Health Professions

Michelle Tollefson

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Michelle Tollefson is a physician and associate professor in the Health Professions Department at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She teaches in the Integrative Therapies program and is the current secretary of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Tollefson worked as a private practice obstetrician and gynecologist, until leaving to work with Poudre Valley Health System as a medical director and director of Women’s Wellness Education. She is a certified wellcoach, guest faculty for Harvard and author of online continuing medical education for the Harvard Institute of Lifestyle Medicine. She is passionate about women’s healthcare, lifestyle medicine and teaching people to lead healthier and happier lives.

Tollefson is a graduate of Creighton University, where she received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine degrees. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and received her board certification in this medical specialty.

Erin Seedorf

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Erin Seedorf, Dr.P.H., is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her areas of expertise include public health, population health, public health policy, local public health and community engagement/advocacy.

Seedorf joined MSU Denver in fall 2010 as an affiliate faculty and now serves as a full-time faculty. Previously, she served as program manager at the University of Colorado Denver in the Center for Public Health Practice. At UCD, Seedorf managed a technical assistance program providing support to communities around the state working on tobacco control policy initiatives. She also served as an evaluation specialist with the Community Program Evaluation Group at UCD. Her research topics include public health policy and community-based interventions.

Seedorf received her doctor of public health in community and behavioral health from Colorado School of Public Health in 2017.

Nancy Sayre

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Nancy Sayre teaches Health Economics, Healthcare Strategic Planning and Entrepreneurship in Healthcare.

She has taught at Metropolitan State University of Denver since 2007.

Sayre’s entire career has been in the health care industry. Most recently, she worked as senior vice president for an international company developing medical databases where she was in charge of strategic planning, marketing and new product development. Sayre started her career as a billing clerk and an admitting officer in a hospital to fund her college tuition. She also has worked as a consultant for start-up health care companies, a medical editor and a physician’s assistant.

Steven Rissman

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Steve Rissman, N.D., is a professor a faculty member in the Integrative Health Program in the Department of Health Professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His focus areas center around the health of men and boys and he has developed one of the first men’s health care academic programs in the nation.

Rissman teaches classes related to men’s health including: Men Across Cultures, Anger in Men, Men and Addictions as well as Father’s and Fathering. In addition, Rissman is also the lead instructor for a clinical pathophysiology class, which he has taught for more than 15 years.

Rissman has studied, taught and worked in the fields of men’s health for over 20 years. He has committed his naturopathic medical practice to improving the lives of men and boys by working with those suffering with anxiety, compulsive behavior, anger issues, lack of motivation or direction, chronic pain and any physical health issues. Rissman also has a private practice at his farm office, north of Denver, working with men and boys.

Having grown up on a farm and spending a great deal of time in the outdoors, Rissman has a deeply rooted curiosity for the laws of nature, particularly the science of disease process. As a result, he has an ability to illicit the story of one’s unique disease process and to perceive what needs to be cured in each individual man or boy using homeopathy, botanical medicines, therapeutic nutrition and other insightful methods intended to help lead men on the journey through the abyss of illness. He has also published several articles including “Health Effects of Anger in Men” and “Getting Behind the Mask: Improving Quality of Care for Male Patients.”

Rissman received his doctor of naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in 1996.

Brandi Moore

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Brandi Moore, Ph.D., is a lecturer and naturopathic physician in the Department of Health Professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She teaches Dynamics of Health HON, Medical Terminology and Clinical Pathophysiology. In addition, she is the owner of Reclaim Integrative Health in Denver and the host of “The Pretty Healthy Podcast,” where she tackles trending topics in health and wellness from a balanced perspective.

Her interest in medicine started once she began her formal education in Naturopathic Medicine and began making changes in her own life after seeing significant improvements to her health. This fueled her desire to help and educate those around her in the healing power of nature. Moore understands first-hand how hard it is to make health a priority in people’s lives and helps women prepare their bodies for pregnancy, increase energy levels, lose weight, eat healthier and maintain a balanced mood.

Moore received her Ph.D., from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2016 and completed a two-year residency in general medicine and naturopathic oncology in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She received her bachelor’s in public relations from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2010.

Christopher Looby

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Christopher Looby, M.B.A, is an affiliate professor in the Department of Health Professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver where he teaches organizational management. His professional consulting focuses on software and analytical tools for the health care industry including strategic planning.

Looby serves as vice president of products and business development at Agile Healthcare. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a seminar leader for the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Looby’s expertise is in business unit development, change management, quality performance improvement, client development and management of referral-based sales.

Looby received his master’s in business administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in 1994 and his bachelor’s in political science/economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1979.

Carol Jensen

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Ricardo Gonzalez-Fisher

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Ricardo Gonzalez-Fisher, MD, MPH, FACS, is a lecutuer in the Department of Health Professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He is a surgical oncologist with experience in teaching medical students, interns, residents, nurses and other specialists. He also served as the program director of the Mexican Consulate’s Ventanilla de Salud where he organized workshops, referrals, immunizations and worked to increase underserved patient access to care by providing communities with a mobile health unit.

Gonzalez-Fisher has organized and led several patient centered support groups, ethics committees and clinical research trials. Additionally, he worked as a CMO of a private state of the art hospital and as a public health professional. He has worked in the non-profit sector promoting health literacy and health programs for underserved Hispanics in Colorado. His teaching interests are in the areas of bioethics, pathophysiology, physiology of aging and medicine history.

Amy Dore

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Amy Dore, Ph.D., is a professor of health care management at Metropolitan State University of Denver teaching both undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Health Professions. For more than 18 years Dore has taught courses in health disparities, human resources, practice management, research and leadership. Her expertise includes long term care/aging services, health disparities and workforce development.

Dore’s research interests are varied and include aging services, senior and caregiver health, rural health and diversity issues as well as student competency assessment and outcomes. During her academic career Dore authored and co-authored several case study responses, book chapters and original case studies. She is co-author of the textbook Cultural Learning in Healthcare: Recognizing and Navigating Difference.

Dore received her Doctor of Health Administration from Central Michigan University in 2009 and received her master’s degree in health care administration/management from the University of Denver in 2001. She received her bachelor’s in health care administration/management from the Metropolitan State University in 1996.

Kelsey Asplin

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Kelsey Asplin, is a naturopathic doctor and affiliate professor in the Integrative Health Care Program at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

She operates a naturopathic private practice called Determinant Health Naturopathic Medicine. Before obtaining her doctorate, Asplin worked as a licensed massage practitioner. She also serves as a board member for the Colorado Association of Naturopathic Doctors, a member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and a certified member of the Kinesio Taping Association International. Asplin received the Best of the Best 2017 award in Highlands Ranch for Holistic/Naturopathic Medicine and the Most Instrumental Woman in Naturopathic Medicine 2017 – West USA award at the Women in Health Awards 2017.

Asplin has published several articles in the Natural Medicine Journal titled “Gut Bacteria, Sleep and Brain Health” and “High-Protein Breakfasts Especially Important for Adolescents.” She also periodically reviews research for the journal.

Asplin received her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington and a bachelor’s in integrative therapeutic practices from MSU Denver. She is a certified Kinesio taping practitioner.