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Topic: Public Health

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.

Katrina Little

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Katrina Little, M.S.N., is a lecturer in the Department of Nursing at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her areas of focus are on education and health promotion amongst child-bearing and breastfeeding women in minority populations.

Little has 14 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse specializing in inpatient obstetrics caring and sharing in the low to high-risk birth experiences across the states of Texas, California and Colorado. She has over eight years of experience teaching as an affiliate faculty and full-time faculty. Little taught at University of Colorado School of Nursing and College America before joining MSU Denver in 2013. She transitioned to a full-time faculty in 2017. Little has held a variety of leadership roles in the community and professionally. Little is a member of the Women’s Health and Neonatal Leadership team and diversity chairman on St. Elizabeth’s Denver Episcopal Day School Parent Association Board.

Little received her master of science in nursing with a specialty in nursing education from Kaplan University in 2013 and a bachelor of science in nursing from Texas Christian University in 2003. She is a registered nurse in Colorado and California.

Hollie Hendrikson

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Hollie Hendrikson, M.A., is an affiliate professor in the Department of Political Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Hendrikson has over 12 years of experience working with government agencies, legislatures, advocacy organizations, academic institutions and research think tanks to develop data-driven policies for municipalities, states and organizations. She has worked with several communities to develop data-driven strategic plans that create opportunities for affordable housing. In addition, she ran a small consulting firm that specialized in social policy research and strategic planning, qualitative and quantitative research projects and developed policy options for governments. In this role, she also worked with clients to successfully complete and submit HUD Consolidated Plans and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.

Her other previous experience includes working at the National Conference of State Legislatures where she led the organization’s public health policy work. During her tenure at NCSL, she provided technical assistance to legislatures in all 50 states, facilitated policy planning conversations with several groups of public health policy stakeholders as well as wrote over 30 magazine articles, journal articles and policy white papers.

Hendrikson received her master’s in social policy and development form from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2009, where she earned the top classification for her research on migrant women’s access to services in the United States. In addition, she holds a bachelor’s in political science from the University of Colorado.

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.

Sheryl Zajdowicz

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