Advisory Committee
Welcome to the MHealthy Advisory Committee
MHealthy is a University-wide effort to support the health and well-being of the University community by providing resources designed to help achieve a safer, healthier and more satisfying way of life. The MHealthy mission is to establish the University as a model community of health where people thrive; develop more cost-effective delivery of health care as a model for other institutions; and advance public discussion and encourage social commitment to change by harnessing the intellectual capacity of the University to develop, test, and study efforts to improve the wellness of our employees, dependents, retirees, and students.
The MHealthy Advisory Committee, composed of members from each campus and the Health System, draws on the rich resources of the University to help address the national challenge in health care by developing innovative long-range solutions to improving health at the University and beyond.
The advisory committee has a contributing role in the University's major healthy living initiatives and health care benefit strategies.
Its guidance and support has helped to shape several key areas, including:
- MHealthy's evolution from a three-year initiative to an ongoing program that represents the University's continuing commitment to health and wellness.
- Health care benefit strategies related to cost design, sustainable behavior change, and communication of changes to the University community.
- Value-based insurance design for MHealthy: Focus on Diabetes and MHealthy: Focus on Medicine pilot programs.
- Mental and emotional health initiatives in the workplace and mental health parity.
- Health promotion and disease management through risk reduction.
The advisory committee will continue to focus on ways the University can integrate the promotion of healthy living with the provision of health care coverage and service delivery. The committee plays a vital role in the development of programs that stand to make the greatest difference in improving health and satisfaction and integrate wellness efforts with benefit programs for even greater efforts toward prevention.
The information in this booklet has been assembled to help foster engagement and partnership among the colleagues of the MHealthy Advisory Committee in this shared purpose.
Karen Arthur
Benefits Representative, Human Resources, Flint Campus
karthur@umich.edu
Karen Arthur is the Benefits Representative for Human Resources at the University of Michigan-Flint, where she is responsible for counseling employees regarding their benefits, processing of benefits, resolution of benefit issues, management of the open enrollment process, conducting retirement counseling and survivor counseling, administration of sick leave for faculty and staff, coordination of training for professional development, managing an annual Service Awards event, coordinating a Resource Fair for the new faculty in the fall, and conducting new employee orientations. She has been an employee with the University for 20 years, during all of which she has served in Human Resources. She is a graduate of Mott Community College.
Andrew Barnosky, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine; Chairman, Adult Ethics Committee, University of Michigan Hospitals and
Health Centers
arbmph@med.umich.edu
Dr. Andrew Barnosky is an Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Chairman of the Adult Ethics Committee for the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers. As the chair of the Ethics Committee, Dr. Barnosky serves as the Director of the Bioethics Consultation Service for the Health System, and as the Director of the Medical Center's monthly Bioethics Grand Rounds. Within the Emergency Department, he is the Division Director for Urgent-Care Services. In the Medical School, he is Director of the "Seminars in Medicine" program for third year students. He is a graduate of the A. T. Still University - Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (Missouri), and holds a Master's degree in public health and health policy from the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.
Steven J. Bernstein, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine; Research Scientist, Department of Health Management and Policy,
School of Public Health
sbernste@umich.edu
In addition to his roles as a U-M professor and research scientist, Dr. Bernstein is also Director of the Quality Management Program for UMHS, Director of UMHS' participation in the Physician Group Incentive Program sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and Director of Quality Improvement for the Physician Group Practice Demonstration Project sponsored by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. He is also an attending physician in the Department of Medicine at the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and a Research Scientist at the VA Center for Clinical Practice Management. His research interests include developing programs to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of medical care, which have been recognized by the Michigan Association of Health Plans and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Dr. Bernstein earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester, and his Master's degree in Public Health from UCLA School of Medicine. He currently serves as chair of the MHealthy Scientific Advisory Committee.
Jack E. Billi, M.D.
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Medical School and Associate Vice President, Medical Affairs
jbilli@umich.edu
Dr. Billi is Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Education. He leads the Michigan Quality System, the University of Michigan Health System's unified approach to improve quality, safety, efficiency, appropriateness and service using lean tools and philosophy. Dr. Billi's research and leadership interests are in health services delivery and the use of community consortia for quality improvement. He is active on statewide and regional groups affecting quality of care, pay-for-performance and public reporting. He chairs the Michigan State Medical Society's Committee on Quality, Efficiency and Economics and the Essential Benefit Design Work Group and is a member of MSMS's Board of Directors. Dr. Billi co-chairs the Medical Director Committee for the Michigan Quality Improvement Consortium which develops and disseminates evidence-based practice guidelines used by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and 15 other health plans representing over six million members.
Tammy Bimer
Director of Budget and Administration, School of Kinesiology
tammyc@umich.edu
Tammy Bimer is the Director of Budget and Administration at the School of Kinesiology. She provides administrative oversight for personnel management, policy development and implementation, annual budget and financial controls, information technology, and facilities and research administration. She is a member of the Budget Administrators Group (BAG), a facilitator for the Budget and Resource Academy, and is active on various university committees. Tammy has 19 years of administrative experience at the University of Michigan including positions in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, College of Engineering, Office of Budget & Planning and Financial Operations. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Central Michigan University and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Human Resources from Eastern Michigan University.
Susan G. Blitz, M.D., M.P.H.
Medical Director, Employee Health Service;
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School
sblitz@umich.edu
Dr. Blitz received her M.D. from the University of Michigan (1978) and her M.P.H from the University of Michigan (1991). She currently serves as the Medical Director, Employee Health Services and as an employee health physician at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. Her clinical interests include primary care, occupational safety and environmental health. Her research interests include occupational injuries in health care workers.
Pamela S. H. Bogart, M.A.
Lecturer at the English Language Institute
pbogart@umich.edu
Pamela Bogart is a Lecturer at the English Language Institute (ELI), where she coordinates language and pedagogy courses for graduate student instructors. She also teaches English for Academic Purposes for graduate and undergraduate international students, and ESL teacher training and service-learning courses. She is the ELI's faculty instructional technology coordinator. Her current research interests are in undergraduate development of intercultural communication skills, the teaching of English pronunciation, learning disabilities among ESL learners, and computer-assisted language learning. Prior to joining the University of Michigan in 2000 as a Lecturer in Romance Languages and subsequently the English Language Institute, Pamela was Director of the local non-profit agency Washtenaw Literacy. A graduate of Brown University, Pamela completed her M.A. in French at the University of Michigan, and her M.A. in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Eastern Michigan University.
Carol J. Boyd, Ph.D., M.S.N., F.A.A.N.
Director, Institute for Research on Women and Gender; Deborah J. Oakley Collegiate Professor of Nursing; Professor, Women's
Studies; Research Professor, U-M Substance Abuse Research Center
caroboyd@umich.edu
Carol J. Boyd is the Director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG), the Deborah J. Oakley Collegiate Professor of Nursing, a Professor of Women's Studies and a Research Professor at the Substance Abuse Research Center. She is an internationally recognized scholar in the studies of substance abuse and vulnerable populations. Her earlier research focused on women's abuse of heroin and crack cocaine but her more recent National Institutes of Health funded studies focus on adolescent and young adult populations. Dr. Boyd is a principal investigator on the U-M Student Life Survey, a random sample, web-based survey of U-M students focusing on drug, alcohol and other risky behaviors. She publishes extensively in medical, nursing and interdisciplinary journals, with her most recent work on prescription drug abuse in school-based populations featured in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Pediatrics, and Archives of Adolescent and Pediatric Medicine.
Tom Buchmueller, Ph.D.
Waldo O. Hildebrand Professor of Risk Management and Insurance and Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy, Ross School of Business
tbuch@umich.edu
Tom Buchmueller is a health economist whose main area of research focuses on the economics of health insurance and related public policy issues. His recent work examined the relationship between employer-sponsored insurance and labor market outcomes, interactions between the public sector and private insurance markets and consumer demand for health insurance. Professor Buchmueller received his B.A. in Economics from Carleton College and his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to joining the Ross School of Business faculty, he taught in the business school at the University of California, Irvine. He is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a co-editor of the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy and is on the editorial board of Inquiry, a health policy journal. He served as a member of the University of Michigan Committee on Sustainable Health Benefits (COSHB).
Patricia M. Butler, Ph.D, R.N., C.D.E.
Vice President, U-M Retirees Association
pdbutler@ic.net
Patricia Butler obtained her B.S.N. and M.S. degrees from the U-M School of Nursing and her Ph.D. from the U-M School of Education. She was an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing from 1970-1990; a Coordinator and Diabetes Educator in the Diabetes Outpatient Education Program from 1990-1995 and served in Staff Development, Educational Services for Nursing from 1995-1998. She retired from U-M in 1998 and subsequently assumed positions at Eli Lilly and Matria Healthcare, Inc. She served as a member of the University of Michigan Committee on Sustainable Health Benefits (COSHB). She has coauthored several publications on Patient Empowerment and Patient Empowerment Programs and currently serves as Vice President of the U-M Retirees Association, where she was instrumental in developing the annual Health Day for members.
Richard Clark
Carpenter, Maintenance Department; Vice President, U-M Skilled Trades Union
rclark@umich.edu
Richard Clark, a Carpenter in the Maintenance Department, has worked at the University for nearly 19 years. He serves as Vice President of the U-M Skilled Trades Union, helping to maintain sound relations between the University and its more than 500 trades union members. He previously served as union Treasurer for three years. He is also a member of Carpenters Local 687 in Detroit. Richard is Treasurer of the Masonic Lodge in Chelsea and a member of Shriners International, an international fraternal organization supporting more than 22 hospitals that provide specialty pediatric care to children at no charge. He is active in two Shriners chapters, the Detroit Moslem Shriners and the Jackson Shriners, of which he is past President.
Robert Ernst, M.D.
Medical Director, Health Service Clinic Operations, Division of Student Affairs
Robert Ernst, M.D. is the Medical Director at University Health Service (UHS). He graduated from the University of Notre Dame, received his medical degree from the University of Michigan, and completed Internal Medicine training at the University of Michigan Hospital. Before coming to UHS he spent eight years on the faculty at the Medical School, during which time he served as the Director of the Inpatient General Medicine Services and Associate Director of Graduate Medical Education for the Department of Internal Medicine. His clinical interests include the evaluation and management of both common and complex medical problems, physical fitness, exercise counseling and nutrition. He served as a member of the University of Michigan Committee on Sustainable Health Benefits (COSHB). Currently he serves as a member of the Pharmacy Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).
Jeffery R. Frumkin, Ph.D.
Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Senior Director, Academic Human Resources
jfrumkin@umich.edu
Jeffery Frumkin is the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs and Senior Director for Academic Human Resources. He has been at the University of Michigan since January 1998. Previously, he worked at the University of California, Michigan State University, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and Eastern Michigan University. He earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Higher Education Administration.
Kyle L. Grazier, M.S., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health and Professor of Psychiatry, Medical School
kgrazier@umich.edu
Kyle Grazier is a Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy and the Department of Psychiatry. Her research is on financing health care with special emphasis on benefit design and mental health. She serves on the National Advisory Board for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the NIMH Services Review Committee, as an advisor to the IOM, Pacific Business Group on Health and National Quality Forum. She has served as Chair of the University of Michigan Committee on Health Insurance Premium Redesign (CHIPD) and as Chair of the University of Michigan Committee on Sustainable Health Benefits (COSHB). She is the Editor of the Journal of Healthcare Management, and teaches graduate courses in corporate finance and healthcare payment systems and insurance. She holds graduate degrees in engineering, public health and management sciences from the University of Notre Dame and the University of California at Berkeley.
Kimberly Hickey, M.S.N., R.N., C.S.
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Institute of Gerontology,
University of Michigan Health System; Representative of Michigan Nurses Association
khickey@umich.edu
Kimberly Hickey is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Gerontological Nursing. She has been at the University of Michigan Health System in numerous professional nursing roles since 1980 and in her present position since 1988. Areas of expertise are acute care of the older inpatient with delirium and continuity of care for older adults. Kimberly is certified as a Clinical Specialist in Gerontological Nursing and Primary Care of the Adult. She is active in the Michigan Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Geriatrics Society and other organizations. She has been a member of the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council for 27 years and is in her fourth term as an elected trustee for the Plymouth District Library.
Claudia Kocher, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Finance, School of Management, Dearborn Campus
ckocher@umich.edu
Claudia Kocher is an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration (Finance) from Michigan State University and has been on the faculty at UM-Dearborn since 1993. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Illinois Wesleyan University and a Master of Business Administration from Marquette University. She worked as a registered nurse for eight years in a variety of specialty areas before entering graduate school. Her current teaching and research interests are in corporate finance and finance pedagogy.
Gary Krenz, Ph.D.
Special Counsel to the President, University of Michigan
gdkrenz@umich.edu
Gary Krenz is Special Counsel to the President at the University of Michigan, a position he has held since 1996, serving two permanent and two interim presidents. He acts as a senior advisor to the president and is responsible for a variety of presidential operations and initiatives. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1980 and his Ph.D. from SUNY-Stony Brook in 1987, both in philosophy, and currently teaches in the Department of Philosophy at U-M.
Donald Liamini
Applications Analyst, Department of Anesthesiology; VOICES of the Staff Representative
dliamini@umich.edu
Don Liamini is the VOICES of the Staff representative to the MHealthy Advisory Committee and a member of the VOICES Benefits, Health and Well-Being Network Team. He is an Applications Analyst in the Department of Anesthesiology's Information Technology Group, where he is currently working on automating the department's billing system and building research queries to obtain data on various patient populations. Don earned his bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan's College of Engineering and is currently pursuing an M.B.A at the Ross School of Business.
Etta MacDonagh-Dumler, M.P.A., C.C.P., C.B.P.
Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives, Strategy & Planning, University Human Resources
emdumler@bf.umich.edu
Etta MacDonagh-Dumler is Associate Director for Strategic Initiatives for University HR Strategy & Planning and will assist the advisory committee as staff support. She serves as lead for the new Return-to-Work Program and the integration of the MHealthy and Benefits programs. She also has a lead role in the VOICES of the Staff Program. Etta previously served as a Senior Project Manager in University HR working on projects such as the Committee on Sustainable Health Benefits (COSHB) and the Integrated Disability Management program. Prior to joining the University, she was Director of Compensation and Benefits at Central Michigan University. While at CMU, she served as a founding board member of the Michigan Universities Coalition on Health (MUCH), a university health coalition serving a group of higher education institutions in Michigan dedicated to the quality and cost of health care for their employees throughout Michigan.
Ted Makowiec, M.B.A., C.P.H.Q.
Benefits Strategist, University Human Resources
makowiet@umich.edu
Ted Makowiec has over 16 years of health care experience. Before becoming the Benefits Strategist at U-M, he was the Director of Clinical Performance Management at M-CARE. Prior to that, he was the National Manager of Reimbursement for General Motors. He has also worked for the Oakwood Healthcare System, Medstat and Care Choices HMO. He has a Bachelor of Science from Central Michigan University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Wayne State University. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, The National Association for Healthcare Quality and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality.
LaVaughn Palma-Davis, M.A.
Senior Director of University Health & Well-Being Services
lvp@umich.edu
LaVaughn Palma-Davis is currently the Senior Director for University Health and Well-Being Services at the University of Michigan. In this role, she provides leadership for the implementation of the MHealthy strategic plan, an ambitious collaborative effort to leverage the University's resources to promote the health and well-being of faculty, staff, dependents and retirees and contain health care costs. LaVaughn provides direction to over 80 employees in numerous programs and services including: wellness and risk reduction services (tobacco cessation, nutrition and weight management, alcohol management, physical activity, stress management, etc.), employee assistance programs, occupational health clinical services, ergonomics, and community health promotion outreach. LaVaughn has over 25 years of experience in health promotion and health care administration, having served in a variety of capacities for the UM Health System as well as for Blodgett Memorial Medical Center. She also was the project director for leadership development strategy for the Health System. LaVaughn received her B.S. in Health Education from the University of Dayton and her Master's Degree in Public Health Education from Central Michigan University.
Lori J. Pierce, M.D.
Vice Provost for Academic & Faculty Affairs, Medical School; Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
ljpierce@umich.edu
Dr. Lori Pierce received her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.D. from Duke University. She is currently a Professor with tenure in U-M's Department of Radiation Oncology. She was appointed as Senior Counselor to the Provost for Medical Affairs in 2004 and now also serves as Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs. Her research focuses on the use of radiotherapy in the multi-modality treatment of breast cancer, with emphasis upon contemporary radiotherapy treatment planning techniques and upon the use of radiation in women with breast cancer who harbor a breast cancer susceptibility gene. Dr. Pierce is on multiple editorial boards, breast cancer committees and study sections, and is an invited speaker at national and international symposia. Honors awarded to Dr. Pierce have included travel grants from the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and the European Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology Teaching Award.
Joanne Pohl, Ph.D., M.S.N
Professor of Nursing and Associate Dean, Community Partnerships, School of Nursing
jpohl@umich.edu
Joanne Pohl, Associate Dean for Community Partnerships, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1992. She received her M.S.N from Wayne State University (1979), and her B.S. from Southern Connecticut State College (1969). She is currently the Principal Investigator on the W.K. Kellogg Foundation funded project National Network for Nurse Managed Health Centers and serves as President of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Her research interests include nurse managed centers, smoking cessation and primary care of the homeless.
David Potter, D.Phil.
Arthur Thurnau Professor of Greek and Latin, Department of Classical Studies, LS&A
dsp@umich.edu
Professor David Potter received his A.B. from Harvard and his D.Phil. in ancient history from Oxford University. He is active in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is the former Chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs. His research interests include the history of historical writing, religion, sport, and warfare in the ancient world. Professor Potter's most recent major publications include The Roman Empire at Bay (2004), A Companion to the Roman Empire (2006), and Emperors of Rome (2007) and his most recent book is Ancient Rome: a new history (2009). His current projects include a pair of books on two crucial aspects of the ancient world: sport and war. He has appeared in several programs for the History Channel and contributed a weekly column on ancient and modern sport to the Chicago Tribune Redeye from 2004 to 2007.
Darlene Ray-Johnson
Director, Graduate Student Affairs, Rackham School of Graduate Studies
rayj@umich.edu
Darlene Ray-Johnson is Director of Graduate Student Affairs for Rackham School of Graduate Studies, managing administrative and operational activities and leading the development of goals and initiatives designed to enhance the graduate student experience. Her U-M career spans more than 20 years, in which time she has also served as Assistant Director of Residence Education and Director of Special Programs for University Housing. Darlene is involved with a number of committees, including the Domestic Violence Initiative, Child Care Initiative, Student Health Insurance Committee and the Academic Services Board. Her professional affiliations include the Commission on Graduate and Professional Student Affairs and the Association of College Personnel Administrators. She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University and her Master's degree from Western Michigan University, College Student Counseling/Personnel Administration.
Ellen H. Rowe
Associate Professor of Jazz Piano, School of Music, Theatre & Dance; Chair of the Department of Jazz and Contemporary
Improvisation, School of Music, Theatre & Dance; Director of the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble
elrowe@umich.edu
Ellen Rowe performs at jazz clubs, festivals and concert series throughout the U.S. and has toured in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Ireland, Poland and Australia. In addition to her work as leader of her own trio and quartet, for which she garnered first place in the Hartford CT Advocate Readers' Poll for Best Acoustic Jazz, she has been in demand as a sideman, performing with a variety of artists including Kenny Wheeler, Ingrid Jensen, John Clayton, Tom Harrell and Jiggs Whigham. In keeping with the eclectic nature of her earliest musical influences, Ellen has also continued to perform classically, recently performing the Stravinsky Piano Concerto with the U-M Wind Ensemble. Additionally, her compositions and arrangements have been performed and recorded by jazz ensembles and orchestras around the world. She is Associate Professor of Jazz Piano, Director of the U-M Jazz Ensemble, and Chair of the Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation.
Kenneth R. Silk, M.D.
Professor and Director, Personality Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry
ksilk@umich.edu
Kenneth Silk attended Brandeis University and went to medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After completing a residency in Psychiatry at Yale, he came to Ann Arbor where he is currently Professor of Psychiatry. Dr. Silk is a consulting psychiatrist at University Health Service where he works 1 1/2 days a week. Dr. Silk was an Associate Chair in the Department of Psychiatry for ten years. He was Chair of the Health System's Faculty Group Practice Board for two years while serving as a board member for eight years. Dr. Silk teaches residents and medical students in Psychiatry. He also sees outpatients in the Department of Psychiatry clinics. He is a member of the University of Michigan Depression Center. Currently he serves as a member of the Medical Benefits Advisory Committee (MBAC).
Samuel M. Silver, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Medical Director, Cancer Center Network
msilver@umich.edu
Samuel Silver is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, and Medical Director for both the Cancer Center Network and the Medical Management Center. He also serves as Assistant Medical Director for the Faculty Group Practice at the Medical Center. He earned his M.D. at Cornell University Medical College (1979) and his Ph.D. in Virology at Rockefeller University. His clinical interests include malignant hematology, bleeding disorders and platelet disorders, and his research interests include malignant hematology and quality of oncology care. Dr. Silver is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Heart Association. Currently he serves as a member of the Medical Benefits Advisory Committee (MBAC).
Jasprit Singh, Ph.D.
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering
singh@umich.edu
Jasprit Singh is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, working in the area of optical and electronic properties of semiconductors and their heterostructures. He earned his Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from the University of Chicago and wrote his thesis on the electronic properties of disordered semiconductors. He spent the next three years at the University of Southern California as a Post Doctoral Fellow, working on developing an understanding of crystal growth by molecular beam epitaxy and continuing his work on the effect of disorder on localization of electronic states. In 1983, he joined Wright-Patterson Air Force Laboratories, where he examined the influence of interfaces on optical effects. He joined the University of Michigan in 1985. Professor Singh has published over 300 papers and 10 textbooks and has graduated 18 Ph.D. students. In addition to his work on science and technology, Professor Singh has deep interest in the use of yoga to enhance personal and social well being. He is the founder of RussaYog style of yoga done with ropes.
Dean G. Smith, Ph.D.
Professor of Health Management and Policy and
Senior Associate Dean for Administration, School of Public Health
deans@umich.edu
Prior to joining the faculty in 1985, Professor Smith was with a management consulting firm, where he was responsible for health care clients. He is committed to a line of research that helps to provide a better understanding of the financial aspects of working with and working in health care delivery and financing organizations. He serves as consultant to numerous health services, health financing and pharmaceutical firms. In July 2005, he became Senior Associate Dean for Administration at the School of Public Health. He is also Director of the Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID) and chairs the University's Pharmacy Benefit Oversight Committee. He is also a member of the Medical Benefits Advisory Committee and MHealthy Scientific Advisory Committee. He serves as the Chair of the MHealthy Advisory Committee (MH-AC).
Stephen J. Stefanac, D.D.S., M.S.
Associate Dean for Patient Services, School of Dentistry
stefanac@umich.edu
Dr. Steve Stefanac serves as the Associate Dean for Patient Services in the School of Dentistry, having come to Michigan in 2004 from the University of Iowa. He is responsible for the management of a number of clinic systems including infection control, quality assurance, supplies and equipment maintenance and procurement, physical and electronic patient records, and the emergency and faculty practice clinics. Dr. Stefanac's educational interests include teaching students how to plan treatment for their patients, and he is the author of a textbook on the subject. Dr. Stefanac is also responsible for the School of Dentistry's Outreach program which sends dental students to 11 clinics throughout Michigan for seven weeks during their last year of dental school.
James G. Stevenson, Pharm.D.
Pharmacy Director, UMH Pharmacy Administration; Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences and Professor of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy
jimsteve@umich.edu
James G. Stevenson, Pharm.D., Associate Dean for Clinical Sciences and Professor of Pharmacy at the College of Pharmacy, and Director of Pharmacy Services at U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, is the Medication Safety Editor of the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, the leading journal in its field. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. His research interests are pharmacy practice management, pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. He serves as a member of the Pharmacy Benefit Advisory Committee and as a member of the Pharmacy Benefit Oversight Committee.
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Laurita Thomas
Associate Vice President, University Human Resources
laurita@umich.edu
Laurita Thomas is the Associate Vice President for Human Resources at the University of Michigan. She gained a deep understanding of human resources as the former Administrator of Human Resources and Director of Allied Health Education in the Health System. Her human resources career spans roles in the financial industry, higher education and healthcare. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan in political science and economics. Her graduate work is in guidance and counseling and business administration. Her leadership roles have included officer positions in the University Health System Consortium's Human Resources Officers Council, Medical Center Employee Relations Association, the Society for Human Resources Management, the Human Resources Planning Society, American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and in many community service organizations.
Marianne Udow-Phillips
Director, Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation
mudow@umich.edu
Marianne Udow-Phillips is director of the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, a non-profit partnership of the UMHS and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan designed to promote evidence-based care delivery, improve population health, and expand access to care. From 2004 through 2007, Marianne was director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, appointed by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President of Health Care Products and Provider Services at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Marianne has served on numerous boards and commissions and is currently on the boards of the United Automobile Workers' Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA), the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, the Highscope Foundation, the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority, the U-M School of Public Health Dean's Advisory Committee, and Freedom from Hunger. She received a Master's degree in Health Services Administration from the U-M School of Public Health.
Robert Winfield, M.D.
Chief Health Officer and Director, University Health Service
rwinf@umich.edu
Dr. Winfield is the director of the University Health Service (UHS) and the Chief Health Officer for the University. He has been a leader in the development of University policy on a variety of health-related concerns. From 2001 to 2003, he headed the University's Mental Health Work Group, which created recommendations for far-reaching changes to improve mental health support for students. He currently chairs the Integrated Disability Advisory and Coordination Committees. He co-chairs the All Hazards Planning Group that is focused on preparations for a possible influenza pandemic and other hazards. In this capacity, he works closely with many units of the University, the Health System and the Washtenaw County Health Department. He is also co-chair of the Student Health and Wellness Subcommittee and co-chair of the Smoke Free University Initiative for all three campuses. He is a member of the Medical Benefits Advisory Committee (MBAC). He also serves as one of the leaders of the MHealthy program charged to improve the health, well-being and productivity of the University faculty and staff. He is the co-chair of the MHealthy Advisory Committee (MH-AC).
Philip Zazove, M.D.
Professor, Department of Family Medicine; Chair of the Medical Benefits Advisory Committee
pzaz@umich.edu
Philip Zazove received his Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and his M.D. from Washington University. He has been a faculty member in Family Medicine at U-M for the past 19 years, involved in clinical, educational, research and administrative activities. He has served as principal investigator on several grants in his areas of expertise, health services for people with hearing loss and primary care genetics, and has published over 30 peer reviewed articles as well as chapters, books, and non-peer reviewed articles. Dr. Zazove is currently Chair of the Medical Benefits Advisory Committee and serves as a member of the Pharmacy Benefit Advisory Committee and the MHealthy Scientific Advisory Committee. He is active as a board member of numerous community and national organizations, including SafeHouse Center, Governor's Advisory Board on Screening for Newborn Hearing Loss, Center for Independent Living and the Louise Tumarkin Zazove Foundation.