Mrs. Smith is a Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader, and a Universal Health Care Foundation “Leaders in Action" Fellow whose invited presentations the International Conference on Communication in Health Care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid/CCIIO, American Public Health Association, National Academy for State Health Policy, Yale School of Management, and Enroll America.
Kara Meisinger, MOTIVATE Training & Consulting, is passionate about teaching front line healthcare professionals in the method of Motivational Interviewing to improve health outcomes and quality of life in our communities. She has a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Health Education and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Wellness. Kara is a Master Certified Community Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and has 20 years of experience in the fields of Education and Health Promotion. She is a certified health coach and enjoys sharing her passion for helping others to live healthier.
Jessica Gutierrez, Parent Resource Coordinator, CHW, BS. Jessica is a Bilingual Parent Resource Coordinator from the Munroe-Meyer Institute, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a Community Health Worker. She is a designated CDC “Act Early Program Delegate Trainee." Jessica recently began to focus her career on early childhood, developmental milestones, special health needs and disabilities. “My commitment is to assist families in finding resources, advocate and show them in how to navigate the Educational and Health Care systems. I want to help families to overcome any barriers they might encounter while trying meet the needs of their own family. In my work, I share my knowledge and experience with families who resources in our community. I am delighted to help families overcome any barrier they might encounter when trying to navigate the educational and health care systems in Nebraska."
Dejun Su, PhD. As a demographer and medical sociologist, Dr. Su's research focuses on social and cultural determinants of health, health care utilization, and health disparities. With funding support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Su served as the Director of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center from 2009 to 2012. Right after that Dr. Su began serving as the Director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, his current position.
Drissa M. Toure, MD, PhD, MPH. Dr. Toure has dedicated his career as a researcher to building community-based participatory programs to improve maternal, reproductive, newborn and child health outcomes. With degrees in Medicine (M.D.) and Public Health (Ph.D., M.P.H), he has gained more than 18 years of experience working with maternal and child health populations. Dr. Toure has a deep interest and understanding of the effects of population disparities on healthcare access, health outcomes, and health education.
Teresa Barry Hultquist, PhD, RN, PHCNS-BC. Teresa is an Associate Professor and Director of Evaluation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing and has extensive experience in population health, collaborating with teams across settings, catalyzing change, and guiding evaluation processes. Teresa is passionate about creating an environment where everyone can work together and contribute their skills to improve individual, family, community and population health.
Kerry Kernan is the Division Chief of Community Health, Nutrition and Clinical Services with the Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) in Omaha, NE. Kerry has been with the health department since January of 2016 and has over 21 years of public health experience. Kerry oversees the Women, Infant Children (WIC) Program, clinic operations providing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) and immunization services, Health Promotion which oversees multiple grants and projects centered on improving the health of the community, and the Community Health Needs Assessment along with the development and implementation of the Community Health Improvement Plan. Kerry leads multiple efforts for Douglas County to become an Accountable Health Community including building a Community Health Worker model for Douglas County. Kerry resides in Omaha.
Kathy Karsting, RN, MPH. Kathy is the project lead for CHW Workforce Development in Nebraska's Title V MCH block grant. Kathy is committed to building a culture of health in Nebraska and recognizes that equity means no one is left behind or below. A long time public health nurse, Kathy brings experiences of health systems and workforce development spanning several countries and decades. Kathy is a national Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Public Health Nurse Leader, and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. The ties between CHW and maternal and child health reflect her leadership in Nebraska's federal MCH block grant at Nebraska DHHS in the Division of Public Health. She and her husband have long been active in local affordable housing and food security projects.