| 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM |
Shelby Huffaker
Jennifer Pelster
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Optimizing HIV Service Delivery: A Systems Approach |
- Shelby Huffaker, University of California, San Diego
- Jennifer Pelster, Western Plains Health
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- Shelby Huffaker, MPH is a research coordinator and SAIA coach at the University of California, San Diego. Her work focuses primarily on understanding and promoting the health of people who use drugs through implementation science and qualitative research methods.
- Jenn Pelster is a Registered Nurse at Western Plains Public Health in Mandan, ND. She has been with WPPH for 12 years and is currently the 'Disease Prevention Program Supervisor'. She earned her BSN from the University of Mary and her MSN from Western Governor's University. She started her nursing career 17 years ago, working for the ND Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the ND State Penitentiary and the Youth Correctional Center. She has also worked with many county jails in central ND. This experience helped Jenn realize her nursing passions of harm reduction and infectious disease. She helped advocate for the legalization of Syringe Service Programs in ND, which passed ND legislation in 2017. She helped start the first legalized Syringe Service Program in ND, the Mandan Good Neighbor Project, which opened in January 2018. |
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Shawnda Schroeder
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Provider and Community-based Recommendations to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening and Prevention in North Dakota |
- Shawnda Schroeder, University of North Dakota
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Dr. Shawnda Schroeder is a non-Indigenous aspiring ally and Assistant Professor in the Department of Indigenous Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences. She teaches and mentors doctoral students in qualitative and mixed methods, and public health program evaluation. Federally funded, her research focuses on promoting health equity in North Dakota and across the U.S., applying the same principles she teaches.
She serves on the UND SMHS Research Committee, is a Grand Challenge Champion for Rural Health and Communities, and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Rural Health. Before joining her current role in 2021, she was Associate Director for Research and Evaluation at UND’s Center for Rural Health, where she led rural health research, program evaluations, and secured over two dozen grants.
Her research interests include health equity, Tribal and community-based participatory methods, oral and behavioral health equity, and social-ecological approaches that consider systemic influences like racism, poverty, and policy.
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| Coming soon. |
Avian Influenza |
- Levi Schlosser, North Dakota Health & Human Services
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| Levi Schlosser is an epidemiologist with North Dakota Health and Human Services, overseeing their respiratory disease and syndromic surveillance programs. He received his MPH from North Dakota State University in 2019. |
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Jenny Fuller
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The Application of Universal Prevention Throughout the Behavioral Health Spectrum |
- Jenny Fuller, Youth Connections
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A Montana native, born in the shadow of the Mission Mountains and raised in the Flathead Valley, Jenny thought to follow a career of agricultural education and research. When life took her to Bozeman for college she stayed in those mountains for nearly twelve years before finding her way to the prairies of Eastern Montana.
She has worked in justice and prevention for 10 years now and shares her passion for adventure with her partner, Bruce and daughters, Katey and Britany. Jenny enjoys exploring new places, cooking, playing with her golden retriever and laughing with her family and looks forward to summertime fun on Fort Peck Lake. During her time in prevention, Jenny has enjoyed collaborating with community partners and seeing the dedication and commitment to prevention that she feels, reflected back by those amazing souls she works with. |
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Tony Burke
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Building HOT Relationships |
- Tony Burke, American Heart Association
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| Tony is an inspirational senior executive with over 25 years of facilitative leadership experience, who is a proactive, collaborative, community-focused visionary bridge walker with expertise in organizational and community change management. As a Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP), he leads with the values of accountability and kindness by leaning into his certified strengths of strategic, belief, achiever, responsibility, and connectedness. After serving almost 20 years in the fire service, including a 4-year appointment in Washington DC with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Burn Foundation leading over 300,000 members in the field of burn prevention, advocacy, and survivor support, he committed himself to non-profit work, and service to the community, through his strong desire and understanding change is good. After spending time in the disaster response and recovery sectors, (Public and Private) a complex health care startup, the food bank industry, he joined the American Heart Association in April 2022 with the focus to increase heart and brain health, and health equity, through collective community change efforts and trusted relationship building. He serves as Government Relations Director serving South & North Dakota and in September 2024 was promoted to Government Relations, Regional Team Lead which includes oversight for Nebraska. |
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Michael Lee
Rhonda Amundson
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One Plate, Two Agencies – Partnering to Promote Food Safety and Nutrition in Schools |
- Michael Lee, North Dakota Health & Human Services
- Rhonda Amundson, North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
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- Michael Lee is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science. He has worked for the Department of Health and Human Services for almost 20 years. Currently, Mike is the field staff supervisor for the Food and Lodging Unit, as well as the State FDA Standardization and Training Officer. He is a registered environmental health specialist/registered sanitarian and certified professional in food safety. Mike enjoys spending time with his family and friends, golfing, and is training to run a marathon with his wife in Washington State this upcoming July.
- Rhonda Amundson is the School Nutrition Program Manager at the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, Child Nutrition and Food Distribution division. She has served in this role since 2018, following her work as a Food Service Director for a school district serving 2,000 students across four schools. With a strong passion for child nutrition, Rhonda is dedicated to training and supporting school nutrition professionals to succeed in the complex federal school meals programs.
Rhonda holds a Bachelor of Science degree from North Dakota State University and previously worked as an Extension Educator with the University of Minnesota. She is also ServSafe certified and earned the School Nutrition Specialist (SNS) credential. She brings a wealth of experience in program administration and hands-on food service operations. |