Our Team

Coordinated and Collaborative Approach

The CIH team works closely with the Associate Deans for Education and program directors and across the health professions to ensure that our interprofessional education curriculum is strategically integrated through a coordinated and collaborative approach.

CIH Leadership

Center Staff

Core Faculty Team

CIH Executive Committee Members

CIH Senior Affiliate Faculty, 2023-24

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Tamera Alpaugh, PhD, MLS(ASCP)

Tamera Alpaugh

Dr. Alpaugh is a certified medical laboratory scientist with a MS in Management and PhD in Higher Education Leadership, Policy, and Management. Her current role is working as an Assistant Professor with the Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) Program at the University of Minnesota where she teaches and works as the Clinical Education Director. She also works with the free student-run Phillips Neighborhood Clinic (PNC) each year to provide training and support to the laboratory volunteers and coordinator.

Email: [email protected]

Amy Haynes, DPT, PT

Dr. Haynes has been a licensed, practicing physical therapist for the past 10 years. She has a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Minnesota, graduated in 2012. She is currently practicing at TRIA Orthopedic Center and is an adjunct professor at Rasmussen University.

Email: [email protected]

Laura Kirk, RN, BSN, MS, PhD

Laura Kirk

Dr. Kirk joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing in 2014 and is a clinical associate professor. She teaches in both the prelicensure programs within the school of nursing (BSN and Masters of Nursing) and in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Her research interests center on the health and well-being of older adults across care settings. Dr. Kirk serves as a content expert for the Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD) within the National Center Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, and advises on the development of continuing professional development programs.

Email: [email protected]

Fang (Alice) Lei, MSN, MPH, RN

Fang Lei, MSSN, MPH, RN

Alice is an assistant professor at the UMN School of Nursing. Her current area of interest focuses on health disparities in minority populations, specifically the health and health behaviors of minority smokers.

Email: [email protected]

Catherine McCarty, PhD, MPH, HEC-C, RD

Catherine McCarty

Dr. McCarty is the Associate Dean for Research for the Medical School on the Duluth campus. She is a certified healthcare ethicist and teaches medical ethics to first and second year medical students on the Duluth campus. She is a Co-Thread lead for public health for the new Medical School curriculum at the University of Minnesota.

Email: [email protected]

Scott Miller, OTD, MS, OTR/L

Scott Miller, OTD, MS, OTR/L

Scott serves as an Assistant Professor in OTD Program as well as the Assistant Program Director on Rochester Campus. He has been an Occupational Therapist since the early 1980's, with degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Mount Mary University in Wisconsin. His most recent clinical practice experience was at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He has been working in academia for approximately 10 years with the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. His practice skills include adult and older adult physical rehabilitation. His academic teaching skills include OT Foundations, Professional Development, OT Systems of Practice, adult fieldwork experiences, and other practice courses. He is very involved with Interprofessional education throughout my activities at UWM.

Email: [email protected]

Brooke Palmer, PhD, LP

Brooke Palmer

Dr. Palmer is a Clinical Health Psychologist who provides psychological interventions to individuals living with acute and chronic health conditions within inpatient and outpatient settings. She has a particular interest in consultation-liaison psychology and working with healthcare colleagues to support patients admitted to the hospital for a range of health issues. She has worked with interprofessional learners doing Hotspotting work while a psychology trainee and has been engaged in interprofessional education efforts while at the University of Minnesota.

Email: [email protected]

CIH Affiliate Faculty, 2023-24

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Zainab Al Lawati, MD

Zainab Al Lawati, MD

Dr. Al Lawati completed her PM&R Residency at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She completed her Brain Injury Medicine Fellowship at Beaumont Health, Michigan. Most recently, she was a physician with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso, in El Paso, TX. Dr. Al Lawati’s research interests are: cultural competency in medical education, brain injury/ concussion and spina bifida. Her clinical interests include: Brain Injury, spasticity management, concussion and brain injury, amputation and neuromuscular medicine.

Email: [email protected]

Robin Austin, PhD, DNP, DC, RN-BC, FAMIA, FNAP

Robin Austin, PhD, DNP, DC, RN-BC, FAMIA, FNAP

Dr. Austin is an Assistant Professor at the UMN School of Nursing and graduate faculty in the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing. Her research capitalizes on her clinical background as a chiropractor and a nurse and integrates it with informatics methods to examine patients’ biopsychosocial, whole-person needs. Through her research and expertise in consumer and clinical informatics, she seeks to empower individuals to better care for themselves, using technology to advance person-centered care and achieve better health and well-being.

Email: [email protected]

Jennifer Brown, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm

Jennifer Brown, PhD, MLS(ASCP)cm

Dr. Brown is an assistant professor at the UMN Medical Laboratory Sciences Program. She has a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, and Genetics, with 30 years of experience in research and medical laboratories. Dr. Brown’s primary focus is clinical toxicology and chemistry, particularly utilizing mass spectrometry for drug analysis, medication monitoring, and automated chemistry workflows. Special interests include using technology to work more efficiently, health informatics, and promoting the value of the medical laboratory profession.

Email: [email protected]

Terrianne Jones, PhD, OTR/L

Terrianne Jones, PhD, OTR/L

Dr. Jones has been an occupational therapist for 31 years working primarily with older adults in both rehabilitation and home health care. She is an associate professor of Occupational Therapy where she directs the doctoral capstone experience and project. In that role, she mentors students and engages in program development in community settings that serve older adults, including Cassia Open Circle Adult Day Program and the Wilder Foundation Healthy Aging and Caregiving Services.

Email: [email protected]

Rebecca Kamil, Board Certified Chaplin, Ordained Rabbi

Rebecca Kamil

Rebecca is a staff chaplain at M Health Fairview, with a focus in the Intensive Care Units. She is board certified through Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains, and is also an ordained Reform rabbi.

Email: [email protected]

Traci Kruse, OTD, MA, OTR/L

Traci Kruse, OTD, MA, OTR/L

Dr. Kruse is currently the Director of Experiential Learning at the University of Minnesota. She has practiced clinically in home health for more than 14 years, and has additional clinical experience in long-term care and transitional care settings. Dr. Kruse is passionate about aging in place and home safety, along with cognition, memory, and maintaining activities of interest through the lifespan. Her research interests include the role of Occupational Therapy in reducing hospitalizations in the home health setting. She is also passionate about community accessibility which can limit a person’s ability to participate in activities of interest.

Email: [email protected]

Roxanne Larsen, BS, MS, PhD

Roxanne Larsen, BS, MS, PhD

Dr. Larsen is an associate professor in the UMN College of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to her arrival at the UMN, she was faculty at the Duke University School of Medicine. She has taught in health professional programs for over 10 years and has focused on Interprofessional Education and One Health approaches in preclinical courses (e.g., anatomy, physiology). Her research focuses on educational innovations in health professional programs, as well as disease surveillance in mammalian reservoirs.

Email: [email protected]

Phuong (Sophie) Le, PharmD, CPPS, PACS

Phuong (Sophie) Le, PharmD, CPPS, PACS

Dr. Le is a healthcare entrepreneur who founded a startup connecting patients to pharmacists and primary care physicians. She also serves as a preceptor at the Phillips Neighborhood Clinic, collaborating with healthcare professionals and trainees to deliver patient-centered, safe, effective, and efficient care. Driven by her passion for improving healthcare access and quality, she is dedicated to bridging the gap between patients and health care practitioners while mentoring the next generation of health professionals.

Email: [email protected]

Rebecca Lulai, M.A. CCC-SLP

Rebecca Lulai, MA, CCC-SLP

Rebecca is the Director of Clinical Programs in Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. She worked in a variety of clinical practice settings before focusing her work on clinical supervision and education. She is excited to promote interprofessional education and practice for a diverse group of health science learners.

Email: [email protected]

Diane Muenchow, PT, DPT

Diane Muenchow, PT, DPT

Dr. Muenchow has been working as a licensed Physical Therapist since 2008 after graduating from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She worked as a traveling therapist in a variety of settings across the country and currently practices at TRIA Orthopedics in Bloomington. She has a particular interest in Women’s Sports Medicine and Pelvic Health.

Email: [email protected]

Curtis Orchard, PharmD

Curtis Orchard

Dr. Orchard has been working in the community pharmacy setting since 2002. He received his PharmD from Drake University in 2012. His current role is Healthcare Supervisor for Walgreens in Southern Minnesota, where he oversees quality, safety, and patient outcomes.

Email: [email protected]

Chris Ploenzke, PharmD, BCACP

Chris Ploenzke, PharmD, BCACP

Dr. Ploenzke is an Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacy Practitioner practicing at the Chippewa Valley Veterans Affairs outpatient primary care clinic in Chippewa Falls, WI. He graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy in 2014 and then completed an ambulatory care PGY-1 residency through the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. In addition to facilitating the PGY1 resident quality improvement project and MUE learning experiences, he also precepts APPE students from numerous colleges and has completed a IOC certification for Pharmacotherapy and Drugs in Sport. His clinical passions include comprehensive preventative care for metabolic syndrome, endocrinology, and cardiology.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Matthew Reznicek, PhD

Matthew Reznicek, PhD

Dr. Reznicek is Associate Professor of Medical Humanities at the University of Minnesota. By examining the relationship between health, politics, and social forces in literature of the long nineteenth century, his work points to the value of literature in understanding the way that the social determinants of health affect our conception of what it means to be a healthy citizen.

Email: [email protected]

Rachel Root, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FMSHP, FASHP

Rachel Root, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FMSHP, FASHP

Dr. Root is the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program Director and a Pharmacy Coordinator at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. She received her PharmD and MS degrees from the University of Minnesota and completed a PGY1/PGY2 health-system pharmacy administration and leadership residency at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center. She has a passion for teaching and precepts pharmacy residents and students.

Email: [email protected]

Amy Sapola, PharmD, FAIHM, IFMCP

Amy Sapola, PharmD, FAIHM, IFMCP

Dr. Sapola is a Clinical Pharmacist, Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (IFMCP), and Certified Wellness Coach with a BS in Nutrition. She has also completed a fellowship with honors in Integrative Medicine from the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM). As a mother of two young children, avid gardener, passionate cook and long time yogi (RYT-200), Amy has an integrative approach to health and wellness both personally and professionally. Dr. Sapola is the Director of Farmacy at The Chef’s Garden in Huron, Ohio. Farmacy at the Chef’s Garden is about bridging the gap between farming and healthcare. Amy’s goal is for the farmer to become part of the health and wellness team. In her work at the Chef’s Garden, she helps guide consumers toward a more mindful relationship with food by connecting the benefits of healthy soil, to healthy plants, and ultimately, to healthy people.

Email: [email protected]

Ritcha Saxena, MBBS, MD, FCAP

Ritcha Saxena, MBBS, MD, FCAP

Dr. Saxena is a distinguished Academic Pathologist with more than 25 years of teaching experience. Her exceptional teaching skills have earned her numerous awards and the admiration of students and colleagues alike. Dr. Saxena is driven by a passion for pushing the boundaries of medical education. Her active involvement in renowned global pathology and educational societies, continual presence at international conferences, and contributions to the advancement of medical education have solidified her reputation as a trailblazer in the field.

Email: [email protected]

Tamara Statz, MA, LMFT, FT

Tamara Statz, MA, LMFT, FT

Tamara is passionate about creatively collaborating to maintain and improve the lives of older adults and their families. As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, Tamara works with individuals and families who are experiencing grief and loss, chronic and terminal illness, aging, dementia, and caregiving. She is a Fellow in Thanatology with expertise in death, dying, and bereavement. Tamara believes everyone benefits when the systems we live within work together to create environments and experiences where older adults and their families can thrive.

Email: [email protected]

Whitney Waldsmith, DVM, DACVPM

Whitney Waldsmith, DVM, DACVPM

Dr. Waldsmith is a veterinarian with experience in clinical medicine, international development, and education. She is passionate about the ways veterinary medicine can impact health in the developing world and lead to improved socioeconomic status for smallholder farmers globally.

Email: [email protected]

Lindy Yokanovich, JD

Lindy Yokanovich, JD

Lindy is the founder and executive director of Cancer Legal Care, a non-profit organization providing free legal care to Minnesotans affected by cancer who also face any number of legal issues surrounding employment, insurance coverage, disability, housing, and estate planning as a result of their diagnosis and treatment. Compelled to bring Cancer Legal Care to life after witnessing first-hand the many legal questions and difficulties her own loved ones faced after being diagnosed with cancer, Lindy counts her work with Cancer Legal Care as the most profound and gratifying of her legal career.

Email: [email protected]