Speaker Bios for EHC's 2010 Annual Conference
Breaking Down Barriers
Healthy Employees = Healthy Bottom Lines
Joe Leutzinger
President of the Academy for Health and Productivity Management
President of the Academy for Health and Productivity Management - With over 20 years of experience in the field, Dr. Leutzinger has served as Director of Health Promotion at Union Pacific Railroad. He is currently President of the Academy for Health and Productivity Management. Dr. Leutzinger has written over 25 articles/chapters on health improvement and given 200 lectures/presentations at international, national, and regional conferences
Tom Parry
Founder and President of the Integrated Benefits Institute
The Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) provides employers and their supplier partners with resources for establishing the business value of health. As a pioneer, leader and nonprofit supplier of health and productivity research, measurement and benchmarking, IBI is the trusted source for benefits performance analysis, practical solutions, and forums for information and education. IBI's programs, resources and expert networks advance understanding about the link between-and the impact of-health-related productivity on corporate America's bottom line. For almost 15 years, IBI has been in the forefront, leading businesses from concept to reality in integrating health, absence and disability management benefits as an investment in a productive workforce. IBI's independent, cutting-edge approach and innovations consistently provide added value to a prestigious roster of employers, from leading corporations to small companies as well as their benefits management business partners.
M. Robin DiMatteo MD
Distinguished Professor of Psychology - University of California, Riverside
M. Robin DiMatteo received her Ph.D. (1976) in Psychology and Social Relations from Harvard University. Her research focuses on health care delivery –specifically on communication in the medical interaction. Using complex methods of interpersonal interaction analysis, she and her graduate students examine verbal and nonverbal communication in the “micro-social envirownment” of the medical visit. They examine how information is gathered and conveyed between physician and patient, and how trust and commitment to adherence develop. Professor DiMatteo has published numerous meta-analytic studies on the prediction and management of patient adherence to preventive and treatment recommendations, focusing on patients’ beliefs, behavioral constraints, depression, social support, illness severity, and provider-patient communication. She is currently examining the role of patients’ socio-economic vulnerabilities and health literacy in their adherence, and has developed and validated training programs for providers and patients to reduce communication gaps and improve adherence. With colleagues Leslie R. Martin, Ph.D. and Kelly Haskard-Zolnierek, Ph.D., Dr. DiMatteo is author of “Health Behavior Change and Treatment Adherence: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Improving Healthcare” published in 2010 by Oxford University Press.
Michael L. Taylor MD, FACP
Medical Director for Health Promotion - Caterpillar, Inc.
Michael Taylor, MD, FACP, a board certified internist, is currently the Medical Director for health promotion and disease management for Caterpillar Inc., a Fortune 50 company with revenues of $45B in 2007. Caterpillar's wellness program, Healthy Balance®, has 100,000 participants in the US. This comprehensive program includes worksite health coaching, employee health promotion exams, biometric screening, and tobacco cessation and diabetes prevention programs. Dr. Taylor's previous experiences include 15 years in private medical practice and 3 years as Chief Medical Officer of Progressive Health Systems, Inc. Dr. Taylor resides in Peoria, Illinois.
Kathleen Herath RN, BSN CRRN
Associate Vice President - Health and Productivity - Nationwide
Kathleen Herath oversees the Health and Productivity strategy at Nationwide for the company's integrated health and productivity program, which includes: health screenings, wellness programs, disability and disease managewment, health education work life resources and walking programs and occupational health clinics. She has 27 years of professional experience in the healthcare industry. Prior to her current role she served as the implementation manager for the integrated disabiility management program and Director of Associate Health Services at Nationwide. The Health and Productivity program at Nationwide has been awarded more than six awards in the first three years, including the 2009 IBI Innovation Award, the American Heart Association's Fit Friendly Employer award and the 2009 C. Everett Koop Naitonal Health Award.
Jeff Harner
Associate Vice President, Performance and Outcome - Nationwide Better Health
Mr. Harner is the associate vice president of performance and outcomes for Nationwide Better Health. In this role, he’s responsible for the development of analytic services. These activities include analyzing patterns across the spectrum of businesses provided by Nationwide Better Health (medical management, health promotion, disability management, absence management, risk assessment and specialty health). Mr. Harner’s work is focused on helping clients understand the value of the services provided by the company. He has over 25 years of experience in the health care management industry with a concentration in informatics and analytics. Prior to joining Nationwide Better Health, Mr. Harner served for five years as the vice president of clinical informatics at Cigna HealthCare. Mr. Harner holds a B.A. in health service administration from Providence College and a master’s degree in health care management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Richard Jones
Director of Human Resources, City of Fort Smith, AR
Richard Jones is currently the Director of Human Resources for the City of Fort Smith Arkansas a position he has held since September of 2001. His human resources experience began in 1988 with Safeway Store and Harvest Foods in Arkansas. His previous experience includes Senior Human Resources Generalist with the National Governors’ Association in Washington DC and the Assistant Director of Human Resources with Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Richard earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas Little Rock in1988. He also earned a Master of Arts in Human Resources Development from Webster University in 2001. Richard has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources since 2000.
Minnie Lenox
Director of Human Resources, City of Hot Springs, AR
Angee McDaniel
Associate Director, Healthcare Quality and Outcomes, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals
Angee McDaniel, Pharm.D., serves as Associate Director, Healthcare Quality and Outcomes (HQO) at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In this role, Dr. McDaniel is responsible for leading HQO activities in support of both internal and external customers in the South Central Region across BI’s product profile. These activities include communication of the health economic/outcomes/EBM value propositions and facilitation of customer implementation of disease management programs.
Prior to taking this position, Dr. McDaniel worked in the pharmaceutical industry at Pfizer for the past 13 years. At Pfizer, Dr. McDaniel held different positions and most recently served as a Regional Medical and Research Specialist where she was responsible for providing clinical and research support for the Urology/Sexual Medicine product profile. Prior to Pfizer, Dr. McDaniel worked as a Clinical Pharmacist in hospitals and a staff model HMO in the St. Louis, MO area.
r. McDaniel received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She completed a Clinical Pharmacy Residency at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
Catherine Womack MD
Medical Director, IMWell Health
Steve Wetzell
Executive Vice President, Health Care Initiatives - HR Policy Association
Steve Wetzell is Executive Vice President, Health Care Initiatives for the HR Policy Association. The HR Policy Association is coalition of more than 300 chief human resource officers representing many of the nation’s largest employers. Steve is responsible for helping the HR Policy Association develop and implement strategies to promote health care market reforms and programs to address the needs of employers, employees and retirees.
Steve has more than 20 years of experience working with national and regional purchaser and consumer organizations to improve the quality and efficiency of health care. He is a founding member of The Leapfrog Group, The Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project, the Buyers Health Care Action Group (BHCAG) and the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. Mr .Wetzell also served on the Commonwealth Fund’s Commission for a High Performance Health System. He has extensive experience working in human resources for Fortune 500 firms in the areas of compensation, benefits and labor relations.
Mr. Wetzell has served on several Boards of Directors for health care related institutions. He has also worked as a U.S. Senate congressional health care staff member and has provided testimony on numerous occasions before federal and state legislative bodies pertaining the employer’s perspective on health care reform policy issues.
Gary Rost
Executive Director - Savannah Business Group on Health
Gary Rost is the Executive Director of Savannah Business Group on Healthcare Cost Management Inc. and its subsidiaries; SBG Preferred Health Resources and Savannah Health Alliance, located in Savannah, Georgia.
Gary has been with SBG since 1993 and has been Executive Director since 2001. He provides leadership and operational oversight of the Coalition’s value based purchasing accomplishments, including design and implementation of value based benefits, contracting, and community population health activities. Gary serves as a member of numerous national, regional, and local boards, committees, and groups. Prior to joining SBG Gary spent 20 years in the US Army.
Gary and his wife Debra live in Guyton, Georgia and have been married for thirty-six years. They have four children and nine grandchildren.