Speaker Directory

Benjamin Anderson, MBA, MHCDS
Vice President of Rural Health Hospitals, Colorado Hospital Association

Cultivating the Soil for People to Grow: The Future of the Health Care Workforce 

Friday, 8:00 a.m.

Benjamin Anderson is the Vice President of Rural Health and Hospitals for Colorado Hospital Association. He provides leadership and direction in the development and execution of the Association’s rural strategies, advocates on behalf of rural hospitals and health systems and works to develop strategic partnerships with organizations that affect the health of rural Coloradans. Benjamin has 20 years of experience in health care and non-profit administration, and is a nationally-recognized leader in health equity and transforming rural health care through an innovative approach to attracting physicians to diverse, underserved areas with a generous paid time off package to be used for international volunteer work. He is co-author of the nationally-released playbook: “Reimagining Leadership: A Pathway for Rural Health to Thrive in a COVID-19 World.” Prior to joining CHA, he spent six years serving as the CEO of Kearny County Hospital in Lakin, Kan. Benjamin earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and an MBA from Drury University as well as a Master’s of Health Care Delivery Science from Dartmouth College.

Sheryl Beard, MD, FAAFP
CMO, Ascension Via Christi Hospitals

Lipid Update

Friday, 10:15 a.m.

Sheryl Beard graduated with her MD from the University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita in1999. She then entered residency at the University Of Kansas School Of Medicine Wichita Family Medicine Residency at Via Christi and graduated from that program in 2002. After Residency training she joined the United States Air Force where she was stationed at McConnell AFB, Kansas. After the Air Force she spent a short time in private practice prior to entering her academic career at Ascension Via Christi where she was a faculty member for 11 years.

In 2019 she started work in a private practice for Ascension Medical Group, providing primary care services to Spirit Aerosystems employees and their beneficiaries. Since 2021, she has been serving as the Chief Medical Officer for Ascension Via Christi Hospitals.

Jen Brull, MD, FAAFP
Director, American Academy of Family Physicians

AAFP Update

Thursday, 10:15

Dr. Jen Brull is a family medicine physician, who lives in Plainville, Kansas. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed family medicine residency training in Topeka, Kansas. She practiced rural full-scope family medicine for 22 years before transitioning full time to Aledade’s Vice President of Clinical Engagement. She served two years (2013-2014) as a HIT Fellow for the Office of the National Coordinator and was recognized as a Hypertension Control Challenge Champion by the CDC in 2014. She was named a Top 25 Innovator by Modern Healthcare in 2019 and is a physician leader in performance improvement and change management. Special interests include integrating the promotion of healthy behaviors into the office visit and the use of social media in medicine.

Stacy Dashiell, MD, FAAFP

Physician Wellness

Friday, 3:15 p.m.

Stacy Dashiell, MD FAAFP practices full-scope rural family medicine in central Kansas. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Medicine and the Research Family Medicine Residency Program where she served as Chief Resident. In 2020, Dr. Dashiell was named the KAFP Family Physician of the Year. In 2018, she was the Community Volunteer Faculty of the Year for the Department of Family Medicine, KU School of Medicine, Wichita. She is currently an AAFP Leading Physician Well-being 2022 Scholar. Dr. Dashiell founded and leads the Employee Wellness Committee at Rice Community Healthcare and is passionate about improving healthcare workers’ well-being through individual education and organizational change. Her other loves include her husband, Christian, their four children (ages 5-16), and the family rescue dog, Chloe.

Deb Doubek, MD
President, Kansas Academy of Family Physicians

ACAD Update

Thursday, 9 a.m.

Dr. Debra Doubek is a native of Belleville, Kansas. She moved to Manhattan following her graduation from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Following graduation from KU, Dr. Doubek completed her internship and family practice residency also at the University of Kansas in Kansas City. Dr. Doubek moved to Manhattan and started practice in 1992.

Dr. Doubek is a middle-aged athlete, she exercises outdoors every day. You will see her bicycling or running through town very early in the mornings around 5-5:30. She frequently rides her bicycle to Wamego and back on weekends. She has run 2 marathons and 4 triathlons. Dr. Doubek once rode her bicycle 100 miles in 1 day in 100-degree weather in Wichita Falls, TX.

She loves to garden and cook. If you see flowers around the office, many times they come from her gardens. Dr. Doubek has used her flowers for weddings and showers of Stonecreek employees. Her mother was a home Economics teacher, Dr. Doubek’s specialty is pies. Several years back, her lattice top fresh peach pie won a purple ribbon in the open class at the Riley County Fair. Dr. Doubek’s pie pan was returned empty from the judges.

Dr. Doubek loves to volunteer. She was a founding physician of the Flint Hills Community clinic, a free clinic for Riley County citizens who have no health insurance. She is a volunteer speaker for many organizations in Manhattan.

She has been married for 34 years to Tom Phillips. Tom was the Mayor of Manhattan in 2007-2008 and is currently the 67th District Legislator of the House of Representatives in Topeka. Dr. Doubek and Tom have two boys, Nathan, and Neil. Nathan is a Healthcare Executive who lives in Denver, Colorado. Neil is a 4th-year medical student at KU Medical Center in Kansas City.

When she retires, many years from now, her ultimate dreams are to practice medicine for a couple of years in Europe. Dr. Doubek would also love to practice at The Hague in the Netherlands, around Padua or Verona Italy, or in Australia or New Zealand. Another dream is to run a horse and dog rescue program.

Chad Johanning, MD, FAAFP
Family Physician, Lawrence Family Practice Center

Legislative  Update

Thursday, 9:15 a.m.

Chad Johanning, MD, FAAFP of Lawrence, Kan., was the 72nd president of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians (KAFP). Johanning received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Kansas City, Kan. in 2004. Following medical school, Johanning completed his residency at the Ascension Via Christi Family Medicine Residency program in Wichita, Kan.  

After completing his residency training in 2007, he moved to his hometown of Atchison, Kan. where he practiced as a family physician for seven years. He was the founding board member of the Atchison Community Health Clinic (2008-2015). In 2014, Johanning moved to Lawrence, Kan. where he has practiced as a family physician at Lawrence Family Practice Center since 2014. He is also an Aledade-Kansas ACO member.

Johanning is a Kansas board-certified family physician, certified in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO). He has earned the Degree of Fellow from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).  Fellows of the AAFP are recognized as champions of family medicine. His professional interests include adult and pediatric care; wellness and immunizations; obstetrics; and endoscopy. 

Johanning is a University of Kansas School of Medicine volunteer preceptor, welcoming medical students into his practice to learn about family medicine. He serves as a Certified Nurse Midwife Council member for the Kansas Board of Healing Arts and is the former Department of Family Medicine chair for Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kan. 

Johanning has been an active member of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians (KAFP) since 2000, serving on the board of directors since 2003 – serving in nearly every capacity from student representative, district director, Governmental Advocacy Committee chair, secretary, vice president, president-elect and currently as the 2020-21 president. In addition to being a member of the KAFP and America Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), he is also an active member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, American Medical Association, and Kansas Medical Society.

Johanning enjoys athletics and spending time with his wife Meredith and their two children, Luke and Evan.

Brandon Litzner, MD
Dermatologist and Dermatopathologist, Heartland Dermatology

Dermatology

Friday, 2 p.m.

Dr. Litzner grew up in Wichita, KS. He attended medical school at Vanderbilt University where he was awarded the Founder’s medal upon graduation. He trained in dermatology at the University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas and completed his dermatopathology fellowship at St. Louis University. His interests outside of work include tennis and coaching youth sports.

Erin Locke, MD, MPH
Family Physician, Midland Care and Local Health Officer, Shawnee County

Legislative Update

Thursday, 9:15 a.m.

Erin Locke, MD, MPH, received her combined medical and public health degrees from the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. She completed her residency at Tacoma Family Medicine in Tacoma, WA. She lives in Topeka where she practices at Midland Care in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. She serves as the Shawnee County health officer and the medical director for the family planning program in the local health department. Dr Locke has certificates in climate change and health (Yale School of Public Health) and in health administration (KUSOM-Kansas City). Her professional interests include health equity, environmental health, and the prevention of disease.

Justin Moore, MD
Education Associate Professor and Director of Nutrition and Metabolism Education, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Wichita

Thyroid Update

Thursday, 2:15 p.m.

Justin is an endocrinologist who does work at the clinical-public health intersection. He’s an Education Associate Professor and the Director of Nutrition and Metabolism Education in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita. He’s also the Medical Director for the Kansas Business Group on Health, and he’s an endocrinology consultant with RubiconMD. He believes chronic diseases should fall at the top of the patient’s problem list at any given visit, not at the bottom. He believes that health is hard to define and harder to measure, but that it’s easier to achieve than people think. He believes true health saves money.

Timothy Shaver, MD, FACP
Rheumatologist, Arthritis and Rheumatology Clinics of Kansas

The Prudent Use of Serologic Studies

Friday, 1:15 p.m.

A native Kansan, Dr. Shaver received his medical degree from the University of Kansas before receiving training at the University of Oklahoma for his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship. Dr. Shaver’s key interests are the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis and systemic connective tissue diseases such as lupus. He is active in the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, teaches residents and medical students as a faculty member at the University of Kansas, and is active in his church. It is Dr. Shaver’s lifelong goal to model his career after that of Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, and to provide his patients the same kind of compassion, devotion, and excellence that Jesus did.

Daniel Warren, MD
Addiction Medicine Physician, Wichita Comprehensive Treatment Center; HealthCore Clinic

ORN Training: Opioid Use Disorder: Past, Present, Future

Thursday, 8 a.m.

Daniel Warren is a family physician with specialty training in addiction medicine. He has practiced for 5 years as the medical director of an opioid treatment program (“methadone clinic”) and also provides opioid use disorder treatment at a federally-qualified health center. He lives and works in Wichita. His professional mission is to facilitate a community response to the problem of addiction.

Dodie Wellshear
Partner, Ad Astra Government Relations and Government Relations Liaison, Kansas Academy of Family Physicians

Legislative Update

Thursday, 9:15 a.m.

Dodie is a Topeka native and is the founding partner of Ad Astra Government Relations. She began lobbying the Kansas Legislature in 1992 in the non-profit arena, working on children’s health, human service, and state appropriations issues. In 2002, she joined a private lobbying firm where she worked on a broader range of issues – including education, the Comprehensive Transportation Plan, health care, taxes, domestic violence and animal cruelty – and continued building key relationships on both sides of the aisle in the Legislature and across Kansas. Having broadened her expertise and honed her strategic lobbying skills, she started her own government relations business in 2006.
 
Dodie focuses on health care, human services, education, taxation, and state budget and appropriations issues. She is passionate about strengthening the quality of life for all Kansans and making it the best place in the nation to live and raise a family.
 
Dodie is a graduate of the University of Kansas, with a degree in social work.

Nicole Yedlinsky, MD, CAQSM, FAAFP, RMSK
Family and Sports Medicine Physician, University of Kansas Medical Center

Exercise is Medicine: Guiding Patients Through the Spectrum of Activity

Thursday, 1:15 p.m.

Dr. Nicole Yedlinsky is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine with a certificate of added qualification in sports medicine. She earned her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine and completed her family medicine residency at Womack Army Medical Center. She completed sports medicine fellowship at Fairfax Family Practice, part of the National Capital Sports Medicine Consortium. She is program director for the sports medicine fellowship and core faculty for the family medicine residency at University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.

Wassim Shaheen, MD
Cardiologist, Heartland Cardiology

Hypertension: Not that simple?

Thursday, 3:45 p.m.

Dr. Shaheen is an interventional cardiologist who joined Heartland Cardiology in July 2006. He is Board-Certified in Cardiology, and Interventional Cardiology. In addition to maintaining a busy practice, Dr. Shaheen has co-authored several journal articles. He was awarded a research grant for a two-year focused study on atherosclerosis. He was selected for Wichita Business Journal’s “Best Doctors in Cardiovascular Disease” in 2017.  He was also elected by his peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America® in 2017 to 2018. Dr. Shaheen has a passion for teaching and training future health professionals. He is the Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Via Christi and is also the Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Labs at Wesley and the VA hospitals. Dr. Shaheen and his wife, Lisa Le (a physician at the KU School of Medicine), have three children Jad, Lana, and Gabriella.

Melissa Rosso, MD, MPH
Family Physician, Stonecreek Family Physicians

Physician Wellness

Friday, 3:15 p.m.

Dr. Shaheen is an interventional cardiologist who joined Heartland Cardiology in July 2006. He is Board-Certified in Cardiology, and Interventional Cardiology. In addition to maintaining a busy practice, Dr. Shaheen has co-authored several journal articles. He was awarded a research grant for a two-year focused study on atherosclerosis. He was selected for Wichita Business Journal’s “Best Doctors in Cardiovascular Disease” in 2017.  He was also elected by his peers for inclusion in Best Doctors in America® in 2017 to 2018. Dr. Shaheen has a passion for teaching and training future health professionals. He is the Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation at Via Christi and is also the Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Labs at Wesley and the VA hospitals. Dr. Shaheen and his wife, Lisa Le (a physician at the KU School of Medicine), have three children Jad, Lana, and Gabriella.

Joseph LeMaster, MD, MPH
Family Physician, KUMC Kansas City; Director, AAFP National Research Network

Role of CHWs in Primary Care in Kansas

Friday, 9 a.m.

Dr. Joseph LeMaster is a tenured full professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC), where he has been an active researcher (since 2011) and provides targeted primary care for refugees from the Himalayan nation of Bhutan. Himself a graduate of KUMC, Dr. LeMaster and his wife Judy lived in Nepal from 1990-2000, LeMaster in 1994 completed the Public Health in Developing Countries 1-year course from the London School of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine (a tool-box course for public health leaders in developing countries). He served first at Okhaldhunga Hospital (an affiliate of the United Mission to Nepal), the only medical care facility for 300,000 people, where they promoted maternal-child health and conducted leprosy research; and later at Anandaban Hospital, a facility operated by The Leprosy Mission International. He went on to obtain a Master’s in Public Health focused on epidemiology from the University of Washington School of Public Health. Dr. LeMaster’s research primarily focuses on improving healthcare for US primary care patients (mostly refugees and immigrants) who have limited English proficiency. He has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and numerous other foundations. He currently Chairs the Committee on Advancing the Science of Family Medicine and thus is a Board member of the North American Primary Care Research Group; and directs the American Academy of Family Medicine National Research Network (a US-based nationwide practice-based research network). He is also the Medical Director and Local Health Officer for Johnson County, Kansas (population 613, 000). His wife Judy is a retired obstetric and public health nurse.

Melissa Hague, MD, FACOG

Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Heartland Women’s Group

Triage of the Female Patient with Sexual Concerns

Thursday, 4:30 to 5 p.m.

Dr. Hague is an obstetrician/gynecologist, teacher, author and speaker. In addition to her role as a physician with Heartland Women’s Group in Wichita, Kansas. She started the Women’s Sexual Wellness Clinic in 2014 to help women experiencing a variety of sexual problems. She works closely with area health professionals in a holistic approach to care. Dr. Hague is a fellow of The International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health and is committed to research and collaboration in women’s healthcare. As an Assistant Clinical Professor in the department of Ob/Gyn at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, she helps train residents in obstetrics, gynecologic surgery and sexual health and wellness. To help her patients and their partners with improved communication in their intimate life, Dr. Hague and James Smith, along with their spouses, wrote Start Talking: Intimacy (Xulon, 2015). Dr. Hague has spoken to physicians, healthcare professionals, church groups, and parent groups about a variety of sexual health topics. She is also active in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, currently serving as Secretary of her District.

Jeremy Presley, MD, FAAFP

Family Physician, Family Practice Associates of Western Kansas

Collaborative Care Team: Trauma Debriefs

Friday, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.

Dr. Jeremy Presley practices Family Medicine in his home town of Dodge City, KS at Family Practice Practice Associates of Western Kansas, LLC since 2010. He completed medical school at KU Med Wichita and residency at Via Christi Family Medicine Residency in 2010. Currently he is on St. Catherine’s of Dodge City Medical Executive Committee, Vice President- Kansas Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, Past President of Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, and local medical director for Aledade Kansas ACO. He also serves as the Kansas Alternate Delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians Congress of Delegates. He is married to Stella Jane Presley and they have three boys Ty (14), Tate (12), and Trace (10). Jeremy is the current Cubmaster for their Cub Scout pack and Assistant Scoutmaster for the Boy Scout troop. He enjoy spending time with his family whether it’s sharing movies on the couch, attending the boys’ sporting events, or time in the outdoors fishing, hunting, camping, and skiing.


David Jordan, MPA

President and CEO, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund

UMHMF: Ensuring a Healthy Start for All Kansas Kids: Partnering on the Fourth Trimester and Beyond

Thursday, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.

David Jordan is the President of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, joining the Fund in February 2018. Before joining the Fund, David served as the executive director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, a coalition of over 100 organizations working to improve health and access to health care in Kansas. David oversaw the Alliance’s operations and the effort to expand KanCare, Kansas’ Medicaid program. David joined the Alliance after spending nearly seven years at Community Catalyst, a leading national consumer health advocacy organization, as the Dental Access Project Director. David holds a master’s in public administration from the University of Kansas and Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication from Emerson College.


Amy Curry, MD, FAAFP

Clinical Associate Professor, Family Medicine Residency Program; KU SOM – Wichita at Ascension Health

Updates on Vaccines: Yes, we still need them!

Thursday, 1:45 to 2:15 p.m.

Dr. Amy Curry received both her medical degree and her Family Medicine residency training at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. After almost 10 years of full spectrum private practice in Wichita, she returned to the residency as a full-time faculty member. She is passionate about training residents in the area of preventative patient care.


Kyle Rowe, MD

Gastroenterologist, Robert J Dole VA Medical Center

Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease for the Primary Care Physician

Thursday, 2:45 to 3:15 p.m.

Dr. Kyle Rowe completed medical school and residency through the University of Kansas in Wichita, KS. He then completed fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology through Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Dr. Rowe’s primary practice is through the Robert J Dole VA medical center in Wichita, though he is also associated with the KU Gastroenterology clinic and GI fellowship program in Wichita KS. Dr. Rowe is passionate about fatty liver disease prevention and management as this is quickly becoming the number one cause of cirrhosis in the United States.


Lynn Fisher

Family Physician, Department of Family and Community Medicine; KU SOM – Wichita

2023 Verlyn Steinkruger Lectureship: Caring for Ourselves, Caring for Others

Friday, 3:15 to 5 p.m.

Lynn Fisher, M.D., received his undergraduate degree in human biology from the University of Kansas in 1996 and his medical degree from KU School of Medicine-Wichita in 2001. He completed a family medicine residency at North Colorado Medical Center in 2004 in Greeley, Colorado. He practiced full-spectrum rural family medicine for 15 years in the towns of Great Bend and Plainville before joining the Department of Family and Community Medicine in 2019. He is currently the director of 4th year medical student courses and an assistant clerkship director for 3rd year medical students.


Rachel Brown, MBBS

Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; KU SOM – Wichita

KidsKSMAP: Kids and the Mental Health Crisis

Friday, 2:30 to 3 p.m.

Rachel Brown MBBS FAPA is a physician, psychiatrist and child and adolescent psychiatrist. She grew up in the UK, and began her medical career in London, completing medical school at Guy’s Hospital and psychiatry residency and child and adolescent fellowship at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley. After directing a community mental health service, and running a forensic private practice for a number of years, she and her husband moved to the US. Since being here, Dr. Brown has completed a second child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship (at the University of Alabama-Birmingham), ran a successful solo private practice, and held academic appointments at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Georgia, the University of Missouri School of Medicine-Columbia, and Central Michigan University College of Medicine. She has published in peer reviewed journals, authored book chapters and reflective essays, and presented at conferences in multiple states and countries. Dr. Brown’s interests are in systems of care, including primary care, and the child welfare system, and in patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Her current position is chair of the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita.


Terrah Stroda, CNM, APRN
State Maternal QI Coordinator, KS Perinatal Quality Collaborative

UMHMF: Ensuring a Healthy Start for All Kansas Families: How Family Practice can partner on the fourth trimester and beyond

Thursday, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.

Terrah Stroda, CNM, MS, APRN is a full-scope midwife in Junction City, KS. After graduating from the University of Kansas with her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree, Terrah has been in practice in her hometown for nearly 20 years, now serving on staff for Stormont Vail Health System Flint Hills Campus. Caring for women and families in Junction City has always been her passion, so alongside private practice, Terrah began parallel  work in public health in 2011 after a call to action that identified her hometown as one of the worst in infant mortality in Kansas. Since then she has served as Founder and Medical Director of “Delivering Change: Healthy Families, Health Community”, whose collective impact work has decreased infant mortality by over half and has improved maternal outcomes two-fold. Using that model to do further quality improvement work across a larger scope, Ms. Stroda has now added statewide work to the same goal. In her new expanded role, Terrah serves as the Maternal Quality Improvement Coordinator for the Fourth Trimester Initiative, a new model of care for postpartum women and families in Kansas. In this role, Terrah oversees 30 hospital QI projects, impacting over 83% of birthing families in Kansas in collaboration with the Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Kansas Dept of Health and Environment. Terrah is also the mother of two teenage boys, Braedon and Braxton, and enjoys chasing them around the state participating in many sporting events during her “off” hours.