Faculty Leadership Council - Academic Health Center, University of Minnesota

Minnesota AHEC’s Faculty Leadership Council works toward meeting the health needs of greater Minnesota through innovative, sustainable, and interprofessional health professions education.

The Faculty Leadership Council cultivates and engages academic programs for health professions education opportunities for rural and underserved communities. The Council also leads collaborative development of interprofessional education opportunities for health professions students in rural and underserved areas.

The council is made up of faculty leaders representing the AHC including the schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health. The faculty were appointed by the deans of their respective schools.

James Begun, PhD, is the James A. Hamilton Term Professor in Healthcare Management in the Division of Health Policy and Management. His research specialties include applications of complexity science, evolution of healthcare professions, and the structure and strategy of healthcare organizations. His current research interests include the evolution of the profession of nursing, strategic planning in healthcare, and interprofessional healthcare practice.

Paul Schulz, DDS, is an Associate Clinical specialist and the Director of the Mobile Dental Program at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. He has previously worked full time in clinical dentistry at a local community clinic. His interests include community outreach opportunities for students, promoting exchange student programs, and dental access partnerships.

Gwen Halaas, MD, MBA, is the founding director of the Center for Interprofessional Education, which will provide the structure and systems to formalize interprofessional education in the Academic Health Center. A family physician and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, she is also faculty in the Rural Physician Associate Program – a nine-month community-based continuity care experience for third year medical students interested in primary care and rural practice. Dr. Halaas has worked in medical education since 1986 and brings substantial administrative experience and knowledge of Minnesota’s health care environments from her leadership roles in Minnesota health plans.

Rodney Carter, PharmD, is the Associate Dean of Professional and External Relations for the College of Pharmacy. Professionally, he has worked as a clinical pharmacist, and has been involved with academic and administrative experiences for over 20 years. His areas of research include assessment and impact of educational outcomes and teaching methods in pharmacy programs and educational effectiveness and impacts of interprofessional experiential education.

Kathleen Krichbaum, PhD, MS, is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and in the graduate minor in Gerontology. Her research focuses on quality care for elders, particularly on issues related to continuity of care in the post acute period. She has chaired and served on many interprofessional committees in both the Academic Health Center and at the University of Minnesota graduate school that have focused on issues related to the improvement of the quality of education and to the enhancement of student experience for diverse populations.

Sara Axtell, PhD, is the Community-Campus Health Outreach Liaison at the University of Minnesota. She serves a liaison between faculty and community partners to build infrastructure for the University and community for all health science schools in the Academic Health Center, as well as Family Social Science in the College of Human Ecology, and Extension Services. Her professional interests include community engagement, cross-cultural engagement, community health, systems change, and faculty development.

Timothy Stratton, PhD, BCPS, FAPhA, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Healthcare contributions of pharmacists in rural and tribal communities, rural pharmacist workforce issues, and clinical and economic impacts of providing pharmacy services to underserved populations are his specialty areas of interest.

Ray Christensen, MD, is an Assistant Dean for Rural Health and an Associate Professor in the Medical School. He practiced in rural Minnesota for many years is a past president of the Minnesota Medical Association and of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, served eight years as medical advisor to the Minnesota Department of Health, is involved in state and national quality boards, and is a delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians and an AMA alternate.

Kelli Johnson, MBA, is Center Director at the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) in the School of Public Health. SHADAC conducts state-level health policy research on issues related to health care coverage and access. Ms. Johnson has many years of health policy at the state and federal levels. She also conducts program evaluation projects and is pursuing a doctorate in evaluation studies at the University.

To learn more about the Minnesota AHEC Faculty Leadership Council, contact AHEC Program Staff.