Whole Person Health Summit

8 - 9 a.m.

8:30 - 9:15 a.m.

Host: Paul Wojda
Associate Professor of Theology
University of St. Thomas

Sally St. John
VP of Whole Person Well-being Integration
YMCA of the North

Melanie Ferris
Director of Health Equity Program Development
Morrison Family College of Health

Dr. MayKao Y. Hang
Vice President and Founding Dean
Morrison Family College of Health

9:15 - 9:30 a.m.

Eyenga Bokamba
Director, Minnesota Institute for Trauma-Informed Education (MITIE)

9:45 - 10:45 a.m.

"(Re)Centering Indigenous Practices in (Re)Imagining Whole Person Wellbeing"

Dr. Antony Stately
President and Executive Officer
Native American Community Clinic

Moderator: Dr. Patrick Courneya

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Rachel Jensen and Beth Peckham, YMCA of the North

Community acupuncture sessions are available from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. for attendees. A link to sign up for micro-sessions will be provided to attendees at the Summit.

Acupuncture is a modality that uses needles to treat a wide variety of conditions, including allergies, pain, depression, indigestion, inflammation, insomnia, stress, and more. Community Acupuncture, also called Group Acupuncture, is a popular style of acupuncture because of its accessibility.

11 a.m. - Noon

Choose one:

• "Community Engaged Health Improvement"

  Elder Atum Azzahir
  Chief Executive Officer
  Cultural Wellness Center
  
  Terrence Brown
  Founder
  Swan Associates
  
  Cultural wellness is an approach to transformative knowledge and views health more holistically than does conventional knowledge. For culturally informed experiential knowing, studying disease begins the pursuit of health with "Spirituality, Symbol, Mythos & Harmonium." Community belonging becomes the unit of measure for health. The key vision of cultural wellness as an approach to healing is to bring heal(th) to the ground level community. Today we will visit social cohesion, social support, health literacy, and patient activation in community engagement.
  
  

• "Heals on Wheels: Creating a Chassis for Community and Systems Partnerships"

  Dr. Arti Prasad
  Chief Strategic Development Officer
  Hennepin Healthcare
  
  Dr. Catherine Justice
  Program Manager for Integrative Medicine
  Hennepin Healthcare
  
  Dr. Marchion Hinton
  Director of Behavioral Science Education
  Hennepin Healthcare
  
  This session will offer a taste of Hennepin Healthcare System’s innovative Heals on Wheels (HoW) program. HoW focuses on improving quality and access to holistic, whole-person, integrative care with a particular focus on Integrative Pain Care those who have limited financial resources and/or belonging to historically under-resourced communities. The HoW program meets people literally where they are at: bringing whole-person, mind body spirit care directly to patients who experience persistent pain. Participants in this breakout session will leave with tangible takeaways on how to implement community-based integrative health programs to promote health equity in their own communities.
  
  

• "Developing a Culturally Informed Holistic Group-Based Intervention for Black Women Sexual Violence Survivors "

  Dr. Bryana French
  Associate Chair
  Graduate School of Professional Psychology, University of St. Thomas
  
  Kenosha Davenport
  Executive Director
  Sexual Violence Center
  
  Black women face a unique experience with the intersections of multiply oppressed identities. Sexism and anti-Black racism combine for experiences of gendered racism that manifest in multiple, intersecting ways. One clear example of gendered racism for Black women is through sexual violence. In this session, facilitators will present on the development and preliminary results of a culturally informed group specifically for Black women sexual violence survivors. The intervention integrates theories and practices from the psychological framework of radical healing, Black women sexual violence recovery, and trauma treatments.
  
  

• "Healing Space: Mindfulness Practices for Self-Care"

  Melanie Tucker, PhD, MCHES
  Director, Health Promotion, Resilience and Violence Prevention
  UST Center for Wellbeing
  
  Holly Walsh, DC, NBC-HWC 
  Resilience and Wellness Coach Program Manager
  UST Center for Wellbeing
  
  In the challenging world of healthcare, it’s necessary for providers and administrators to find moments of peace and restoration amid their busy schedules. Through gentle breathing exercises and guided/walking meditation, participants will explore how mindfulness can be a powerful tool for reducing stress, preventing burnout, and fostering resilience.

Noon - 1 p.m.

1 - 2 p.m.

"Healing Our Systems Through Community & Solidarity"

Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo
Medical Director, Medicaid and MinnesotaCare
Minnesota Department of Human Services

Moderator: Pleasant Radford Jr.

2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

Choose one:

• "Breath Movement and Vibration: Best Practices to Mediate Stress and Activate Joy"

  Youth Leaders: Aniya Bailey, Joseph Cole, Jasmine McBride, Tearra Oso
  Black Youth Healing Arts Center/Irreducible Grace Foundation
  
  Jan Mandell
  Program Director
  Black Youth Healing Arts Center
  
  Young adult leads from the Black Youth Healing Arts Center will share best practices developed for youth programming. Session will include community building, drumming, storytelling, yoga breathing and suggestions for application in community settings to create safe space and healing opportunities with youth of color.

• “Grief and Healing: It’s a Journey”

  Dr. Melissa Lundquist
  Associate Professor and BSW Program Director
  School of Social Work, University of St. Thomas
  
  Dr. Ali Chamseddine
  Staff Chaplain
  United Hospital, Allina Health
  
  Grief is a natural and healing response to loss. While it is an experience we will all share, how we grieve can vary profoundly. Knowing how to walk alongside those who are grieving is an essential skill for caregivers, as well as for individuals supporting loved ones through loss. This workshop will explore the basic principles of grief-informed practice and strategies to support grievers and promote hope and healing. Join us as we navigate the complexities of grief together and learn how to be a source of comfort and compassion for those in need.
  
  

• "Beyond Words: Cultural, Linguistic, and Artistic Dimensions of Care through Stories "

  MayKao Fredericks
  Chief Humanities Officer
  Minnesota Humanities Center
  
  Yoli Chambers
  Adult and Aging Programs Administrator
  Centro Tyrone Guzman
  
  Leah Cooper
  Co-Artistic Director
  Wonderlust Productions
  
  In this session, representatives from the Minnesota Humanities Center, Centro Tyrone Guzman, and Wonderlust Productions will share their unique perspectives, demonstrating the profound impact of storytelling in sparking positive change within communities.
  
  Minnesota Humanities Center: MayKao Fredericks will share insights learned from the recent Health Equity Breakfast installment, which focused on the importance of language-centered care through the lens of elder care services.
  
  Centro Tyrone Guzman: innovative linguistic adaptation of the "House of Memories" program, originally crafted by National Museums Liverpool. Learn how this program uses objects of significance to evoke memories and stories among individuals facing Alzheimer's and other dementia-related health issues.
  
  Wonderlust Productions: Leah Cooper will provide a glimpse into Wonderlust's latest fictional play, inspired by real-life caregiver stories collected over the past year. Explore the question, "What does a community of care look like?" through the lens of theatrical storytelling and discover the transformative potential of art in fostering empathy and connection.
  
  

• "Healing Space: Mindful Movement + Light Therapy Experience"

  Two esteemed leaders in mindfulness and holistic health, Chance York and Isaiah Frandsen lead an immersive session designed to nurture your body, mind, and spirit with curated breathwork, movement and light technology. Learn about the foundations of mindful practice, innovative chromo light therapies and the role identity plays in closing wellness gaps. Activate your senses, embrace your innate wholeness, and share space where ancient and modern technologies merge.
  
  

• "Healing Space: bodyART + Sound Healing Experience"

  Alexa Lautenbach
  YMCA of the North
  
  Dawn Perra
  YMCA of the North
  
  Join us for a bodyART movement practice followed by a sound healing experience. bodyART is inspired by traditional Chinese medicine philosophies and physical therapy movements to prevent injury, reduce pain and promote sustainability. We’ll first move, connect to our breath and bodies, then find restoration through a guided meditation utilizing crystal Himalayan singing bowls and chimes – designed to transform your energy and calm the nervous system.

3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Dr. Nathan Chomilo
Medical Director, Medicaid and MinnesotaCare
Minnesota Department of Human Services

Dr. Antony Stately
President and Executive Officer
Native American Community Clinic

Elder Atum Azzahir
Chief Executive Officer
Cultural Wellness Center

Moderator:Melanie Ferris
Director of Health Equity Program Development
Morrison Family College of Health

Atum Azzahir is the founder and executive director of the Cultural Wellness Center. After successfully convening and leading a movement on Return to Culture and Heritage for Africans in America (1987-1992), Atum was awarded titles of Elder, Shemsu and Mother of Communities of African People living in the United States, the Caribbean, and the African continent. Atum completed and received her Cultural Doctor of Literature (D-Litt Kemii) from the International Khepran Institute in 2007, where she examined Black life internationally and explored building sustainable cultural institutions in African communities throughout the African Diaspora. She has developed and managed organizations and written and produced materials on African intellectual heritage. She has designed rites of passage programs, initiations, and ceremonies for healing.

The institutions she has founded have created community models for workforce redevelopment, entrepreneurship, and meditation practices in order for Africans in America to interface in mainstream communities. People who have studied with Elder Atum are in key leadership positions across the country in various institutions and many have consistently returned for coaching and mentoring for over 24 years.

From 1994 to 1996, Atum mobilized cultural activists in south Minneapolis and designed a community listening participatory study that interviewed 1,000 people. Under her thought leadership, a team articulated a celebrated theory of sickness, a definition of health and a field of study in cultural wellness. Cultural Wellness curricula from each of the studies Atum has led are available through courses taught to professionals in sectors including academic research, health, community development, education, and economic development.

At 20 years old, Aniya Bailey is a member of the youth Leadership team at the Black Youth Healing Arts Center (BYHAC). She leads monthly envisioning sessions to foster the voice and agency of participants at the center. Aniya is a dancer and a poet with the BYHAC Pop-Up team. She is a youth advocate and education reformer, dedicated to the liberation of black people and examining harmful systems for change. She was formerly a strategist at the non-profit Thrive Ed and is a facilitator of restorative justice circles and skilled in co-design.

Eyenga Bokamba is dedicated to resourcing choice, voice and joy in her work a as community leader working at the intersection of experiential education, civic engagement and the arts. Eyenga currently serves as the Director of the Minnesota Institute for Trauma-Informed Education (MITIE), which was launched in 2021 as a joint partnership of the University of St. Thomas School of Education and Morrison Family College of Health to provide an arena for scholars, practitioners, and researchers to convene and learn about the best practices in trauma-informed education. Prior to this appointment, Eyenga served as the Director of Menlo Park Academy, a contract alternative high school within Minneapolis Public Schools. Eyenga is a recipient of a Bush Leadership Fellowship, and she holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and an M.Ed. from Harvard University.

Terrence Brown is the founder of Swan Associates, an independent management consultancy, and the first director in residence at the Cultural Wellness Center, a cultural institution of African system of thought in Minneapolis. He is also the director of MBN Grio, a platform for leveraging cultural assets to create opportunities within a national network of urban business owners.

For 15 years, as a PMP, Master Black Belt and change leader, Terrence has successfully championed the growth, performance and excellence of leading organizations by applying proven best practices to key organizational pain points at award-winning nonprofits and a Fortune 10 organization.

You will find Terrence at the forefront of thoughtful institution building and organizational sustainability efforts, operational and strategic transformations and community-based research and evaluation initiatives. Terrence serves as a strategic partner to urban business owners, nonprofit executives, boards and directors, and community and mental health leaders.

Yolima has worked at Centro Tyrone Guzman since 2012. She has a professional degree in International Business from her home country of Colombia. She has been trained as a Cultural Consultant in Dementia Care and is a Certified Montessori Elder Care Practitioner by AMI and Brush Development Company. Over the past twelve years, Yolima has provided leadership in developing a Montessori influence across the organization, with particular expertise in eldercare.

A Lebanese native whose life journey is deeply rooted in fostering interreligious dialogue and understanding. Growing up in Lebanon, he developed a profound appreciation for cultural diversity and identity. He is a board-certified chaplain, has served as a chaplain for the past three years with Allina Health Care (Abbott Northwestern, Mercy Hospital Unity Campus, and United Hospital), offering compassionate spiritual care in various hospitals and units, including Neuro ICU, Cardiovascular, Oncology, and Mental Health. His approach emphasizes holistic well-being and respects diverse worldviews. Guided by his philosophy of community-building through active listening and support, Ali creates brave spaces for dialogue and encounter, nurturing peaceful and inclusive environments wherever he goes.

Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo’s work has centered on the impact early childhood intervention and healthcare access have on the long-term prospects of our children and how physicians and health systems can address racial and health equity.

He is the medical director for the State of Minnesota’s Medicaid and MinnesotaCare programs and practices as a general pediatrician with Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners. He also served as the State of Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine equity director and as a senior advisor on equity to the Minnesota Commissioner of Health. He received a zoology degree from Miami University (Oxford, OH) and graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He completed his combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and was the pediatric chief resident at the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital. Prior to working for the State of Minnesota he was also an internal medicine hospitalist.

He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Early Childhood and the Section on Minority Health, Equity and Inclusion (MHEI), serving on MHEI’s Executive Committee, a member of the board of directors for the MN chapter of the AAP and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is an adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, co-founder of the organization Minnesota Doctors for Health Equity, member of the board of directors of Reach Out and Read MN and National, and on the steering committee of the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative. He is a member of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Equity in HEDIS Expert Work Group and was selected for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth through Health Care System Transformation.

His work has been recognized by the City of Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, which recognized him as a 2019 History Maker at Home recipient; Minnesota Physician, which named him one of the 100 most influential health care leaders in 2020; the Minnesota Medical Association, which awarded him the President’s Award in 2021; and the Aspen Institute which selected him to be an Aspen Ascend Fellow in 2022.

Leah is the Co-Artistic Director for Wonderlust Productions, a multicultural, multidisciplinary performance ensemble that illuminates community stories through collaborative arts experiences, including epic plays, online video series, a podcast, and a graphic novel. Leah is also a facilitator and consultant in community engagement, organizational development, and ritual making with a trauma-informed and human-centered approach to complexity and change.

At 22 years young, Joseph (aka Brother RA) is a member of the Youth Leadership team at the Black Youth Healing Arts Center (BYHAC), helping co-lead in-house programs, facilitating workshops, teaching mind-body medicine practices. He's also out in community as part of the Pop-Up team, sharing breathing tools, poetry and playing Bomba (an Afro-Puerto Rican drum style) alongside other BYHAC members. RA is a youth advocate and Pan-Afrikan community activist dedicated to the liberation of Black/Afrikan people across the globe. RA serves our community as the vice chair of Youth Link MPLS Voices of Youth Advisory Council. He works with 2nd Chance Project as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and facilitates longitudinal systems transformation assessments as program director of the Youth Research Task Force, a community participatory action research program, offered by the Black Community Board.

An Alabama native, Kenosha Davenport is a multi-faceted leader in non-profit executive management and leadership. Davenport has 20 years of experience in movements to end gender-based violence, and 15 years of executive leadership. Davenport is currently the executive director of the Sexual Violence Center, a community-based rape crisis center in Minneapolis which serves Carver, Hennepin, and Scott Counties. Davenport believes in service to the community. She is the board chair for the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, board chair-elect for Violence Free Minnesota, board treasurer for Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, and the co-treasurer for Champlin Brooklyn Park Academy Parent and Teacher Organization.

Melanie Ferris, MPH has worked for over 15 years at the intersection of public health, mental health, and health care to improve community health and wellbeing. She brings her experience as an applied researcher and evaluator to help the Morrison Family College of Health develop new programming and co-create initiatives with organizational partners to educate students and respond to community needs.

MayKao Fredericks draws from her personal journey as a bilingual speaker of Hmong and English to illuminate the profound impact of language on access to opportunities and healthcare. From translating medical procedures for her parents at the age of 10 to her recent work in organizing a health equity session focused on language-centered care, MayKao shares poignant insights that underscore the transformative power of cultural understanding beyond words. MayKao Fredericks has over 20 years working in corporate strategic philanthropy and community engagement.

Bryana French, PhD, LP is an associate professor and associate chair in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology, part of the Morrison Family College of Health at the University of St. Thomas. Her research and practice focuses on racial and sexual trauma and recovery among BIPOC adults. Her teaching focuses on multicultural and liberatory counseling development. Dr. French's work has been recognized throughout her career with awards from the American Psychological Association, the National Multicultural Conference and Summit, and the Association of Black Psychologists.

Dr. MayKao Y. Hang was appointed vice president and founding dean of the Morrison Family College of Health in the fall of 2019. In her previous role as president and CEO of the Wilder Foundation, she designed programs and initiatives to address complex community issues and worked to integrate behavioral health services.

Marchion Hinton, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and the director of behavioral science education in the Department of Family Medicine at Hennepin Healthcare. Her expertise involves exploring the overlap among mental, emotional, and physical health within the primary care setting. She finds joy collaborating within interdisciplinary teams to promote health and well-being for patients and the medical team. Her main specialty area includes teaching family medicine resident physicians ways to integrate behavioral principles into their medical practice (e.g. effective doctor-patient communication, lifestyle change strategies).

Catherine Justice is an integrative physical therapist, a certified yoga therapist, and program manager for integrative medicine at Hennepin Healthcare. She received her doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of Minnesota and is a graduate of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine’s two-year Fellowship program. She is the associate editor for the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and founder of The Art of Wellness, an organization dedicated to optimizing wellness for individuals, organizations, and communities. Catherine is passionate about increasing access to integrative medicine and optimizing wellness for historically unserved populations and everyone in need.

Currently Jan Mandell is program director at Black Youth Healing Arts Center (BYHAC), where she works alongside youth to co-create monthly programming offerings and leadership opportunities. She is a retired teacher who spent nearly four decades at St. Paul Central High School as artistic director of Central Touring Theater, a youth-led social justice performance company. Jan spent the last decade with the Irreducible Grace Foundation learning and sharing mind-body medicine tools and breathing practices that focus on healing from racialized trauma and building a culture of resilience with youth of color.

Jasmine McBride is a 200-hour certified Vinyasa yoga instructor with trauma-informed training to support work with youth and adults in communities of color. She is currently a weekly instructor with the Black Youth Healing Arts Center (BYHAC). Jasmine is also a seasonal yoga instructor of Peace in Practice, an organization that serves youth in North Minneapolis with exposure to mindfulness practices and yoga teacher training opportunities. Jasmine is passionate about bridging the gap to awareness of inner power to people that have been told it doesn't exist.

Tearra Oso is a performing artist, healer, and culture protector, whose musical medicine has empowered audiences nationally and internationally since childhood. Tearra currently curates powerful, interactive experiences with her performances and workshops that integrate traditional Afro Boricua music and history. She leads drumming sessions rooted in Bomba, and mind-body medicine at Black Youth Healing Arts Center (BYHAC) in Saint Paul. Tearra is proud to uplift her community by carrying the ancestral wisdom of Bomba in her work, and to interact with audiences to ignite healing and empowerment for all. She created her debut album titled “PREZ” and a new genre she calls BombaPop, which fuses the ancestral healing practice of Bomba with pop, funk, R&B, and hip-hop instrumentation. The album is an offering of self-preservation practices for listeners in English and Spanish, and was named one of Minnesota’s top 10 albums of 2022 by the Star Tribune.

Dr. Arti Prasad is the chief strategic development officer at Hennepin Healthcare. She is a professor of internal medicine at University of Minnesota and University of New Mexico, and an adjunct professor at the Maharishi International University. She is board certified in internal medicine and integrative medicine and is the founding board member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine. She is a Certified Professional Diversity Coach and a Certified Physician Executive. The most fulfilling aspect of her career is to provide person-centered care to her patients, creating new programs, mentoring, and coaching, supporting DEI initiatives, and improving work-force wellness.

Dr. Antony Stately (Ojibwe/Oneida) received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in 1997. He currently is the executive Officer and President for the Native American Community Clinic in south Minneapolis, which provides primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services the Twin Cities Native American community.

He formerly worked as the director of behavioral health programs at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, in Prior Lake, MN. Previously, he was a research scientist and director of the Center for Translational Research at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, at the University of Washington-Seattle; director of client services at AIDS Project Los Angeles; and the founding and inaugural program director for Seven Generations Child and Family Counseling Services, in Los Angeles.

He has taught in clinical graduate programs at UW School of Social Work, Antioch University-Seattle, Phillips Graduate Institute, CSPP/Alliant University-Los Angeles, Antioch University-Los Angeles, and Loyola Marymount University. He has served as a consultant and advisor to the CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, the Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NAAPC), the US-Mexico Border Health Association (PAHO/WHO), and numerous NGOs and non-profits delivering health services to tribal and indigenous communities nationally and internationally.

Melanie Tucker, PhD, MCHES is the Director of Health Promotion, Resilience, and Violence Prevention in the Center for Well-Being at the University of St. Thomas. Melanie is an adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas and the University of Alabama. With a background in public health and over 20 years in higher education, her passion lies in integrating mindfulness practices to promote mental health and resilience among students. Melanie and her Health Promotion team work to create a healthier student campus culture with a focus on prevention, education, community health, and well-being.

Holly Walsh, DC, BCST, NBC-HWC, is the Resilience and Wellness Coach Program Manager in the Center for Well-Being at the University of St. Thomas. She is a chiropractor, craniosacral therapist, board-certified health and wellness coach, yoga instructor, and holistic health care provider. She has additional certificates in yoga therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and mind-body therapies. She believes the heart of all personal transformation is experiencing a deeper connection with self, others, and the world around us.