We are very grateful to our eclectic, innovative group of colleagues who arrived at Georgetown in DC from many points on the Kids’ Health compass. Hard to imagine a better start for the conversation. Thanks to everyone! Brandin Bowden Director of Community Programs The Institute for Integrative Health, TIIH, Baltimore, MD An experienced educator and mentor for adolescents, Brandin co-designed the curriculum for the Institute’s signature program for teens, Mission Thrive Summer, now in its sixth year. The five-week program includes urban farming, cooking, yoga and mindfulness, physical fitness, and job skills development. He also developed the curriculum for the Spice My Plate initiative, which uses spices and herbs to improve diet quality. Prior to joining TIIH in 2012, Brandin was a health educator, activist, and mentor at Washington Math Science and Technology High School in Washington, DC. A Gates Millennium Scholar, he holds an MS in nutrition from the Maryland University of Integrative Health and a BA in sociology from the University of Michigan. Jennifer Brown Environmental Educator and GreenKids Program Audubon Naturalist Society, Chevy Chase, MD Jenny is a Montgomery County (MD) Master Gardener, a filmmaker, and has deep experience in children’s environmental and food education in Montgomery County. She was a founding member of the Montgomery County (MD) Food Council and developed the Children’s Garden at Audubon’s Woodend Sanctuary. Jenny holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Allegheny College and an M.A. in Communications, Film and Video from American University. Darla Castelli, PhD Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education University of Texas, Austin Darla is a professor of physical education pedagogy and health behavior education. Her work focuses on the effects of physical activity and metabolic risk factors on cognition, including how physical activity can offset health risks. A former classroom schoolteacher, Darla has worked with school children in physical activity for more than 25 years. She testified in Congress in support of the FIT Kids Act, and has been a member of two Institute of Medicine committees: Fitness Measures and Health Outcomes in Youth and Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment. She is an active fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology and received her Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Danielle Dooley M.D. Medical Director, Community Affairs & Population Health Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC Danielle is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University where she specializes in immigrant child health and school health. At Children’s she provides advocacy education for residents and faculty, participates in a new primary care initiative on social determinants of health, and develops strategies to improve the health of children served by the hospital and across Washington. She previously spent a decade at the federally qualified health center Unity Health Care where she was medical director of adolescent health services. She received a BS in political science from MIT, an MPhil in community health from the University of Edinburgh, and her MD from Columbia University. She completed her residency in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Children’s Center. Nancy Easton M.Ed. Executive Director & Co-Founder Wellness in the Schools, New York, NY Since founding WITS in 2005, Nancy has grown the non-profit WITS from one classroom into a national organization that reaches more than 60,000 students in 100+ public schools each day. Her leadership in school food and child wellness has been recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama, and by chef-food activist Jamie Oliver who named her a Food Revolution Hero. Before co-founding WITS, Nancy spent 15 years as a teacher, mentor, and leader at the New York City Department of Education. She holds a Master’s in Education from Bank Street College of Education and a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton, where she was a three-sport athlete. Frankie Engelking M.Ed. Director of Student and Community Wellness McLean School, Potomac, MD. Frankie instituted McLean’s nationally recognized Mindfulness Education program, part of the school’s goal of promoting the health and well being of students, faculty and parents. At McLean she has also served as Middle School Dean of Students, and Interim Head of the Middle School and as Health Education Coordinator. Before joining McLean Frankie worked with regional institutions devoted to health and wellness education, including Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Md. and the Area Health Education Center in Baltimore. Frankie was the host/producer of a call in radio “Perspectives on Health” on WGTS 91.9 FM, has appeared on CBS This Morning Show, and has contributed to documentaries on Teen Behavior and Healthy Choices. Leo Horrigan Food System Correspondent Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Baltimore, MD During his 13 years at the Center Leo helped develop a high school curriculum about the U.S. food system called FoodSpan. He has also produced two short documentary films as enhancements to that curriculum: Out to Pasture in 2010 and Food Frontiers in 2016. Leo attained an MS degree in Health Science in Health Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 1998. Before entering public health he spent 20 years in newspapers as a copy editor and reporter. Douglas Kennedy Ph.D. Mindfulness in Education (MIE) Lead Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN At the Bakken Center, Doug combines his 20 years of K-12 teaching and pre-service teacher preparation with more than a decade of personal mindfulness practice to lead the MIE. He helps K-12 educators develop their own mindfulness practices, to understand the research, and to bring mindfulness practices to their students and school communities. The goal: to foster the qualities that lead to inclusive and compassionate classroom spaces where all children can learn, thrive, and grow. At the University, Doug teaches Introduction to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness in Educational Settings that emphasize introspection, critical evaluation, and exploration of the complexities of topics such as race, culture, and identity. Margaret Lamar Vice President, Strategic Initiatives Children & Nature Network, San Antonio, TX Margaret’s work with C&NN focuses on ensuring equitable access to nature in ways that improve educational performance, mental health and active outdoor physical activity for children and families. She directs U.S. and international C&NN initiatives that create scalable systems change: Cities Connecting Children to Nature, a partnership with the National League of Cities; Green Schoolyards for Healthy Communities, inspiring nature-rich school grounds in low-income communities; and Natural Leaders and Natural Families, training diverse youth and community members in leadership skills to increase capacity for outdoor engagement. She lives in San Antonio, Texas where you can most often find her and her sons exploring the biodiversity along the banks of Texas rivers. David Mercier, MS, LAc Author and Integral Life Coach Easton, MD David Mercier, M.S., L.Ac. is an Adjunct Faculty member at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where his award-winning book on integrative medicine, A Beautiful Medicine, is a textbook for two summer courses. In the 1970’s, he was a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka for two years. He holds a master’s degree in acupuncture from the Maryland University of Integrative Health and an M.S. in organization development from Case Western Reserve University. He established and directed a hospital-owned integrative medicine center in Maryland from 2000-2009, developed three acupuncture detox programs including one at Sheppard Pratt Hospital in Baltimore, and currently practices as a seminar leader, integral life coach, and acupuncturist. Whitney Ortiz Founder and President Eliana’s Light, Washington, DC Eliana’s Light supports the inclusion of integrative healthcare for children who experience complex medical conditions and for their caregivers. This entails working with a constellation of care providers to support the whole family and by providing care that addresses body, mind, and spirit. As a mother of a child with a complex condition, Whitney knows first-hand the qualities of holistic care that supports and promotes healing. She brings to Eliana’s Light twenty years of experience in government, non-profit and business sectors and with international organizations. She has an MA in international development and is fluent in Spanish. At Children’s National Medical Center she is a member of advisory committees on integrative medicine, palliative care, and clinical and translational research. Rachel Sadlon, MPH Assistant Director, Research and Evaluation Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, Washington, DC Rachel brings six years of experience in convening stakeholders and building capacity around the prevention of children’s behavioral health issues and the implementation of school climate improvement strategies. Prior to joining the Center she managed the federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant and implemented a comprehensive school mental health program for a school district in Connecticut. She has provided training and technical assistance to schools and community coalitions, evaluated prevention programs, and coordinated youth development programs. She completed her undergraduate studies and earned her master’s degree in public health from the University of Connecticut. Erica Sibinga MD, MHS Associate Professor of Pediatrics Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD Erica is keenly interested in improving the lives of children and families through evidence-based complementary approaches including mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Her randomized controlled trials show that mindfulness for children can reduce psychological symptoms (including post-trauma stress), improve coping and quality of life, and enhance behavioral outcomes. For youth in HIV treatment, MBSR provides psychological benefits and improved disease control. Her current work examines neural connections associated with mindfulness instruction and creates programs for adults, including for mothers of NICU infants and classroom teachers. Erica is Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and currently serves as the Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Integrative Medicine. David Sobel, M.Ed. Senior Faculty, Education Antioch University New England, Keene, NH David is a leading national voice on child development and place-based education. He consults and speaks widely on these topics, and in the last 30 years has authored eight books and more than 70 articles focused on children and nature for educators, parents, environmentalists and school administrators. His most recent books are Wild Play: Parenting Adventures in the Great Outdoors published by Green Writers Press; and Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoors Learning, published by Redleaf Press. David has served as a staff development and science curriculum consultant to schools in New Hampshire and Vermont and has been a workshop leader for a variety of schools and environmental organizations. WholeHealthED Team Taylor Walsh Founder and Director, WholeHealthED Integrative Health Strategies, Silver Spring, MD Taylor has served as a writer, strategic consultant and program developer in integrative health since 2007. As a consultant to the Integrative Health Policy Consortium, IHPC, he created and managed the initiative CoverMyCare.org to support insurance reimbursement for licensed integrative practitioners that was mandated by provisions of the Affordable Care Act. He has also consulted with the Samueli Institute, the Institute for Integrative Health and Casey Health Institute and been a contributing writer for the Altarum Institute’s Health Policy Blog, The Integrator Blog, and Integrative Practitioner. He was a pioneer in the formative years of consumer online information services and online community as Managing Editor of The Source, the online services then owned by The Readers’ Digest. Kate Tumelty Felice, M.Ed., D.Ed Professor and Coordinator of Education Programs Cumberland County College, Vineland, NJ Kate is a highly regarded advocate for child health in her roles as educator, teacher, activist and innovator. She has drafted legislation on child advocacy now in the New Jersey legislature that recommends more judiciary training and considers the longitudinal effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Through an Innovation Grant in 2017 students and educators in K-12 were trained in mindfulness, stress management, conflict resolution and wellness. She has implemented programs in elementary, high school, college, and in professional education, and she has taught on each of these levels, including 10 years in high school. She received her Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University and Masters from Seton Hall University. Kevin Berry, MD Vice President, Operations Thought Leadership & Innovation Foundation, McLean, VA Kevin is an accomplished physician, administrator, executive and researcher skilled in operationalizing innovation. His work focuses on reinventing primary care, improving community engagement, implementing policy drivers for wellness and wellbeing, and for impacting fitness, readiness, and resilience, especially in military and veteran populations. At TLI Foundation Kevin co-authored plans to transform primary care for a military treatment facility based on a trusting healing relationship between caring staff and empaneled members. His 30-year career in U.S. Navy medicine includes heading medical operations for the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, deputy commander for clinical services at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, commanding officer at Naval Hospital Pensacola, and director of operations Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical. Kim Furtado, ND Cofounder and Program Director Delmarva Wellnet, Lewes, DE Kim Furtado, N.D. is a naturopathic doctor whose practice is in Lewes, DE, where she specializes in science-based, patient focused, natural medicine. She is a co-founder of the EDEN Delmarva community sustainability initiative. As part of EDEN, in 2011 she created the school garden-based School Nutrition Agri-Culture (SNAC) program designed to establish a model for elementary school garden-based programs. She remains the SNAC program director and continues to teach in the garden at Southern Delaware School for the Arts (K-8) in the spring and fall. Kim attained her doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University in Seattle, and has a BS in Biology from George Washington University. Bonnie Gallion Teacher and Wellness Committee Chair Seaton Elementary School, Washington, DC Bonnie has worked with administrators and wellness committee members to create a healthier school community at Seaton. In 2016, the school earned the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s National Healthy Schools Gold Award for meeting stringent standards for healthy meals and snacks, getting students moving, high-quality physical and health education, and empowering school leaders to become healthy role models. Seaton is the only school in the Washington, D.C. area to have attained this award. Bonnie graduated from the University of Maryland’s School of Education and received her M. Ed in Montessori Integrative Learning from Endicott College, MA. Rakel Meir Member of the Board Marino Health Foundation, Cambridge, MA. Rakel is a corporate attorney in the R&D department at Biogen, the biotech company in Cambridge, MA. The previous 13 years she served as in-house counsel at Tufts Health Plan. She also worked for a number of years at private law firms specializing in business litigation and employment law. She has been a Board member of the Marino Health Foundation since 2013 and was a Board member of the Marino Center for Integrative Health in Cambridge until its acquisition by Mount Auburn Hospital. Rakel serves on the Board of the Central Square Theater in Cambridge, and she is a graduate of Wellesley College and Boston University School of Law. She lives in Winchester, Massachusetts with her husband and 9-year-old son. Lawrence Rosen, MD Pediatrician Whole Child Center, Oradell, NJ Larry is a pediatrician and founder of the Whole Child Center. He is the co-author of “Treatment Alternatives for Children,” an evidence-informed guide for parents interested in natural solutions for common childhood ailments. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Pediatrics at New Jersey Medical School and is a founding member and former Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Integrative Medicine. In 2015 he received AAP’s “Pioneer in Integrative Medicine” award. A graduate of New York Medical College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Larry completed his residency and chief residency in pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He received his yoga teacher certification (RYT-200) under the guidance of Ben Wisch and Denise DeLuca. He also serves on the Board of Kula for Karma. Bonnie Sakallaris, PhD, RN Vice President, Optimal Healing Environments Thought Leadership & Innovation Foundation, McLean, VA At TLI Bonnie leads a team of scientists and clinicians committed to the development and understanding of whole system approaches to health and healing and the environments that support them. Her work in Optimal Healing Environments led to the Foundation’s definition and framework for Community Wellness and Resilience. She is responsible for the translation of evidence about wellness and healing into products and services with which clients engage in practice transformation, culture and behavior change. Such healing processes are the foundation for improving performance, preventing illness, achieving and maintaining wellness, and ameliorating chronic disease. Alyssa Wostrel, MBA Executive Director Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, San Diego, CA Alyssa Wostrel is Executive Director of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, a 501(c)3 non-profit consortium committed to inter-professional education and care in order to advance the field of integrative medicine and healthcare. Previously, she held the Executive Director post with the Integrative Health Policy Consortium, a 501(c)4 policy and advocacy organization. Her corporate background includes consultant and executive positions in sales and marketing for leading homeopathic pharmaceutical manufacturers where much of her work focused on medical education. Alyssa is based in Venice, California. Alyssa is a former board member of the New Mexico Horizons National program.