LINC External Advisory Council

Amy V. Blue, Ph.D., is the Associate Vice President for Interprofessional Education – UF Health, and Clinical Professor in Environmental and Global Health in the College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University of Florida (UF). She earned her doctorate in Anthropology (Medical) from Case Western Reserve University. Prior to her arrival at UF in 2013, Dr. Blue had founded the interprofessional education program at the Medical University of South Carolina and served as the Assistant Provost for Education at the institution. Dr. Blue has been engaged in health professions education for over 20 years, having implemented and directed educational programs involving students from multiple health professions, such as medical, dental, biomedical science, pharmacy, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and public health.

Dr. Blue has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in the medical and health professions education literature and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Interprofessional Care, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice. She was a member of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Expert Panel that wrote the original Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. She was a co-founder of the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative (AIHC) and is presently a Board member for the organization. In 2018, she received the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA) Career Educator Award. ×

Barbara Brandt, Ph.D., M.Ed., FNAP, is the founding director of the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, a public-private partnership established at the University of Minnesota in 2012. Renowned for her work in health professional education, and specifically, interprofessional education and continuing education, she held senior leadership roles at Minnesota as the associate vice president for education and statewide director of the Minnesota Area Health Education Center. Dr. Brandt has served as a consultant, advisor and speaker for a wide variety of organizations such as the National Academy of Medicine Global Forum on Innovations in Health Professions Education, the National Quality Forum, the Academy of Healthcare Improvement, the American College of Physicians, the National Center for Complex Care and Social Needs, the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Medical Association as well as numerous universities and health systems.

Dr. Brandt holds a bachelor of arts in the teaching of history from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master of education and doctor of philosophy degrees in continuing education (specializing in continuing professional education for the health professions) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2013 she was recognized as a University of Illinois Distinguished Alumna. She completed W.K. Kellogg Foundation-sponsored post-doctoral fellowship for faculty in adult and continuing education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Primary Care Fellows. ×

Anthony Breitbach, Ph.D., ATC, FASAHP, is a tenured Professor and serves as Interim Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics as well as the Director of the Athletic Training (AT) Program in the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University (SLU). A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Dr. Breitbach received a B.S. from the University of Iowa (1985), Master’s degree from the University of Florida (1987) and a Ph.D. from SLU (2007). He served on the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Executive Committee for Education, where he played an active role in the development of the “Future Directions of Athletic Training Education” recommendations which were approved by the NATA Board of Directors in 2012. Dr. Breitbach served as a coordinator for the Interprofessional Education and Practice in Athletic Training Work Group for the NATA; where he was first author of “Interprofessional Education and Practice in Athletic Training”; which was awarded the Athletic Training Education Journal’s Outstanding Manuscript for Advancing Educational Practice Award in 2015.

Tony is the NATA’s liaison to the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP). He is an ASAHP Fellow and chairs their Partnerships, Alliances and Advocacy committee, their Interprofessional Task Force as well as representing them on Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) council. He serves as Secretary-Historian and is on the Advisory Board of the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative (AIHC). He is on the Steering Committee for InterprofessionalResearch.Global; is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Interprofessional Care; is a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and serves as Public Member on the CAE Commission of the American Society of Association Executives. ×

Alan Dow, M.D., MSHA, is the Ruth and Seymour Perlin Tenured Professor of Medicine and Health Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University. He directs the Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care through which over 2000 learners and 100 faculty participate in interprofessional programs annually. He is also President and CEO of UHS-PEP, his institution’s continuing education enterprise, which produces and credits thousands of hours of programs each year. In both of these roles, he seeks to translate needs defined by practice and the community into high-quality educational programming that advances health services and improves health. He has been supported in this work with funding from the Josiah H. Macy, Jr Foundation as one of the inaugural class of Macy Faculty Scholars, a highly competitive national program focused on developing the next generation of educational leaders. In addition, he has been funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and several foundations.

Alan is the author of The Handbook of Interprofessional Practice: A Guide for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Care, the first comprehensive textbook for interprofessional education as well as numerous articles, book chapters, and abstracts. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Interprofessional Care and the Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice. A practicing internist, Alan attended medical school at Washington University and completed residency in internal medicine and a health administration degree at VCU. ×

Tina Patel Gunaldo, PhD, DPT, MHS, is the inaugural Director for the Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at New Orleans (LSUHSCNO). She is a physical therapist by training, graduating in 1996 from LSUHSCNO. While increasing her administrative responsibility in a hospital-based rehabilitation center, she earned a Master in Health Science (2000) focused in education from LSUHSCNO, and a Doctor in Physical Therapy (2005) from Boston University. She joined LSUHSCNO in 2006 and graduated with a Ph.D. in Public Service Leadership, Health Care Administration from Capella University in 2012.

In her current role, Dr. Gunaldo supports all interprofessional learning experiences, including a required two-year longitudinal curriculum embedded within 19 academic programs for first and second year students. In addition to presentations and publications, she serves on the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative Scholarship Committee, the Louisiana Immunization Workgroup supporting a collaborative approach to increasing immunization rates, as well as contributes to the development of the Louisiana Area Health Education Center’s (AHEC) Scholar curricular program. Dr. Gunaldo is the co-editor in chief for the Health, Interprofessional Practice and Education journal and is a co-editor for the textbook Interprofessional Education and Collaboration: An Evidence-Based Approach to Optimizing Health Care. Most importantly, Dr. Gunaldo is supported by a wonderful team of faculty, who have supported and/or integrated IPE into their academic practice. ×

Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2014. Formerly the Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Transformation at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Trautman has held clinical and administrative leadership positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. She also served as the Vice President of Patient Care Services for Howard County General Hospital and as Director of Nursing for Emergency Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has held a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Trautman received a B.S.N. from West Virginia Wesleyan College, an M.S.N. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in health policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She has authored publications on health policy, intimate partner violence, pain management, clinical competency, change management, cardiopulmonary bypass, the use of music in the emergency department, and consolidating emergency services.

Since her appointment at AACN, Deb has been asked to join a number of high-profile boards and advisory groups. The Secretary of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Special Medical Advisory Group (SMAG), which advises the VA Secretary on matters related to healthcare delivery, research, education, training of healthcare staff and planning on shared care issues facing VA and the Department of Defense. In addition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) named her program director of the New Careers in Nursing project, and her colleagues with the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) elected her to serve as Chair as of 2019. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Research! America, and on the Joint Commission’s Chief Nurse Executive Council. Dr. Trautman has served as an advisory board member and past chair for Academy Health’s Interdisciplinary Research Interest Group on Nursing Issues. Dr. Trautman is a 2007/2008 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow who worked for the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. ×

Richard Valachovic, DMD., is President Emeritus of the American Dental Education Association and a Visiting Scholar at the New York University College of Dentistry. Dr. Valachovic is widely recognized for his leadership in the dental and health professions education communities. He began his career at Harvard University in 1982 where he served on the faculty, as Dean for Clinical Affairs at the School of Dental Medicine and as Chief of Dentistry at Harvard University Health Services. He was a pioneer in designing treatment approaches to HIV/AIDS patients and the development of standard precautions in dental practice. He participated in multiple federally-funded research projects focused on quantitative clinical decision analysis.

Dr. Valachovic started the second chapter of his career as the Chief Executive Officer of the American Dental Education Association, serving for more than 20 years in the position. Through his leadership, it became the preeminent advocate for academic dentistry, including predoctoral, allied dental and advanced dental education throughout the United States, Canada and beyond. A mantra he embraced early in his tenure at ADEA, “Relentlessly Pursue Strategic Alliances!” was the foundation for ADEA’s successful relationships throughout the health professions and higher education communities benefiting dentistry and enhancing the prominence of dental education. He was a founding member of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC), serving as its president and chair of the Board of Directors. Known for his presentation skills, he was a commencement or white coat ceremony speaker more than 45 dental schools. Dr. Valachovic is an author of more than 150 articles, book chapters and manuscripts, and a 14 year blog series entitled “Charting Progress.” Dr. Valachovic received his D.M.D. degree from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine and subsequently completed Harvard-affiliated residency training programs in pediatric dentistry, dental public health, and oral and maxillofacial radiology. He obtained the M.P.H. and M.Sc. degrees from the Harvard School of Public Health. ×

Peter H. Vlasses, PharmD, DSc(Hon), FCCP, is Executive Director Emeritus, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. He retired from ACPE, the national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education and the evaluation and certification of professional degree programs internationally, in 2019 after 20 years of service. Dr. Vlasses received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (PCPS) and completed a residency in hospital pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. PA. While at ACPE, he helped organize and currently serves as the convener of the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative and serves as the HPAC representative on the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCCLE). Prior to his position at ACPE, his professional experience included service as a clinical faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and PCPS as well as a research associate professor of medicine and pharmacology, Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He served as associate director, Clinical Practice Advancement Center, and director, Clinical Research & Investigator Services, University Health System Consortium in Oakbrook, Ill.

Dr. Vlasses is a founding member, fellow and past president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). His awards include the Russell R. Miller Award from ACCP in recognition of sustained and outstanding contributions to the biomedical literature, the ACCP Service Award, the PCPS Alumnus of the Year Award, the Cynthia Davenport Award for exemplary service to the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, and an honorary doctor of science degree from Mercer University, Atlanta, Ga. More recently, he is a co-recipient of the Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award from the Board of Pharmacy Specialties, the recipient of the Inaugural Esteemed Collaborator Award from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the Board of Directors Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Pioneer Award. ×