President

Bree Bode, Ph.D, MPH, CHES

Bree advances health equity by conducting research activities that promote community-based solutions to public health problems related to the food insecurity-obesity paradox. She has a special interest in policy and system variables that influence food choices in various environments. Bree’s recent research efforts have been community-based in nature and considered the relationships of school food policy interpretation on program implementation, food insecurity as a proxy for structural racism, and COVID-19 and food insecurity among public school families.

Dr. Bode is part of the Michigan Fitness Foundation team serving as an Evaluation Specialist. Bree also mentors college and university students through the concepts, tenants, and constructs of research and practice through experiential learning to aid in their preparation to advance health equity in and out of the classroom. Bree has been integral in an NIH-funded project to advance policy and fruit and vegetable uptake through a prescription program, a regional evaluation effort of retail environments in Michigan funded by USDA and CSPI, as well as a multi-level nutrition evaluation of school-based environments in Michigan. ​

Dr. Bode is a graduate of Wayne State (2021) and Grand Valley State (2015) universities where she earned, respectively, her doctoral degree in Philosophy, with an emphasis on Community Health, and her master’s degree in Public Health, with an emphasis in Health Education and Promotion. Bree volunteers as a board member for the Health Equity Initiative and Kent County Food Policy Council. Bree continues to be a member of the American Public Health Association and the Society for Public Health Education. Bree has been part of GLC-SOPHE since 2015 with a short break in membership while completing her PhD. Some of Bree's favorite things are her four children, hiking, and homemade bagels with dark hot chocolate.

President Elect

Caress Dean, Ph.D., MPH

Caress Dean, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor at Oakland University. She currently serves as the Chairperson of the Department of Public and Environmental Wellness and Program Director of the Master of Public Health Program in the School of Health Sciences.

Dr. Dean specializes in chronic disease prevention and management among vulnerable populations. She has published articles and presented at state and national conferences on the impact of social determinants of health on cardiovascular health, and racial/ethnic differences in cardiovascular health among Michigan residents.

Dr. Dean received the Health Resources and Services Administration's Public Health Scholarship Program award. Through this grant, she aims to enhance the diversity of the public health workforce and prepare future public health professionals to address leading health disparities and inequities experienced by communities.

Dr. Dean is a member of multiple professional and community organizations and is the Chair of Oakland University's Interprofessional Education Task Force.

Co-Vice President & Webmaster

Catie Roman, MPH, CHES

Catie Roman serves as a substance use disorder (SUD) Health Educator at the Kent County Health Department.  She is a Master of Public Health graduate from Western Michigan University (2023). She previously completed her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science at Grand Valley State University with a concentration in health promotion (2020). 

Catie is passionate about addressing health disparities and believes education is the key to empowering individuals and communities to make informed decisions about their health. Catie's overall goal is to leverage her skills and knowledge to create meaningful, sustainable change in public health, focusing on prevention and education as catalysts for a healthier future. Previously, she served as an Environmental Health and Childhood Lead Poisoning Health Educator with the Kent County Health Department.

Her passions in public health include advancing health literacy, health equity, and SUD prevention. When she isn’t working, she spends time with her German Shepherd/Swiss Mountain dog, Rocky, and her chickens, Henrietta, Florence, Celeste, and Debra, and her Fiancé. She loves to garden and spend time outdoors. 

Co-Vice President Elect

Kaitlyn Haner, CHES

Kaitlyn (better known as Katie) serves as the Chronic Disease Public Health Educator in Newaygo County for District Health Department #10. Currently, she is transitioning into the new role of a Community Health Coordinator within the agency to oversee their recently awarded Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) cooperative agreement with the CDC.  

Katie is a 2019 graduate of Central Michigan University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Education and Clinical Exercise Science.  She enjoys being outdoors, reading various genres of books, and spending quality time with her loved ones. She lives in West-Central Michigan with her dog, Sam, the biggest baby of a Pitbull you'll ever have the pleasure  of meeting. 

Co-Vice President Elect

Padma Uppala, Ph.D, MPH

I am the Chair of the School of Population Health, Nutrition & Wellness and a professor of Environmental Health, and Environmental Toxicology. I am also the Director of Andrews University Lifestyle Medicine Clinic and Training Center. The mission of the lifestyle medicine clinic is to provide whole person care that includes the body , mind and spirit and other dimensions of health. I serve as the Director of Undergraduate Public Health Programs and the Project Director of a grant entitled “Andrews University: Developmental Education strategies for Native American and at-risk students to improve graduation rates: We make World Changers”. The goal of this grant is to improve graduation and retention rates at Andrews University. I am an excellent team player as most of my tasks involve teamwork. I have over 30 years of experience in academia and have excelled in the areas of teaching, research, and leadership as evidenced by the awards received.

Secretary and Conference Planning Secretary

Heather Alberda, BA, CSE, CSES

Heather Alberda has been a Sexuality Educator with the Ottawa County Department of Public Health for the past 21 years.  She received her BA in Criminal Justice from Grand Valley State University and recently completed the University of Michigan Sexual Health Certificate Program. Heather received her AASECT certification as a sexuality educator in 2014 and her certification as a sex education supervisor in 2021. She is one of eight certified sexuality educators in Michigan. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Administration from Grand Valley State University.  Her passion for the community, youth and sexual health has taken on many facets throughout the years. 

She began her career teaching prenatal classes and coordinating a peer education program entitled Mothers Know Best.  Her focus over the years has included STI/teen pregnancy prevention, providing parents with the power and information to encourage healthy sexual conversations as well as chairing the local sexual health coalition.  Heather’s passion lies within empowering youth and encouraging them to seek correct information about sexuality.

In 2007, Heather attended a Sex and Technology conference in San Francisco which sparked her passion of reaching youth and promoting healthy sexuality through technology.  Out of this passion grew piloted efforts on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and other texting initiatives, a Photo Voice Project that gave voice to local pregnant and parenting teens, the launch of Wear One a condom distribution campaign that now has been replicated in over 46 counties in MI and in recent years has piloted on site school STI testing. In the summer of 2017, MDHHS awarded the OCDPH grant monies to collaborate with organizations who serve farmworkers in Allegan/Ottawa County to implement sexual health education and STI testing/treatment within the migrant communities.

She is also a current member of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.  Locally, Heather is a member of GLC-SOPHE (Great Lakes Chapter).  There she has held the positions of President, Past President, Secretary and National Delegate. She has also served on the executive board and served as the secretary for the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health as well as a member of MiCASH ( Michigan Coalition of Adolescent Sexual Health)  She also has a long-standing relationship with many of the local school districts as part of their Sexual Education Advisory Boards (SEAB) assisting with data, curricula, community resources, presentations and advocating for comprehensive education.  She has also played an active role in the Allegan/Ottawa/Barry Migrant Council for more than 20 years and mostly in 2022/2023 served as the Chairperson.

In 2014 Heather had the honor of receiving the Roy R Manty Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Association for Local Public Health recognizing her for her efforts in the field of sexual health.

In the winter of 2016 Heather was also honored with a Preceptor of the Year Award given through the Masters in Public Health School at Grand Valley State University ..recognizing her work for igniting passion and inspiring young professionals.

In August 2017 Heather was recognized for her work in expanding Wear One (a condom distribution program) at the MI State STD Conference with an Outstanding Innovations Award.  Wear One now covers 46 counties in MI, including the U.P. and 3 college campuses…providing access to more than 42% of Michigan’s population.

Heather currently is an adjunct professor at Grand Valley State University, teaching in the School of Public Health.  She is also overseeing the administration of 2 state grants…one focusing on school health and the other focusing on advancing health equity within Ottawa County.

She has written for Juicebox, a sexual health app, and was recently featured in the Washington Post, and The Atlantic speaking about the 20th Anniversary of “The Care and Keeping of You” and in West Michigan Woman adding to the conversation on #metoo

National Delegate

Mark Kelley, PhD., M,Ed.

Mark is a professor in the Public Health program and former director of the School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs at Western Michigan University. Prior to coming to WMU he served in faculty and administrative roles at Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, Oklahoma State University - Tulsa, Western Illinois University, the University of Tennessee – Martin, and MidAmerica Nazarene University. His research has focused on adolescent health issues, especially alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention and HIV/AIDS prevention. His current research efforts are devoted to confirming the timeless principles of the teaching and learning process and the application of those timeless principles to creating effective learning environments.  

National Delegate Elect

Ranelle Brew, Ed.D, MS, CHES

Dr. Brew teaches as a Full Professor for the Public Health program at Grand Valley State University and serves as the MPH Program Director. Her Doctoral and double Master degrees are from Columbia University in Education and Health Sciences respectively. Her doctoral research included Adolescent Asthma Health Education in New York City public schools through collaboration between New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University.

She has worked in health care for over 28 years in various settings including clinically, within the public school system, in geriatric health, fitness, and currently in higher education. She has over 20 years of higher education teaching experience in both New York City and in West Michigan.

Dr. Brew teaches courses in Public Health Promotion and Education emphasis, as well as the Introduction to Public Health course. Teaching online is an area of expertise of Dr. Brew as she has taught, designed curriculum, and trained faculty using these technologies for the past two decades. She is the author of instructor materials for F.A. Davis Publishing for Medical Terminology, Simplified , and a children’s book entitled Healthy Days.  

Dr. Brew's current research interests include diversity pipeline programs in health professions, breastfeeding, accessibility, after-school wellness programming, and global health. As co-director, she runs an annual summer health professions camp entitled, sHaPe Camp, which has won a 2018 Hometown Health Hero Award for its pipeline and diversity impact in the community as well as the 2020 national Society for Public Health Education, Clarence E. Pearson Award. Partnered with Lowell Community Wellness, she had co-led 5+ years of after-school wellness camps for elementary students in the Lowell Public School system winning a 2021 Hometown Health Hero Award.

Dr. Brew travels annually with students on global and domestically focused public health service learning trips. She’s travelled to Nairobi, Kenya, Ghana, West Africa, Beijing, China, Tacloban City, Philippines, Manenberg, South Africa, Athens/Ikaria, Greece, and the Nicoya Coast of Costa Rica, and Sardinia, Italy with students on study abroad. Her current research is focusing on the five Blue Zones locations, studying centenarians specifically. 

Dr. Brew serves in the public health community extensively. She has served as a President for the Michigan Public Health Association (MPHA) 2013-2015 and President for the Great Lakes Chapter of the Society of Public Health Education (GLC-SOPHE) 2019, and as an active member of American Public Health Association (APHA) and social co-chair for the PHEHP section, and a national member of the Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE).

Co- Student Representative 

Taegan Byers

Taegan is a devoted advocate for health equity and human rights, driven by an avid desire to elevate healthcare standards and empower patients to navigate their healthcare journey with autonomy and knowledge. Graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience from Grand Valley State University, with minors in Political Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, she has cultivated a robust academic foundation.

Her professional journey spans from interning with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights to serving as a Violence Prevention Peer Educator, culminating in her current role in clinical and health policy research. Taegan's research interests include reproductive health advocacy, maternal and infant health disparities, and health equity policy initiatives. Taegan is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) at Michigan State University, with an emphasis on advancing maternal and infant health outcomes.

As a perpetual learner, Taegan is committed to bridging gaps in healthcare accessibility, quality, and equity. Leveraging her diverse skill set and unwavering work ethic, she actively seeks to promote lasting change within the public health community

Co - Student Representative 

Fatimah Khan 

Fatimah Khan is a Multicultural Advancement Scholar of Distinction at Central Michigan University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Entrepreneurship. She is passionate about maternal and child health and aspires to contribute significantly to this field. In recognizing the importance of health equity and aiding vulnerable populations, Fatimah believes in ensuring healthcare is accessible to all. 

Fatimah has served on the executive board for Eta Sigma Gamma - Eta Chapter, holding the positions of Secretary and currently serving as President. Additionally, Fatimah works for the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Central Michigan University where she contributes to initiatives that aim to foster an inclusive environment on campus. Outside of her campus and community involvements, Fatimah enjoys baking, traveling, and spending time with her two cats.

Co - Student Representative 

Sara Crisenbery

Sara is an avid scholar pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) at Eastern Michigan University, with a special interest in opioid addiction concerning the homeless population. Sara received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Albion College, which ignited her passion for health equity and literacy. Sara’s special interests lay in her love for veterans and the homeless community, and her dedication to protecting, serving, and aiding these vulnerable populations

through continued research, advocacy, and policy.

In her role as the graduate assistant for Eastern Michigan University College of Health Promotion, Sara has been able to educate the Greek Life community on campus on critical issues such as alcohol awareness and active bystander intervention. Continuing with these acquired skills, Sara has extended this education to the homeless community by educating them on naloxone usage and understanding policy protections under the Good Samaritan Law, to increase

the community’s confidence in being active bystanders in combating opioid overdoses.

Sara’s passion for the community is further identified by being chosen as a 2024 Schweitzer Fellow for the Detroit Chapter where she will continue the education outreach in the homeless community. When Sara is not helping in the community or advocating at a march, you can find her exploring coffee shops, discovering new cities, or spending time with her cats.

Communications and Social Media 

James Mallare, Ph.D., CHES

James is a research coordinator at Wayne State University and is passionate about promoting equitable and sustainable connections with community members, health care providers and researchers. He has a special interest in childhood and adolescent health, health policy and the professional preparation of community and public health professionals. James' current research efforts have been in coordination with SOPHE School Health and assessing the current status of health and physical education professional preparation programs throughout the country.

As an instructor at Wayne State University, Dr. Mallare enjoys mentoring undergraduate and graduate students through the concepts of public and community health and the continuous developing role of public health professionals in society. He archives this though skills-based experiential learning and providing students the opportunity to build relationships with community members. James has coordinated an NIH funded project that continues to investigate asthma in children and the biopsychosocial factors that influence their overall wellbeing.

Dr. Mallare is a Wayne State University Warrior through and through. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in education with a concentration in Community Health Education (2018), a master's degree in Community Health education (2022) and a doctoral degree with an emphasis in School Health Education (2022). James is an Associate of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, where he is presently co-chair of the social justice committee. When not flipping through the latest academic journals or writing, you can find him either in the kitchen baking or outside running with his dog.

Immediate Past President

Julia VanderMolen, Ph.D, M.S, CHES

Dr. Julia VanderMolen is an Associate Professor for the Public Health program at Grand Valley State University. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Career and Technical Education from Western Michigan University. She has an M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Grand Valley State University, an M.A. in Health Science from the University of Alabama, an M.S. in Biology from Clemson University, and a B.S. in Biology from Western Michigan University.

She received the GLC-SOPHE Honor Award in 2019 for contribution to the field of health promotion and education. Dr. VanderMolen is a recipient of the 2019 Teaching and Learning with Technology from Grand Valley State University, the 2011 Teaching Excellence Award from Davenport University, and the Blackboard Exemplary Course Award winner for online teaching in health and science in 2012 and 2014. She has presented at a number of conferences on the topic of assistive technology and accessibility as it relates to public health.

Dr. VanderMolen teaches courses in the Public Health Promotion and Education emphasis, as well as the undergraduate Public Health Concepts course. Teaching online is another area of expertise for Dr. VanderMolen as she has taught, designed curriculum, and trained faculty using these technologies for the past 24 years.

The contributions of her research are to examine the benefits of assistive technology, UD and UDL, and disabilities in public health. Additionally, Dr. VanderMolen’s recent work has included the benefits of 3D printing for the visually impaired, the concept of universal design as it relates to public health and disability policy. Dr. VanderMolen currently serves as a board member of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She is an active member of the Disability section and the Food and Nutrition section of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) and GLC-SOPHE Great Lakes Chapter, and Michigan Advocates for Healthy Checkouts.                     

Historian

Carrie Chanter, MA, MCHES

Advocacy Chair

Jodi Brookins-Fisher, Ph.D., MCHES, FESG

Jodi Brookins-Fisher, PhD, MCHES, FESG is a professor and former director in the Division of Public Health, School of Health Sciences at Central Michigan University. She currently serves on the SOPHE Advocacy Committee and Advocacy Summit Planning Committee and has been the Advocacy Committee co-chair. She also served as GLC SOPHE national delegate. Dr. Brookins-Fisher has been a President of national Eta Sigma Gamma and is the Chapter Sponsor of Eta Chapter at CMU. She also serves on the steering committee for the nonpartisan public health organization Healthy Democracy Healthy People Michigan. She is a passionate human rights activist and believes strongly in equity for all groups when it comes to accessible and affordable health care. Additionally, she feels that advocacy within the Health Education profession should be at the forefront of our current and future endeavors.

CHES/CECH Review Committee Chair

OPEN POSITION

 Membership Chair

Lauren Bizyk, MPH

Lauren Bizyk has been Membership Chair for GLC-SOPHE since 2017, and has served in a leadership role in the organization since 2013. Lauren spent the majority of her career at Oakland County Health Division, where she worked for five years. She worked in health communications and chaired the Best Start for Babies infant mortality prevention coalition and Oakland County Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force.  Lauren earned her BS from the University of Michigan with majors in English and Anthropology. She earned her MPH from University of Michigan School of Public Health's Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, with a focus on chronic disease, older adults, and people with disabilities. Lauren's favorite place to be is at the Detroit Zoo with her sons, ages 6, 4, and 1. She enjoys writing, theater, and graphic design.

 This could be you!

There is room for you to join one of our planning committees that supports the members of GLC-SOPHE by collaborating with peer committee members in tandem with the e-board so we can make our chapter thrive and our mission active. To get involved, email us at glcsophe@gmail.com with the subject line - Volunteer me!