Resources
Our Team
Kim A. Eagle, MD
Albion Walter Hewlett Professor of Internal Medicine,
Director, Cardiovascular Center, Founder, Project Healthy Schools
- Read Dr. Eagle’s Bio
- The alarming increase of childhood obesity and other preventable Cardiovascular Risk Factors compelled Dr. Kim Eagle to
contribute with a solution. Dr. Eagle is the Albion Walter Hewlett Professor of Internal Medicine and director of the
Cardiovascular Center at the University of Michigan Health System. He graduated from Oregon State University in 1976 and
from Tufts University Medical School in 1979. He completed his residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at
Yale-New Haven Hospital from 1979 to 1983 followed by research and clinical fellowships in cardiology and health services
research at Harvard Medical School and The Massachusetts General Hospital from 1983 through 1986. From 1986 to 1994,
Dr. Eagle served The Massachusetts General Hospital where he was promoted to associate director of Clinical Cardiology
and associate professor of Medicine at Harvard.
Since his recruitment to the University of Michigan, he oversees a vigorous outcomes research program focusing on quality, cost-effectiveness, use of practice guidelines in cardiovascular care, evaluation and management of acute coronary syndromes, the evaluation and management of aortic dissection, and the use of modern mathematical models to assess outcomes and risk. He maintains an active inpatient and outpatient practice and is working with colleagues in creating the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center. His outcomes research team has led quality improvement initiatives across the state of Michigan in acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and coronary angioplasty.
LaVaughn Palma-Davis, MA
Senior Director, University Health and Well-Being Services
- Read LaVaughn’s Bio
- LaVaughn Palma-Davis is currently the senior director for University Health and Well-Being Services at the University of Michigan. In this role, she provides leadership for the implementation of the MHealthy strategic plan, an ambitious collaborative effort to leverage the university’s resources to promote the health and well-being of faculty, staff, dependents and retirees and contain health care costs. Palma-Davis provides direction to over 80 employees in numerous programs and services including: wellness and risk reduction services (tobacco cessation, nutrition and weight management, alcohol management, physical activity, stress management, etc.), employee assistance programs, occupational health clinical services, ergonomics, and community health promotion outreach. Palma-Davis has over 25 years of experience in health promotion and health care administration, having served in a variety of capacities for the U-M Health System as well as for Blodgett Memorial Medical Center. She also was the project director for leadership development strategy for the Health System. Palma-Davis received her B.S. in Health Education from the University of Dayton and her master’s degree in Public Health Education from Central Michigan University.
Jean DuRussel-Weston, RN, MPH
Program Manager, Project Healthy Schools
- Read Jean’s Bio
- Jean DuRussel-Weston is a registered nurse and certified health education specialist. DuRussel-Weston earned her bachelor of science in nursing from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan. She has over 30 years of experience in public health as a public health nurse and community health education coordinator. She has also been on the faculty of Eastern Michigan University’s School of Nursing and the University of Michigan-Flint’s School of Allied Health Professions and Studies. DuRussel-Weston has presented at national conferences including the Society of Public Health Educators (SOPHE), the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, and the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICH) Annual Forum. She has also presented at the international conference, the Community-University Exposition 2008 (CUexpo 2008) Her current position at the University of Michigan Health System includes Director of Patient Education and program manager for Project Healthy Schools.
Susan Aaronson, RD, MA
Wellness Coordinator, Project Healthy Schools
- Read Susan’s Bio
- A registered dietitian and wellness coordinator, Aaronson has been working with PHS for over six years. Aaronson coordinated the PHS pilot program implementation at Clague Middle School in Ann Arbor. She leads the Detroit initiative, as PHS expands to charter schools within the city. Aaronson is on the Farm to School Collaboration committee, the Ann Arbor Public School District Wellness Team and coordinates the Free the Children clubs at the middle schools in Ann Arbor. She received a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the U-M and a master’s in Nutritional Science from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Cathy Fitzgerald, RD, MA
Wellness Coordinator, Project Healthy Schools
- Read Cathy’s Bio
- Since becoming a registered dietitian in 1995, Fitzgerald has worked in health promotion and wellness at the U-M Health System. Cathy started and continues to develop the PHS in Ypsilanti in addition working with Ann Arbor middle schools. Additionally, she enjoys doing nutrition consults for U-M employees through MHealthy, the university’s health and well-being services program. Fitzgerald has a master’s in Education Leadership with a community education emphasis from Eastern Michigan University, and undergraduate degrees in Social Science and Dietetics; additionally she has an elementary teaching certificate from Central Michigan University.
Lindsey Mitchell, MPH
Wellness Coordinator, Project Healthy Schools
- Read Lindsey’s Bio
- Lindsey Mitchell has a split appointment between Project Healthy Schools and MHealthy. She has been in her current wellness coordinator position since June of 2007 and has enjoyed the mix of programming with kids and adults. Her passion is helping people improve the quality of their lives by teaching them about healthy eating and physical activity. Mitchell received both her Bachelor of Arts in Education and her Master of Public Health from the U-M.
Carole Durgy, MSW
Wellness Specialist, Project Healthy Schools
- Read Carole’s Bio
- Carole Durgy is a part-time wellness specialist for Project Healthy Schools and has been in her position since July of 2009. She provides administrative support for PHS and supports the PHS team in a variety of other areas, from preparing ingredients for salsa lessons to coordinating supplies for health screenings. Durgy received her bachelor of science in Psychology and Social Science from Michigan State University and her master’s of Social Work from the University of Michigan.
Research Team
Caren Goldberg, MD
Pediatric Cardiologist, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
- Read Dr. Goldberg’s Bio
- Dr. Caren Goldberg is a practicing pediatric cardiologist at C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of
Michigan. Dr. Goldberg’s research work is focused in two areas: 1) improving long term outcomes for children with
congenital heart disease and 2) reducing risk of early atherosclerosis in children.
Dr. Goldberg leads the multidisciplinary Pediatric Preventive Cardiology Program where children with risk factors for early atherosclerosis are referred for consultation and treatment. While personal care is needed for some children with increased risk, Dr. Goldberg is so pleased to work with the PHS program, as it provides a means of offering benefit to a large number of children in a more efficient way than typical clinical schedules allow. Through PHS we are able to provide helpful programming to middle school students which can help them to modify their habits and to reduce their risk of early atherosclerosis. Dr. Goldberg graduated from Amherst College in 1986 and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1990. She completed residency training in Pediatrics in 1993. Her Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship training spanned from 1994-1997 after working as a pediatrician for the Indian Health Service for one year.
Roopa Gurm, MS
Analyst, Project Healthy Schools
- Read Roopa’s Bio
- Roopa Gurm has been working as an analyst for Project Healthy Schools for five years. Gurm received her bachelor’s in Biological Science from Amritsar Medical School and her master’s degree in Pharmacology from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Elizabeth A. Jackson, MD, MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine Cardiovascular Center
- Read Dr. Jackson’s Bio
- Dr. Elizabeth Jackson is an assistant professor of medicine at the U-M Health Center. Dr. Jackson graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine. After completing her internal medicine residency at Brown University’s Rhode Island Hospital, she completed a fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and a research fellowship in preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. During her research fellowship, Dr. Jackson completed a Master’s in Public Health at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. Dr. Jackson joined the U-M Health Center in 2007 where she serves as an attending cardiologist with emphasis in women’s cardiovascular health and cardiovascular prevention. She has also completed additional training at Harvard University School of Public Health in nutritional epidemiology. Dr. Jackson is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease and is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology.
Karen E. Peterson, Sc.D.
Director, Human Nutrition Program, Principal Investigator, Children’s Environmental Health Center P20 , School of Public Health, and
Co-Director, Michigan Nutrition and Obesity Research Center
- Read Dr. Peterson’s Bio
- Dr. Peterson is a professor in and director of the Human Nutrition Program at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health (UMSPH). She is the principal investigator of the UMSPH Children’s Environmental Health Center P20 and co-director of the Michigan Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (MNORC). Before moving to Michigan in 2008 to direct the SPH Human Nutrition Program, Karen Peterson directed the Program in Public Health Nutrition in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, a program she helped found in 2000. Her research focuses on: 1) bio-social and environmental determinants of intergenerational patterns of growth in mothers and children; 2) the design and evaluation of domestic and international surveillance systems and population-based interventions in low-income, multiethnic populations; and 3) validation of measures of diet and physical activity in diverse populations. While at Harvard, Dr. Peterson helped to pioneer and evaluate Planet Health and Healthy Choices, school-based, obesity-preventive interventions, which educated middle school children about nutrition, physical activity, and screen time practices. Since arriving at Michigan, Dr. Peterson has lent her experience and expertise in school-based interventions and provided input on the evaluation of Project Healthy Schools.
Tom M. Reischl, Ph.D.
Associate Research Scientist, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health
- Read Dr. Reischl’s Bio
- Dr. Tom Reischl is an associate research scientist in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at U-M’s School of Public Health. He received a doctorate in Psychology from the University of Illinois and has held previous faculty appointments at Michigan State University, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Waikato (New Zealand). In his current position, he serves at the director of evaluation for the Prevention Research Center of Michigan and conducts evaluation research studies of community-based public health programs, childhood obesity prevention programs, violence prevention programs, family support programs, consumer-controlled (self/mutual help) programs, and public-health preparedness programs.
Bruce Rogers, BS in Education
Software Developer/Consultant M-CORRP Research Projects
- Read Bruce’s Bio
- As a software developer/consultant, Rogers designs, builds and maintains websites, databases and related programs for the M-CORRP research projects. Before starting work as a consultant in 1997, he helped build the Windows release of Procite, a retail bibliographic database product. Prior to that, he spent five years building database design and project management software. Rogers began his career as a teacher, graduating from Central Michigan University in 1979. He acquired another degree in Computer Information Systems and started his programming career in 1984 at Kmart’s World Headquarters where he spent several years as a Senior Programmer.
Our Steering Committee
We appreciate the ongoing support, insight, dedication and experience of our Project Healthy Schools Steering Committee.
| Sara Aeschbach | Cyrus Farrehi | Sharon Redmer |
| Jeff Bradley | Theresa Han-Markey | Ashish Sarkar |
| Diane Carr | Andrea Highfield | Sharon Sheldon |
| Anne Cooper | Eva Kline-Rogers | Cathy Stevenson |
| Timothy Cotts | David Lahey | Maria Thomas |
| Becky Dalke | Joyce Lee | Susan Woolford |
| Melinda Davis | Lisa Marchlewicz | Marc Zimmerman |
| Ryan Davis | Karen Peterson | and the PHS team |