Presenters' Bios - Adolescent Health: Connecting the Dots Between Data, Disparities, and Innovation

Claire Brindis, Dr.P.H., is Director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is also a Director of the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health and Executive Director of the National Adolescent Health Information Center at UCSF.

Dr. Brindis' research focuses on adolescent and child health policy, adolescent pregnancy and pregnancy prevention, adolescent health and risk-taking behaviors, reproductive health services for men and women, school-based and integrated health and social services. She co-authored a monograph on implementing the Healthy People 2010 Adolescent Health Objectives, with the CDC and the Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau and A Future with Promise: A Chartbook on Latino Adolescent Reproductive Health. She is Co-Investigator of the evaluation of California's Family PACT program, an 1115 Medicaid Waiver and evaluator of the State's Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Initiative.

Dr. Brindis has authored over 200 peer reviewed journal articles, abstracts, reports, monographs, and reviews. In 2008, with colleagues from the Center on Social Disparities in Health and the Bixby Center, she completed a short film entitled, A Question of Hope: Reducing Latina Teen Childbearing in California. She has received numerous awards, including the 2006 California's Family Planning Champion Award from the California Family Health Council, "For Vision and Commitment in Creating and Sustaining the California Office of Family Planning and the Family PACT Program" and the Healthy Teen Network Outstanding Researcher Award, "In honor of the Dedication and Leadership in the Field of Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention". Dr. Brindis received the 2009 Chancellor's Award for the Advancement of Women.

Mr. Robert Nystrom has over 30 years experience working with adolescent population in educational and clinical settings. Fifteen years of which were spent developing, leading and/or managing public health programs related to adolescent populations (ages 10-24) including: school-based health centers; coordinated school health; youth sexual health; adolescent assessment and policy; nutrition and physical activity; positive youth development. For over a decade, Robert served as the State Title V Adolescent Health Coordinator and Member of the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care Evaluation & Quality Committee. He is currently serving on the HP2020 National Adolescent Health Workgroup and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Program's Adolescent Reproductive Health Disparities Advisory Board.

Robert J. Nystrom, BS, MA, has served as the manager of the Adolescent Health Section within the Office of Family Health, Oregon Public Health Division since 2000 as well as manager of the Oregon Public Health Genomics Program since 2004. He currently is involved in a wide range of population based public health policy work related to adolescents (10-24 years of age), the development of a state-level benchmark for positive youth development (PYD) as well as managing specific programs in adolescent health such as school-based health centers (SBHCs), coordinated school health, adolescent sexual health, and nutrition and physical activity. Robert has 30 years experience working with youth, educational systems and participating in providing training, technical assistance, program and policy development at the local, state and national levels. With formal training in both science (Biology & Chemistry) and secondary education his multi-disciplinary background prior to his public health experience includes classroom teaching, school administration, community case management, and alcohol and other drug clinical treatment services. In 2003-2004 he participated in the first cohort as a scholar in the Northwest Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of Washington. Robert has served since its inception on the advisory panel for the Center on Evaluation and Quality of the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC), was a recipient of NASBHC's Volunteer of the Decade Award (2005) and in leadership roles for the National Network of State Adolescent Health Coordinators (NNSAHC) and is presently serving on the HP2020 National Adolescent Health Workgroup (2009) as well as the Sexual Health Disparities Advisory Board for the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP). Throughout his career he has authored or co-authored numerous columns, peer-reviewed articles, and reports.

Teresa Ryan served as the Student Health Center/Nursing Services Director at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf for twenty years where several adolescent health programs - including reproductive health - were initiated. Currently, as MCH Adolescent Health Coordinator, she supervises the Oklahoma Teen Pregnancy Prevention program and staff. She also works on prevention efforts related to youth depression and suicide, adolescent injury, underage drinking, methamphetamine and other drugs as well as issues related to at risk youth among others. Teresa assists in providing adolescent protocol and resources to Oklahoma's county health departments and contracted sites as well as schools and other entities throughout the state. She is the co-presenter of "Parents, Let's Talk" training-of-trainer workshops-based on the Advocated for Youth October Let's Talk program. In addition, she conducts presentations on brain development and maturation in the pre-teen and teen years, leading causes of morbidity and mortality and reasons for risk taking behaviors. The presentations also address the adolescent holistically and how parents, health and school professionals and others can assist in the goal of positive health outcomes.

Gwendolyn Winters, MHSA, LSW, CSM, is the Adolescent Health Coordinator with Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Child and Adolescent Health. In this capacity, Ms. Winters works with partners in public health, social services, mental health, education, juvenile justice, public safety, youth development, community and faith-based, disabled and transitional youth areas to raise awareness and expand services on behalf adolescents and young adults in Mississippi.

As Coordinator, Ms. Winters is responsible for the strategic vision, planning and implementation of the programmatic administration and operations of the Adolescent Health program.

She has professional interests in adolescent reproductive health, transitioning youth with special health care needs, pediatric obesity, abuse and violence prevention, health disparities, youth development, service learning, community organizing and development, program planning, and health advocacy.

She earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Social Work from Tougaloo College and was awarded a master's degree in Health Services Administration from Mississippi College. She is a Licensed Social Worker and has over twenty years of extensive experience in state government health and human services direct care, administration and management. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding achievements and leadership in public health, social services and community advocacy.

Ms. Winters has participated on numerous committees, expert panels, and task forces, which have advised national and state government agencies on health and human service policy, practice, financing, and cultural competence issues.