Project for Integrative Health and the Triple Aim (PIHTA)

About the Project

PIHTA Team/Staff Advisors

Jennifer Olejownik, PhD, MS Project Manager, Project for Integrative Health and the Triple Aim (PIHTA) 

PIHTA Advisory Team

Rick Branson, DC is a chiropractor with extensive experience working as an advisor and clinician to hospitals, insurers and health systems in Minnesota. 

Gerry Clum, DC is a long-time educator and policy leader in the chiropractic field who is presently the director of the Octagon Institute of Life University. 

Jeffrey Dusek, PhD is the director of research at the Integrative Health Research Center of the Penny George Institute at Allina Health. He was a faculty member of Harvard Medical School, where he previously was the director of Behavioral Sciences Research of the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine of Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Alex Holland, MAc, LAc is the President of Han University - School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine. In addition to managing a private practice since 1985, Alex is an experienced educator having taught at Bastyr University, the Univeristy of Arizona School of Medicine's Center for Integrative Medicine, Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and several other colleges. Alex is the author of Voices of Qi: An Introductory Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

Michael D. Levin has championed the integration of natural products into mainstream medicine to reduce costs while improving outcomes. Founder of Health Business Strategies, LLC, a consultancy, his executive experience spans decades in pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements and related healthcare industry segments. 

Sue Ellen McKelvey, PhD & Peter D Bunting are principals in Visual Outcomes, a unified healthcare information system that delivers all the processes of different healthcare specialties while empowering clinic-client relationships. 

Karen Milgate, MPP is a consultant and former Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Planning at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Research Director at the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. 

Jaquel Patterson, ND, MBA is the CFO of a Connecticut-based Federally Qualified Health Center and a member of the faculty at the University of Bridgeport School of Naturopathic Medicine. 

Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD (hc) is a pioneering author and educator in integrative health and medicine. His 1977 Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer broke new ground in connecting the mind and body in U.S. medicine and continues as a leading resource in that area today. Pelletier is a leader in examining the economic value in the field, especially to employers. He founded and for 25 years has directed the Corporate Health Improvement Program through which multiple Fortune 500 corporations are exploring wellness and integrative medicine strategies to create health and increase productivity for their employees. 

Molly Punzo, MD is an integrative medical doctor (Internal Medicine and Homeopathy) and is certified by the Institute for Health Improvement as an Improvement Advisor. She has served as Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer and is currently Medical Director and Physician Advisor for Case Management and Care Coordination for Maine Medical Center. She does consulting work for numerous hospitals and healthcare organizations throughout the US. Molly is a point person for the PIHTA advisory team. 

Melinda Ring, MD is medical director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She also serves on the executive committee of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers in Integrative Medicine, a group of national academic centers whose mission is to transform health care in the field of integrative medicine. Dr. Ring was named one of Chicago's 100 Women of Influence by Today's Chicago Woman magazine in 2013 and is the author of The Natural Menopause Solution. 

Michell Hay is a principal in the Portland, Oregon-based The CHP Group, a leading provider of integrative health services to insurers, employers and managed care organizations. 

Sherri Tenpenny, DO is an integrative physician who serves as director for integrative medicine services for the Fortune 200 firm Parker Hannifin. 

Bill Updyke, DC has practiced chiropractic since 1985. He has been in private practice, worked as Clinical Professor at Palmer College of Chiropractic West and, for the last six years, has worked at an integrated Patient Centered Medical Home at Cisco Systems in San Jose. He manages the Physical and Complementary Medicine team that includes acupuncturists, chiropractors and physical therapists. 

Bill Walter, ND is a naturopathic physician practicing adult primary care at a Eugene, Oregon-based Federally Qualified Health Center, seeing mostly Medicaid patients managed by a Coordinated Care Organization, and has chaired the local CCO chronic pain management committee. He also maintains a small, private naturopathic practice. 

James Whedon, DC, MS is Director of Health Services Research at SCU Health System, Southern California University of Health Sciences. Previously, he was a consultant with Integrative Health Services Research, a Health Care Research Analyst for the Accountable Care Organization associated with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and instructor at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.