At-A-Glance Schedule
All events for the 2025 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health will be held at the Bismarck Event Center, Bismarck, North Dakota. Agenda is subject to change.
Monday, June 16, 2025
| 3:00 — 7:00 pm | Registration, Lower Level Lobby |
| 3:00 — 7:00 pm | Exhibitor Set-Up, Hall B |
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
| 7:00 am — 4:15 pm | Registration, Lower Level Lobby |
| 7:00 am — 1:30 pm | Exhibitor Set-Up, Hall B |
| 8:30 — 11:00 am | NDPHA Meeting, Prairie Rose Room 104 (Breakouts: Room 102 & 103) |
| 10:00 — 11:00 am | NDRHA Meeting, Prairie Rose Room 101 |
| 11:30 am — 12:30 pm | Lunch, Hall A |
| 12:20 — 12:30 pm |
Welcome & Announcements, Hall A North Dakota Governor's Office |
| 12:30 — 1:30 pm |
Keynote 1, Hall A Senator Tim Mathern, MSW, MPA, District 11, Fargo |
| 1:40 — 2:25 pm |
Session 1: Multi-System Responsiveness, Vicarious Trauma, and Missed Handoffs – How System
Changes Impact Employee Well-Being and Retention, Prairie Rose Room 101 Jason Haglund, MS, Senior Consultant, Rural Policy Partners, Story City, Iowa Renee Schulte, MA, Senior Consultant, Rural Policy Partners, Urbandale, Iowa |
| 1:40 — 2:25 pm |
Session 2: Pathways to Sustainability for Rural Labor and Delivery, Prairie Rose Room
102 Jeff Sommer, MPP, Managing Director, Stroudwater Associates, Portland, Maine |
| 1:40 — 2:25 pm |
Session 3: Workforce Development in Addiction Counseling through the Training Academy for
Addiction Professionals (TAAP): Expanding Addiction Counseling Workforce in ND, Prairie
Rose Room 103 Denise Andress, MBA, Director, TAAP/Heartview Foundation, Bismarck Missy Henke, MD, Medical Director, Heartview Foundation |
| 1:40 — 2:25 pm |
Session 4: Collaborating to Improve North Dakota's Behavioral Health Workforce, Prairie
Rose Room 104 Monica Haugen, BA, Administrator, Behavioral Health Workforce, North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) |
| 2:25 — 2:55 pm | Visit Exhibits, Hall B |
| 2:55 — 3:55 pm |
Panel Presentation – The North Dakota Multi-Partner Health Collaborative: Making North
Dakota the Healthiest State in the Nation, Hall A Grace Njau, PhD, MPH, Special Projects & Health Analytics Director, North Dakota HHS, Bismarck Sandy Tibke, MA, Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota, Bismarck Krissie Guerard, MPH, Director, Community Engagement, North Dakota HHS, Bismarck Tony Burke, BA, CCMP, Government Relations Director, American Heart Association, Bismarck Pam Gulleson, BS, Coordinator, Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota, Bismarck |
| 3:55 — 5:00 pm | Welcome Reception, Hall B |
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
| 7:00 am — 4:15 pm | Registration, Lower Level Lobby |
| 7:00 — 8:00 am | Continental Breakfast, Hall A |
| 8:00 — 9:00 am |
Keynote 2: How to Inspire and Equip New Leaders, Hall A Yanick Hicks, PharmD |
| 9:10 — 10:10 am |
Intensive 1a: Community Health Workers: Building a Workforce in North Dakota to Reduce Health
Disparities and Increase Access to Healthcare, Prairie Rose Room 101 Jacob C. Warren, PhD, MBA, Director, Center for Rural Health, Professor of Public Health, University of North Dakota (UND), Grand Forks Rebecca Quinn, MSW, Associate Director, UND Center for Rural Health, Grand Forks Gretchen Dobervich, MPH, LBSW, North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo |
| 9:10 — 10:10 am |
Intensive 2a: Strategies for Cultivating a Positive Work Culture, Prairie Rose Room
102 Jenny Holland, AND, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Unity Medical Center, Grafton |
| 9:10 — 10:10 am |
Intensive 3a: Exploring Health Equity Through Community Engagement, Prairie
Rose Room 103 Jan Stankiewicz, MS, MPH Cert., Community Health & Nutrition Specialist/Tribal Liaison, NDSU Extension, Bismarck Joy Giciro, RN, Sanford |
| 9:10 — 10:10 am |
Intensive 4a: The North Dakota Nursing Retention Study: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study and
Collaboration Between Nursing Education Programs, Healthcare Employers, and the Nursing
Workforce, Prairie Rose Room 104 Rhoda Owens, PhD, MS, BSN, RN, Associate Professor; Interim Director PhD in Nursing Program, UND College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, Grand Forks Jaci Reep-Jarmin, PhD, MSN, BSN, RN, Associate Professor of Nursing Jana Zwilling, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, Clinical Associate Professor; Director, North Dakota Nursing Research Collaborative, UND College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines |
| 10:10 — 10:45 am | Visit Exhibits/Snack Break, Hall B |
| 10:45 — 11:45 am |
Intensive 1b (Intensive 1a Continuation): Community Health Workers: Building a Workforce in
North Dakota to Reduce Health Disparities and Increase Access to Healthcare, Prairie Rose
Room 101 Jacob C. Warren, PhD, MBA, Director, Center for Rural Health, Professor of Public Health, University of North Dakota (UND), Grand Forks Rebecca Quinn, MSW, Associate Director, UND Center for Rural Health, Grand Forks Gretchen Dobervich, MPH, LBSW, NDSU, Fargo |
| 10:45 — 11:45 am |
Intensive 2b: Empowered Leaders, Empowered Lives, Prairie Rose Room 102 Yanick Hicks, PharmD |
| 10:45 — 11:45 am |
Intensive 3b: Population Health in North Dakota's Critical Access Hospitals, Prairie
Rose Room 103 Jody Ward, MS, RN, APHN, Grant Program Director, UND Center for Rural Health, Grand Forks Stephanie Everett, BS, LNHA, CEO, Mountrail County Medical Center Alyssa Zaun, RN, Quality /Risk Management/Infection Preventionist Director, Mountrail County Medical Center Samanta Harding, MSN, BSN, RN, CEO, Nelson County Health System Jodi Hovdenes, RN, President, CHI St. Alexius Health Carrington |
| 10:45 — 11:45 am |
Intensive 4b: Empowering Change: How Nurse Leaders Drive Innovation and Organizational
Change, Prairie Rose Room 104 Christine Gall, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Collette Health, Noblesville, Indiana |
| 11:50 — 11:55 am | Exhibitor Message, Hall A |
| 11:50 am — 1:40 pm | Awards Banquet Lunch – included with registration, Hall A |
| 1:40 — 2:40 pm |
Keynote 3: Rural Solutions for Rural Needs – Connecting Research and Practice, Hall
A Jacob C. Warren, PhD, MBA, Director, Center for Rural Health, Professor of Public Health, University of North Dakota |
| 2:40 — 3:20 pm | Visit Exhibits/Snack Break, Hall B |
| 3:20 — 4:05 pm |
Session 5: Bringing North Dakota Back to #1: Improving Population Health and the State Health
Improvement Plan, Prairie Rose Room 101 Mark Strand, PhD, Professor, NDSU, Fargo |
| 3:20 — 4:05 pm |
Session 6: Rural Healthcare Design: A Lifeline for Stronger Communities & Workforce,
Prairie Rose Room 102 Todd Medd, AIA, NCARB, Principal Healthcare Studio Director, JLG Architects, Fargo Erik Christenson, PharmD, MBA, CEO, Heart of America Medical Center, Rugby Mark Honzay, AIA, NCARB, Principal Healthcare Architect, JLG Architects, Fargo Helen White, AIA, Job Captain, JLG Architects, Bismarck |
| 3:20 — 4:05 pm |
Session 7: Achieving Margin Growth & Sustainability by Revolutionizing Bed Throughput &
Staffing, Prairie Rose Room 103 Cory Geffre, Executive Vice President of Hospital Operations and Chief Nursing Officer, Altru Health System, Grand Forks Lisa Johnson, DNP, Director of Specialty Services, Inpatient Nursing, Altru Health System, Grand Forks Sara Dvorak, Director of Nursing Services of Hospital Operations, Altru Health System, Grand Forks |
| 3:20 — 4:05 pm |
Session 8: Revitalizing Rural Healthcare: Innovative Strategies for Workforce Development and
Sustainability, Prairie Rose Room 104 Tracy Morton, MPH, Director of Population Health, National Rural Health Resource Center, Duluth, MN Stacy Kusler, BA, Workforce Specialist, UND Center for Rural Health, Grand Forks |
| 4:15 — 5:00 pm |
Session 9: Enhancing Public Health Through Legislative Awareness, Prairie Rose Room
101 David Brown, EdD, MLIS, MCHES, Public Health Engagement Specialist, Network of the National Library of Medicine Region 4, Laramie, WY |
| 4:15 — 5:00 pm |
Session 10: Seven Steps to Highly Successful Facility Investments in Rural Health,
Prairie Rose Room 102 Brian Haapala, MHSA, CEO, Stroudwater Capital Partners, Portland, Maine |
| 4:15 — 5:00 pm |
Session 11: Mental Health First Aid in Action: Enhancing Mental Health Awareness in North
Dakota, Prairie Rose Room 103 Judy Beck, RN, BSN, Quality Improvement Program Director, Quality Health Associates of ND, Minot Michelle Lauckner, BAN, Quality Improvement Specialist, Quality Health Associates of North Dakota, Minot |
| 4:15 — 5:00 pm |
Session 12 – Poster Session, Prairie Rose Room 104 Examining Gaps in Folic Acid Utilization in North Dakota: Insights from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2017-2022 Edwin Akomaning, MBCHB, Research Assistant at Special Projects & Health Analytics Unit, North Dakota HHS, Fargo Infant Mortality Disparities in North Dakota (2018-2022): An Analysis Using Linked Birth and Infant Death Records Mariel López-Valentín, MS, Data Analyst Division of Special Projects and Health Analytics, North Dakota HHS, Bismarck Investigation of Birthing Facility Access: Examining Disparities Among American Indian Mothers, White Mothers, Medicaid Recipients, and Privately Insured Mothers in North Dakota Cody Cooper, JD, Epidemiologist, North Dakota HHS |
Thursday, June 19, 2025
As a fundraiser for the Abused Adult Resource Center, the Dakota Conference is holding a Denim Day. We ask that everyone who wears denim on Thursday to make a donation (there is a deposit box at the registration desk) or bring an item from their wish list.
| 7:00 am — 12:30 pm | Registration, Lower Level Lobby |
| 7:00 — 8:00 am | Continental Breakfast, Hall A |
| 8:00 — 8:45 am |
Session 13: Serving Rural Communities, Collaboration of Public Health and Primary Care,
Prairie Rose Room 101 Jessica Duffy, BSN, RN, Administrator, LaMoure County Public Health Department, LaMoure Sarah Frauenberg, DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner, Family Healthcare, LaMoure |
| 8:00 — 8:45 am |
Session 14: Engaging Rural Physicians in Health Policy and Advocacy for Community
Impact, Prairie Rose Room 102 Wade Swenson, MD, MPH, MBA, Medical Director, Lakewood Health System, Staples, MN |
| 8:00 — 8:45 am |
Session 15: Stroke Recognition, Prevention, & Care: An Educational Improvement Project in
Rural Communities, Prairie Rose Room 103 Molly Murch, MSN, RN-BC, SCRN, CBIS, Stroke Program Educator, Essentia Health, Fargo |
| 8:00 — 8:45 am |
Session 16 – Poster Session, Prairie Rose Room 104 Disparities and Risk Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation Among North Dakota High School Students from 2017-2023 Miranda Griechen, BA, MPH, Graduate Assistant for North Dakota HHS, NDSU, Fargo Matt Schmidt, MPH, BRFSS and YRBS Program Coordinator, North Dakota HHS, Bismarck Postpartum Depression Screening Disparity Among American Indian Women in Urban & Rural Setting of North Dakota Asma Ul Husna, MPH, NDPQC Hospital Coordinator, UND, Grand Forks Higher Postpartum Diabetes Screening Rates Among Rural Women with Gestational Diabetes in North Dakota (2017-2021) Julianna Antwi, MPH, NDPQC Clinic Coordinator, UND, Grand Forks |
| 8:55 — 9:40 am |
Session 17: Advancing the Science: The Latest in Alzheimer's and Dementia Research,
Prairie Rose Room 101 Melanie Gaebe, MS, Director, Public Policy, Alzheimer's Association, Bismarck |
| 8:55 — 9:40 am |
Session 18: The IMPACT Program: Coal Country Community Health Center's Innovative Approach to
Provide Integrated Care in the School Setting, Prairie Rose Room 102 Amber Brady, RN, BSN, Assistant Director of Nursing, Coal Country Community Health Center, Beulah |
| 8:55 — 9:40 am |
Session 19: The North Dakota Nursing Community Apgar Project (NCAP), Prairie Rose Room
103 David Schmitz, MD, Professor and Chair, UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Grand Forks Stacy Kusler, BA, Workforce Specialist, UND Center for Rural Health, Grand Forks |
| 8:55 — 9:40 am |
Session 20 – Poster Session, Prairie Rose Room 104 Empowering Health: Evidence-Based Health Promotion Programs for a Healthier North Dakota Courtney Hoikkala, BS, Senior Learning and Development Specialist, Sanford Health, Fargo Nikki Johnson, MS, RDN, LRD, Community Health and Nutrition Specialist, NDSU Extension/University of Minnesota Extension, Fargo Community Paramedics in Action: Medication Safety and Opioid Risk Screening Program with the ONE Program Alyssa Hodges, MPH, TTS, Clinical Pharmacy Intern, NDSU, Family HealthCare, Fargo The E-Hospitalist Program in the Rural Healthcare Setting Katie Maley, AA, Nursing Supervisor, RN, CHI Oakes Hospital, Oakes |
| 9:40 — 10:00 am | Networking/Snack Break, Hall A |
| 9:55 — 10:00 am | Announcements, Hall A |
| 10:00 — 11:15 am |
Health Policy Panel: North Dakota Legislative Update, Hall A Representative Jon O. Nelson, District 11, Rugby Representative Dawson Holle, District 31, Mandan Representative Gretchen Dobervich, MPH, LBSW, District 11, Fargo Senator Judy Lee, BS, District 13, Fargo Senator Tim Mathern, MSW, MPA, District 11, Fargo |
| 11:15 — 11:20 am | 5-Minute Break, Hall A |
| 11:20 am — 12:20 pm |
Keynote 4: No Bad Days, Hall A Hunter Pinke, motivational speaker |
| 12:20 — 12:25 pm | Closing Remarks & Attendee Thank You from Abused Adult Resource Center |