Our Staff, Partners and Consultants

C.T.K. Clinical Consultants, LLC
Empowering With Education!
Al Keith, BA, LRT, CRT, AE-C

Al Keith is a licensed and certified respiratory therapist. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Respiratory Therapy Program and National-Louis University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Allied Health. As a result of his Read More

PhD, PNP, AE-C
Professor, Pulmonary Medicine & Allergy
University of Missouri School of Medicine, Department of Child Health
Director, Asthma Ready® Communities; Author, IMPACT Asthma Kids© suite of asthma disease management tools for asthma control; Past President, Association of Asthma Educators; Teaching Professor, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Child Health, Pulmonary Medicine; Read More

Bernard Eskridge, MD is a board-certified general pediatrician and the Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at MU Health Care (the University of Missouri). He is also the National Environment Education Foundation Region 7 Faculty Asthma Champion and remains interested on the impacts outdoor and indoor environmental exposures have upon pediatric Read More

PhD
Senior Research Analyst, is an applied economist working in health care issues. Dr. Mishra has been involved in many projects related to Missouri Medicaid claims data for last seven years, which includes childhood asthma and obesity. In addition, Dr. Mishra is also involved in other several projects like Healthcare Effectiveness Read More

Sr. Director, Video Productions
Blake is a video producer and director for the Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) and has worked there since 1989. MSBA is a private, not-for-profit organization that helps local school boards ensure all students succeed. MSBA provides board member training, comprehensive policy support, legal assistance, superintendent search Read More

School/Physician Liaison and Asthma Educator
Washington County Memorial Hospital
Respiratory Director, Camp Catch-Ya-Breath
Christina received her Respiratory Therapy Degree from Sanford Brown College in St. Louis Missouri. She became a Registered Respiratory Therapist in 2009. Christina has demonstrated her talent as a Respiratory Therapist and Asthma Educator in Washington and Read More

Professor and Program Director for the Environmental Science Program
Director, Center for Environmental Analysis
CEO. Institute for Environmental Health Assessment and Patient Centered Outcomes

Dr. Kraemer designed and implemented the asthma home assessment and trigger reduction planning process model for the Missouri Asthma prevention and Control Program. This system was adopted by the Read More

Dr. Adrienne Ohler, is an Associate Research Professor at The Child Health Research Institute (CHRI), Department of Child Health with extensive research and teaching experience in the fields of health and applied economics and statistics. As part of her mission to enhance and increase academic activities at Child Health as Read More

Dr. Catricia Tilford, M.D. is a board-certified bilingual general pediatrician. She is also fellowship trained in pediatric urgent care medicine. She completed her medical training from University of Missouri- KC School of Medicine’s six-year combined B.A./M.D. program in 2009. She is the Asthma Champion and lead pediatrician for telemedicine services Read More

Dr. Jenna Wintemberg, PhD, MPH, CHES, is a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist, and has led cessation programs on a university campus, for a local Housing Authority, and currently at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. She is an advocate for tobacco control policies and served as Chair of Tobacco Free Missouri from Read More

PhD, MS, MA is Project Director for Asthma Ready Communities for the Department of Child Health at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. For more than thirty years, Dr. Foreman has worked as a clinical professional with health impaired children in a variety of settings including mental health centers, Read More

Dr. Shelley J Cooper founded Diversity Telehealth in 2015, a telemedicine consulting firm that specializes in bringing healthcare to underserved populations in diverse communities. Located in Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, Diversity Telehealth has formed relationships with area healthcare and civic organizations that are attempting to revitalize Read More

MS, RRT, AE-C
Health System Specialist, MO & KS
Certified Asthma Educator
ImmunoDiagnostics

Erica Forrest, MS, RRT, AE-C has worked in the field of asthma management and environmental control for over 20 years. She began her career at Children’s Mercy Hospital starting in Respiratory Therapy, and transitioning to environmental health where she worked for Read More

Helen Murphy is a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) and Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C). She serves as the Asthma Coordinator for Children’s Mercy Hospital. She has a Masters of Health Science in Healthcare Education degree from Washburn University.

I received my medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine (Class of 2000). My pediatric training (internship, residency, Chief Residency) was at the University of Missouri-Columbia Hospitals and Clinics and had the pleasure to meet and train under Dr Ben Francisco at that time. My pediatric pulmonary training Read More

BA with background in Business; Program Coordinator, Asthma Ready® Communities; Coordinator, Pediatric Sleep ECHO;

Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant, CIEC (ACAC Certification)
Certified Microbial Consultant, CMC (ACAC Certification)
Building Operator Certification, BOC
Healthy Home Specialist, HHS (NEHA Credential)

Mr. Gard has nearly 25 years of experience in the field of environmental health. He began his career in environmental laboratories, performing analyses and helping develop methods. In 2005, Luke began Read More

DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, AE-C
Dr. Melissa R. Penkalski is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Certified Asthma Educator employed by Missouri State University as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Penkalski has been working with Asthma Ready Communities for over 10 years. Initially with a CALM Asthma Grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health Read More

President of Black Health Care Coalition
City Councilmember, District Three
City of Kansas City
Leading strategic equity initiaives to engage and empower families with children who have asthma

Michelle Dickens MSN, RN, FNP-C, AE-C is a nurse practitioner and certified asthma educator. An NP since 1997, she specializes in asthma care at the Ferrell-Duncan Clinic Department of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology in Springfield, Missouri. She is the founder and coordinator of the CoxHealth Asthma Center, which works throughout Read More

RRT, AE-C, BS of Health Science
Nico is an Asthma Champion for Asthma Echo. She works at Cox Barton County Hospital in Lamar, MO where she has implemented a Childhood Asthma program. She has been a certified Asthma Educator for 10 years, a Registered Respiratory Therapist for 20 years working with Read More

Ning Haluck, MD is a general pediatrician and Director of Pediatrics at Swope Health, a federally-qualified health center in Kansas City, MO. She began her journey with Asthma Ready Communities by participating in the Impact Asthma and Asthma Care Accelerator ECHO programs in 2018. She has since represented Asthma Ready Read More

Peggy Gaddy, RRT, MBA, has served over 18 years as a manager in public health. She has served as the Coordinator for the Missouri Asthma Prevention and Control Program at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for over fifteen years. The position is responsible for the oversight of Read More

Rebecca Brown, MPA, RRT, AE-C, is a respiratory therapist and certified asthma educator. A respiratory therapist since 2001, and a certified asthma educator since 2014, she coordinates community-based asthma education delivery with schools and clinics. This coordination involves training, ongoing support, and practice facilitation to school nurses and Read More

MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CHES, CH is a graduate of the William Jewell College Baccalaureate nursing program and the University of Kansas family nurse practitioner program. Roosa is a native of Kansas City, MO’s Midtown. She has over 45 years of healthcare experience that includes her past experience as a Registered Read More

RN, FNP, PhD is a nurse practitioner and epidemiology consultant, a nurse scientist with a national cancer cooperative group, and adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri, Sinclair School of Nursing. Dr. Homan has 25+ years of experience in public health, is a former public health epidemiologist at the Missouri Read More

RRT, AE-C, RPSGT, EMT-P, CPFT, NPS
Director of Respiratory Therapy and Asthma Education
Washington County Memorial Hospital
Camp Director, Camp Catch-Ya-Breath

Tammy received her Respiratory Therapy Degree from California College for Health Sciences. She became a Registered Respiratory Therapist in 1996 and obtained her Asthma certification in 2008. Tammy has demonstrated Read More

DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC, AE-C

I am a pediatric nurse practitioner and certified asthma educator in the Pediatric Pulmonary & Allergy Division at the University of Missouri-Columbia. I have been caring for children with asthma since 2008. I am a team member of Asthma Ready® Communities, the Missouri Asthma Prevention and Control Read More

Lifelong Missouri resident
Grew up in southwest MO
College, medical school, and family medicine residency at University of Missouri in Kansas City
Career has been combination of clinical and administrative, private practice and employed.
Passion for community – serve on three local boards, currently pursuing Masters in Population Health Management, clinical volunteer at medical Read More