Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Public Health in the Rockies 2026

7:00am MDT

Registration Main Lobby

8:30am MDT

Building Policy Power Through Community and Municipal Partnerships Castle Peak 1 & 2Vannesa Cruz • Leslie Levine • Trevor Vaughn Fundamentals of Survey Design Castle Peak 3 & 4Sara Cooper • Theresa Mickiewicz Leadership Is Everyone's Work: Building Healthy Organizational Cultures Crestone 4Ailala Kay • D.J. Whetter Stronger Together Through Story: Data Storytelling for Rural Public Health Crestone 2Heidi Berthoud Motivational Interviewing for Vaccine Uptake & Other Health Behaviors Grays Peak IISarah Waraniak, MPH Finding Your Voice in Public Health Policy Advocacy & Communication Grays Peak IIIEfren Garcia • Alexandra Kellogg • Allison Howe • Amy Pitlik and Lyn Riebel Systems Thinking in Action: A Public Health Teamwork Simulation Grays Peak IReesie Roland • Michelle Colarelli • Kimberly Indovina, MD • Elshimaa Basha • Erika Freitas Turning Community Voice and Local Data into Public Health Action Torreys 1 & 2Nicole Zwick • Shannon Pray Cultivating Equity and Empathy in Public Health Practice Torreys 3 & 4Kate Okojie Colorado Immersion Training: Building Capacity in Community Engagement Crestone 1Kaylee Rivera Gordon • Montelle Tamez Communicating Public Health in Complex and Contested Spaces Crestone 3Halley Pucker

10:00am MDT

Exhibit Hall & Silent Auction Main Lobby

10:15am MDT

Crisis as a Catalyst: How Outbreak Response Shaped Our Culture and Capacity Castle Peak 1 & 2Grace Nelson Denver's CHA: Leveraging Tech & Innovation for Community-Driven Results Castle Peak 3 & 4Paige Andrews • Nathan Keffer The AI Remix Lab: Practical AI Skills for Real Public Health Work Crestone 4Holen Hirsh • Ailala Kay Beyond the Checklist: Building Internal Motivation in Youth Crestone 2Rhonda Jo • Cade Conger Holding the Line: Practice, Care, and Sustainability in Public Health Grays Peak IIKay Emerson Crafting Narratives for Health Policy Change Grays Peak IIIAlison Reidmohr AI in Public Health: Prompting, Verification, and Practice Grays Peak IMolly Gutilla • Shelbi DesJardin • Dannon Cox • Umit Shrestha Science, jargon, and equity: why clear info is critical to public health Torreys 1 & 2Kristy Richardson Embedding Youth as Partners: Building a Roadmap for Youth Engagement Torreys 3 & 4Stephanie De Jesus Ayala • Alyssa Gatto • Stacey Adimou Kpossi • Michael Mattiucci • Vivian Thompson From Self-Care to Co-Care: The Science and Skill of Co-Regulation Crestone 1Kate Follett • Carrie Hankins Just Picture It! An Introduction to a Systems Thinking Tool Crestone 3Sarah Davis

11:30am MDT

Collecting and linking hospitals’ publicly available data to CO APCD Castle Peak 1 & 2Asmita Ghimire Firearm Access Among Rural American Indian/Alaska Native Youth in Colorado Castle Peak 3 & 4AbbyLynn Wilhelm Leveraging Local Partnerships to Enhance Colorado Private Well Stewardship Crestone 4Ian McKinzey Measuring Impact, Not Just Outcomes: A Toolkit for Co-Response Evaluation Crestone 2Stacey McClellan • Jenna Mathews Routine Syphilis, HIV, and HCV Testing in CSH Denver Emergency Departments Grays Peak IIJessica Chavez • Andrew Salter • Makayla Sinness Enhancing Healthcare Disaster Readiness Through Regional PH Partnerships Grays Peak IIICaroline Persson Colorado EnviroScreen Version 3.0: Development and Public Outreach Report Grays Peak IRani Kumar HPV Vaccine Communication for Non-Clinicians in A Primary Care Setting Torreys 1 & 2David Higgins • Elisha Lehrhoff Stronger Together: Building Colorado’s Rural Public Health Workforce Torreys 3 & 4Molly Gutilla • Ned Calonge • Dannon Cox A Social Return on Investment Study of a Perinatal Substance Use Initiative Crestone 1Julia Simhai • Amber Johnson Precision Public Health: Mapping Medicaid Shortages with the V2SFCA Model Crestone 3Laura Thompson

12:00pm MDT

Opening Keynote & Lunch Buffet Columbine BallroomDr. David Rojas-Rueda PhD

1:45pm MDT

Beyond the Press Release: Building Trust Through Public Health Podcasting Castle Peak 1 & 2Kenzie Hardy • Joanna Rojewski • Kori Solt • Jennifer Wolfe-Kimbell The Power of Purposeful Partnerships Crestone 4Kelly Caldwell • Laura Larson Using Family Voice to Strengthen Coordinated Public Health Approaches Castle Peak 3 & 4Aurora Ramirez • Felicia Cain Answering the Call: 988 Colorado Data, Trends, and Insights Crestone 2Lauren Gant • Jeff Proctor • Chloe Rekow Prevalence of Critical Congenital Heart Defects in CO Compared to the U.S. Grays Peak IIAshley Juhl TRAC Dashboard: Maximizing Tobacco Data Availability to Inform Local Change Grays Peak IIILaura Thompson • Scott Schulle Community Resilience and Public Health Lessons 5 years post-Marshall Fire Grays Peak IKatherine Dickinson • Hannah Walters Katherine • Jacqueline Laundon • Colleen Reid Skip the Hit: Youth as Public Health Partners in Media Campaign Development Torreys 1 & 2Susan Westhof • Lisa Long • Rebecca Ludwigsen More Than Words: Advancing Language Justice in Public Health Systems Torreys 3 & 4Marina Canavoso • Lubna Ahmed • Tonya Johnson • Cristabel Rojo Participatory Mapping as a Tool for Strengthening Food Systems Evaluation Crestone 1Young Mi Cho • Alice Douglas • Lindsay Senter Reclaiming Purpose: A Reflective Ritual for Public Health Leaders Crestone 3Kate Okojie

3:00pm MDT

Addressing the Unmet Need of People with IDD From The Colorado DD Council Crestone 4Yadiel Tesfaye Building Community Health Capacity Through Long Term Engagement Partnership Castle Peak 1 & 2Mary Fisher • Kaylee Rivera Gordon • Donald Nease • Montelle Tamez Generating Shared Insights from HealthSpace with Power BI Reporting Castle Peak 3 & 4Poorva Reddy Vanga Improving CO Birth Outcomes: Physiologic Labor and Trauma-Informed Training Crestone 2Sydney Comstock Strengthening Public Health Measurement through Factor Analytic Methods Grays Peak IIJessy Jiao • Erica Clarke Reconnecting with CDPHE's Open Data website: Maps, Local Data and More! Grays Peak IIIVishnu Panicker • Devon Williford Nothing About Us Without Us: Why Youth Voices Matter in Tobacco Education Torreys 1 & 2Destini Hall • Maria Macias Colorado County Profiles: Local Data for Community Health Planning Torreys 3 & 4Sarah Ford Healthy Kids, Stronger Futures: Transforming Substance Use Prevention Crestone 1Caroline DeWitt • Haley Witt • Leah Raffa • Haley Figueroa Strengthening Local Data Capacity: Shared Tools & Technical Assistance Crestone 3Samie Stephens • Shelbi DesJardin

3:45pm MDT

Collaboration That WORKS: A New Health Systems & Public Health Partnership Castle Peak 1 & 2Sarah Mauch • Monica Rivera-Rojas Design Your Own Flourishing Fest: A Practical Framework Crestone 4Kristen Daly • Krista Fruehauf Policy and Communication Reponses to Changes in Immunization Policy Castle Peak 3 & 4Ned Calonge • Neeloofar Soleimanpour Men’s Mental Health: Education and Policy to Address a Public Health Crisis Crestone 2Jason Vitello • Greg Bushmann • Steven Rissman Identifying Gaps in Measles Immunity Using a Clinical Decision Support Tool Grays Peak IICydney Jardine PM Exposure at School Athletic Fields and Childcare Centers in Utah Grays Peak IIITristalee Mangin Building Community Resilience: A Feasibility Study of Low-Cost Air Cleaners Grays Peak INaomi Perlman Beyond Delivery: Improving Postpartum Care in Medicaid Through Partnership Torreys 1 & 2Mikayla Branz • Alondra Munoz Empowering Access: Transforming Mobile Healthcare Delivery in Colorado Torreys 3 & 4Lauren Brown Syringe Access Program Point-in Time (PiT) Survey Crestone 1Tinuke Laguda Primary Care Readiness for Long COVID Care in Colorado Crestone 3Elena Broaddus

4:15pm MDT

Opening Reception: Sunset Socializing, Sips, & Snacks Red Cloud & Shavano

7:00am MDT

Audiobook Walking Club Meet at RegistrationKathryn Van Iderstine Birding TBAKjestine Woods Nature as Medicine: The Power of Forest Bathing for Wellbeing Promotion Meet at RegistrationDr. Jenn Leiferman, PhD • Dr. Charlotte Farewell, PhD, MPH Running Activity TBAGlen P. Mays

8:00am MDT

Breakfast Buffet Columbine Ballroom Exhibit Hall & Silent Auction Main Lobby Registration Main Lobby

8:45am MDT

Poster Presentation & Judging Red Cloud & Shavano A Student-Led Toy Drive: Program Evaluation and University Belonging Red Cloud & ShavanoMadison Gremillion • Sarah Jackson • Cesar Rosales Cordova • Abigail Lister • Hannah Wilson Accreditation In Action: Exploring PHAB’s Tools, Services, and Impact Red Cloud & ShavanoMeredith Langfritz Alcohol in rural Colorado – Impacts and Possible Interventions Red Cloud & ShavanoWilliam Burman • Ruth Horn • Julia Stulkin • Amy Wineland Awareness of Ordinances to Restrict Sales of Flavored Nicotine Products Red Cloud & ShavanoJill Bednarek • Sara Cooper Beyond Compliance: Building Action-Oriented CHA/CHIP Processes Red Cloud & ShavanoRobyn Odendahl • Caitlin Loyd Building Momentum for Statewide Change: Flavored Tobacco Policies Red Cloud & ShavanoJodi Radke Data Management & Team Engagement within a Natural Disaster Working Group Red Cloud & ShavanoHannah Walters Distance Traveled for Maternal Healthcare and Birth Outcomes in Colorado Red Cloud & ShavanoTatum Lowenberg Epidemiology of Invasive and Noninvasive Carbapenem-Resistant Infections Red Cloud & ShavanoKarlie Hoetzer Evaluating Community-Driven Overdose Prevention Red Cloud & ShavanoErica Clarke Health is Relationships: A Social Networks Study in Diverse Communities Red Cloud & ShavanoPaulina Erices Ocampo Helicobacter Pylori Transmission: Implications for Public Health Red Cloud & ShavanoKathleen Hall • Sean Emmons Key Functional Drivers of Coalition Motivation to Build Resilient Programs Red Cloud & ShavanoMirella Castañeda Launching Ahead: Using CFIR to Fast Track a Needs Assessment Red Cloud & ShavanoBrittany Cangialosi • Tashina Lemons Linkage to Hepatitis C Treatment Red Cloud & ShavanoSarah Miller • Erin Bredenberg Live Training: Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship Red Cloud & ShavanoFrankie Lupercio Malnutrition Among People with Tuberculosis at Urban Public Health Clinic Red Cloud & ShavanoJosiah Tharp Medicare Advantage Use and Spending vs. Traditional Medicare in Colorado Red Cloud & ShavanoKimi Landry No-show Appointments: Identifying Gaps and Opportunities for Intervention Red Cloud & ShavanoAshley Bader Priority groups for public health interventions in Larimer County Red Cloud & ShavanoSami Ullah Khan Bahadur Safety, Sustainability & Savings: One Sharps Container at a Time Red Cloud & ShavanoTalitha Appel • Jessica Gomez The Effect of CAP Laws on Firearm Storage in US Households with Children Red Cloud & ShavanoCiera Causey • Delwin Maben Trust, Engagement, and Health Communication in Digital Health Communities Red Cloud & ShavanoHappy Phatak War and the Pets of Ukraine Red Cloud & ShavanoJon Geller, DVM, DABVP emeritus, MPH

9:00am MDT

Poster & Exhibitor Showcase Red Cloud & Shavano

9:30am MDT

Advancing Youth Vaping Prevention and Cessation Interventions Castle Peak 1 & 2Sedona Allen Moreno • Becky Bloedow • Josh Cockroft Creating Clean Air Schools through Youth Participatory Action Research Crestone 4Lexi Nutkiewicz Randomized Care Navigation Intervention for Latent Tuberculosis Infection Grays Peak IIKate Kurlandsky Beyond Frequency: Cannabis Exposure Frameworks for Colorado Grays Peak IIIMargie Day Hidden in Plain Sight: Lead Exposure Sources in Colorado Homes Grays Peak IAmelia Sanchez Evaluating MSU Denver's Inclusive Peer Health Ed Program in Denver Schools Torreys 1 & 2Erin Seedorf • Victoria Small Following Up on Food Insecurity: what happens after screening and referral? Torreys 3 & 4ELIZABETH BELL • ANDREA Nederveld One Health Mobile Outreach: An Innovative Model for Community Health Crestone 2Jon Geller, DVM, DABVP emeritus, MPH STEP in Colorado: Developing a Statewide Fall Prevention Initiative Crestone 1Christie Hartman • Rachel Lockwood Creation of a Public Health Curriculum for the APP Learner: Crestone 3Julianne Randlemon • Eleanor Walker

10:15am MDT

Sharing Power for Better Data & Relationships: CDPHE's Baby & You Program Castle Peak 1 & 2Chelsea Walker-Mao Using Cumulative Impact Analysis to Advance Environmental Justice Crestone 4Meghan Guevara Building Regional Networks to Address Public Health Concerns Crestone 2Robyn Hacker • Derek Noland Test Yourself Colorado: Addressing STIs through at-home self-testing Grays Peak IITennessee Salcedo Hernandez Dental Cost and Utilization in Colorado: Insights from the CO APCD Grays Peak IIIClare Leather • Lucía Sanders BREATHE: Advancing Equity in Pediatric Environmental Asthma Care Grays Peak IClare Burchenal Assessing Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Content Delivered in K-12 Public Schools in Colorado Torreys 1 & 2Rose Grose • Umit Shrestha • Kelly DeBie The Wellbeing of Place: Results from Colorado's Rural Health Equity Report Torreys 3 & 4Beck Furniss • Meredith Davis, M.S. Colorado SEOW 2026 Regional Profiles: Local Data for Community Action Crestone 1Angela Castillo • Lauren Gant Together Change the Narrative: A Rural Colorado Stigma Reduction Initiative Crestone 3Claudia Amura • Kim Gonzales

11:00am MDT

Preparing the Dental Workforce for HPV Vaccination: Student Perspectives Grays Peak IIKelsey Straw Urban Heat, Ozone, and Asthma Disparities in NYC: A Multiscale Analysis Grays Peak IIHuanchun Huang Examining Stigmatizing Language in K-12 State Sex Education Laws in CO & AL Grays Peak IIIKJ Walker For The Youth, By The… Adults?: Youth-Driven Substance Use Programming Grays Peak IIIAllison Hine • Rowan Addressing Psychological Birth Trauma: A Call to Action Grays Peak IChelsea Walker-Mao Bridging the Gap: Education and Resource Access to Address Period Poverty Grays Peak IKylie Turner Enhancing HRQOL & Patient Activation: A Health Promotion Program Evaluation Torreys 1 & 2Jessica Campion From Crisis to Connection: Building a medical clinic in a navigation center Torreys 1 & 2shawn marzan Stronger Together: Engaging French-Speaking African Communities Torreys 1 & 2Adeyemi OKE A Multi-Sector Communication Strategy for Functional Neurological Disorder Torreys 3 & 4Janelle Posey All in This Together: Strengthening Local Data Through Partner Support Torreys 3 & 4Maya Swanson Data Outputs Inform. Humans Decide: Decision Intelligence in Public Health Torreys 3 & 4Lucy Funk

12:00pm MDT

Lunch Buffet Columbine Ballroom

12:15pm MDT

Panel Speakers: Stronger Together - Community Voices in Public Health Columbine BallroomDaniel Oxendine • Dawn Owens Robinson, MD • Kimberly Chambers • Selina Lujan de Albers

2:00pm MDT

Community-Based Organizations in Public Health and Supportive Partnerships Crestone 4Gabriel Mansfield • Benjamin Robb Riders on the Storm: Co-evaluating Health Equity Programming with Grantees Castle Peak 1 & 2Dr. Anne Hill • Dr. Cyril Bennouna Expanding Access: On-Site GC/CT Testing in Rural Public Health Crestone 2Hannah Wynd • Eliza Buyers Examining the Association Between Long COVID and Medical Gaslighting Grays Peak IIKate Schinkel Building the Table Before You Need It: Lessons in Cross-Sector Partnership Grays Peak IIIEmily Bash • Emma Kett • Anjali Prasertong Heavy Metals in Groundwater: Predicting Risk to Prioritize Well Sampling Grays Peak IAlan Costello • Aki Suzuki The Lead on Lead: Educating Providers, Improving Competence Torreys 1 & 2Amanda Otamendi Political Stress and Health Care Access Among Spanish-Speaking Immigrants Torreys 3 & 4Gerardo Silva-Padron Colorado Alcohol Impacts Coalition Crestone 1JK Costello • Bill Burman What Profits the People? Applying Business Strategy to Increase Utilization Crestone 3Lucy Funk

2:45pm MDT

AI in Public Health: Ethics, Bias, and Community Trust Crestone 4Kate Okojie The Human–Animal Bond in SDoH: Determinant & Moderator Castle Peak 1 & 2Anna Stout Advancing LGBTQ+ Data: The Journey and the Partnerships that Make it Happen Crestone 2Sara Torres • Lindsey Whittington • Ash Neufeldt Quantifying the ROI of Multisector Partnerships: Networks & Econometrics Grays Peak IIGlen Mays From Shade to Policy: A Cross-Sector Skin Cancer Prevention Model Grays Peak IIISara Tabatabaie • Tori Bloom • Elisha Lehrhoff Strengthening Evidence Synthesis Through Hybrid AI-Assisted Workflows Grays Peak IMelanie Luu Stronger Together Through Shared Risk and Protective Factors Torreys 1 & 2Samantha Decker • Madison Soukup Community-Based Suicide Prevention in Colorado Torreys 3 & 4Dymond Ruybal • Tate Steidley • Katherine Harvey Quantifying connection: Meeting needs for data on isolation and loneliness Crestone 1Raissa Huntley • Maya Swanson • Carter Vogel The Barriers Add Up: Affordability Findings from a Community Health Survey Crestone 1Raissa Huntley • Maya Swanson • Carter Vogel Connected Care Coordination for Workforce and Community Access Crestone 3Cathy Junda

4:00pm MDT

Advancing Community Psychiatry via a Consultation-Training Feedback Loop Crestone 4Rachel Kollin • Benjamin Clark, MS • Thida Thant, MD • Will Payne, MHS Polling: A Strategic Tool for Public Health Policy Change Castle Peak 1 & 2Jodi Radke • Chris Keating • Spencer Keating Healthy Kids Colorado Survey and AI/AN Oversample Project Crestone 2Emily Newman • Michael Sam • Fran Taffer Measles and more: Denver’s local response and perspective Grays Peak IIJillian Crews Breastfeeding Support via Community-Trained Telephone Specialists Grays Peak IIILupe Zarate Power of Partnership: Evaluating outreach to support private well users Grays Peak IErin Looney • Aki Suzuki Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Partners & Centralized Systems to Address SDoH Torreys 1 & 2Laura Shek Pathways to Equity: Addressing SDOH in Rural Colorado Torreys 3 & 4James Kuemmerle Demonstrating a New Dashboard of Motor Vehicle Crashes in Colorado Crestone 1Julia Stullken • Mandi Burcl Food Insecurity Experiences and Beliefs Among Colorado Healthcare Workers Crestone 3Elena Broaddus

4:30pm MDT

Incline & Power Hair Trail Hike Meet at RegistrationChristine Demont The Well of Being: Yoga, Meditation, & Art Meet at RegistrationLilly Scheibelhut

8:00am MDT

Silent Auction Main Lobby Breakfast Buffet & Awards Columbine Ballroom Registration Main Lobby

9:15am MDT

Stronger Together: Assessment as a Catalyst for Community Engagement Crestone 2Heidi Berthoud Suicide in Colorado: An Overview Torreys 3 & 4Jon Geller, DVM, DABVP emeritus, MPH Beyond Modernization: Connecting Data, Programs, and Communities Grays Peak IIGabriela Reyes EMS Readiness and Financial Sustainability: Challenges and Innovations Grays Peak IIIAmy Downs • Christine Buttorff Resilient but Unequal: Sex, Race, Household Coverage Gaps in U.S. 2019–2023 Torreys 1 & 2Mina Ghobadi Smokeless: Tobacco/Nicotine Use from the 2025 Weld Community Health Survey Crestone 1Maya Swanson • Giovanna Castro Public Health Nurse Leadership Skill Builder Crestone 3Rebecca Miles

10:30am MDT

Geographic Expansion of a Medically Tailored Meal Delivery Program Crestone 2Kate Johnston No-Code AI Forecasting for Influenza in Local Public Health Grays Peak IIDr. Todd Hall Using AI to Understand Community Engagement Data Grays Peak IIIJeff Corn Associations between Influenza Subtype and Warmer Temperatures in Colorado Grays Peak IKelly Bergstrom • Carter McCabe • Mackenzie Owen Delivering Diabetes Prevention & Management Programming through Telehealth Torreys 1 & 2Lisa Bentley • Monica Thompson Evaluating Health Disparities Among African American Populations Across Colorado Torreys 3 & 4Alan Harmon • Kimi Landry Nicotine Use in the Mountain West: The Impact of Regional Context Crestone 1Humphrey Costello Expanding Reproductive Access in Rural Areas Crestone 3Angie Fellers LeMire

11:15am MDT

Disconnect to Re-connect?!?! Outdoors - TBDJo Burns The Public Health Paradox: Why Change Feels So Hard Crestone 2Molly Gutilla • Sarah Lampe Beyond Tables: A User-Centered Dashboard for Newborn Hearing Screening Grays Peak IIAmandeep Bhardwaj • Steven Bromby Impact of Continuous Medicaid and CHP+ Enrollment on Children in Colorado Grays Peak IIIMegha Jha • Leah Caputo Reviewing Colorado air toxics rules through the lens of human health Grays Peak ITara Webster • Amanda Damweber Advancing High‑Quality Asthma Care Through Statewide School Partnerships Torreys 1 & 2Melanie Gleason Leveraging digital messengers to reach teens in a public health campaign Torreys 3 & 4Ann Collier • James Corbett • Daphna Rubin • Elizabeth Sexton Stronger Together: Co-Designing Tobacco Cessation in Healthcare Crestone 1 The Syndemic Gap in Federally-Funded Breast Cancer Clinical Trials Crestone 3Hridith Sudev

12:00pm MDT

Designing Connected and Equitable Health Systems Through Visioning Crestone 2Cathy Junda The first year of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Surveillance in Colorado Grays Peak IIJacqueline Denning • Briana Sprague Trusted Messengers, Better Outcomes: A Community Ambassador Model Grays Peak IIILaura-Elena Porras-Holguin Well Water Use, Safety and Stewardship in Northern Colorado Grays Peak IKelly DeBie • Ian McKinzey Partners in Prevention: DoL and CDE Support Vaping Prevention and Education Torreys 1 & 2Sara Diedrich • Amanda Jacobs Emerging Products and Differential Policy: Rural Tobacco at a Crossroads Torreys 3 & 4Derek Noland • James Pavlik Cultivating Calm: Mindfulness for Community and Workforce Wellbeing Crestone 3Michelle Colarelli

12:30pm MDT

Lunch Buffet Columbine Ballroom