Meet our Governance Council

Edmund H. Duthie, M.D.
edmund.duthie@med.va.gov

Dr. Edmund ("Ed") Duthie, Jr. is currently Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Geriatrics/Gerontology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He also holds the position of Section Leader of Geriatric Medicine at the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Duthie joined the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1980 as an Assistant Professor of Medicine after completing a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the Jewish Institute for Geriatric Care at the State University of New York. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and received his Certificate of Added Qualification in Geriatric Medicine in 1988 and 1998. Dr. Duthie was rated a "Top Doctor 2000" in the area of Geriatrics by Milwaukee Magazine and is an active member of the American Geriatrics Society. His research interests include geriatric medical education and clinical research in geriatric medicine.

Robert E. Phillips, MD
phillipr@mfldclin.edu

Dr. Robert Phillips practices general internal medicine and geriatrics at the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine and has practiced for over 21 years. He graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1975 and completed a fellowship at the St. Paul Ramsey Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Phillips is Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and a faculty member of the Marshfield Clinic/St. Joseph's Hospital Internal Medicine residency program. He also serves as Medical Director of the Bethel Nursing Facility in Arpin, Wisconsin and as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin.

David T. Watts, MD
dtwatts@facstaff.wisc.edu

Dr. David Watts is currently Associate Professor of Medicine within the University of Wisconsin Medical School's Section of Geriatrics and Gerontology. He completed a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology in 1984. Dr. Watts is board certified in Internal Medicine and received his Certificate of Added Qualification in Geriatric Medicine in 1988. His research interests include ethics and physician attitudes.

Michael L. Malone, M.D.
mlmalone@facstaff.wisc.edu

Dr. Malone is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Section Head of Geriatrics with the University of Wisconsin Medical School at the Milwaukee Clinical Campus. He serves as Medical Director and has a clinical practice at the Geriatrics Institute of Sinai Samaritan Medical Center, Aurora Health Care. Dr. Malone graduated with honors from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, where he also attended medical school. He did his residency in Internal Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee, and a Geriatric Fellowship at the Geriatrics Institute of Sinai Samaritan Medical Center. He is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. Areas of interest include care of the oldest old and persons with dementia, and geriatric medical education.

Linda Morrison, MTS
lgmorrison@facstaff.wisc.edu

Linda Morrison, Outreach Program Manager for the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute (WAI), is responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of WAI's Worker, Education Training and Assistance program. Before joining the WAI, she was the Director of the Chapter Services Division at the National Alzheimer's Association, in Chicago and Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Association, Alaska Chapter. Linda is part of the Dane County Health Care Partnership, a member of the Long Term Care Workforce Alliance of Wisconsin, and active on the Steering Committee for the new Wisconsin CareGiver Association. She holds a Masters of Theological Studies, in Personality, Cultural and Religious Development, from Boston University School of Theology.

Carol Haertlein, Ph.D., OT, FAOTA
chaert@uwm.edu

Dr. Carol Haertlein joined the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1982 and currently serves as Associate Professor within the University's Occupational Therapy (OT) Department. She is the author of The Milwaukee Evaluation of Daily Living Skills (MEDLS): Evaluation in long-term psychiatry and is currently developing a falls awareness and prevention program for community dwelling elderly. In 1992 she was made a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association for her contributions to research and education in OT. Dr. Haertlein is a member of the Gerontological Society of America and received her Ph.D. from Marquette University in the area of Educational Psychology.

Deborah Simpson, Ph.D.
dsimpson@mail.mcw.edu

Dr. Deborah ("Deb") Simpson is the Associate Dean for Educational Support and Evaluation and Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. At the Medical College, she teaches and provides consultation to faculty regarding instructional design, teaching, assessment and educational evaluation and is currently involved in a Hartford Foundation initiative for medical student geriatric education. A member of the WGEC Governance Council since its inception, Dr. Simpson has consulted with physician faculty on the development of geriatric educational modules, assessment of learner performance including the use of standardized geriatric patients, and program evaluation with an emphasis on cost-benefit analysis.

Stephanie Sue Stein
sstein@milwaukeecounty.com

In 1993, Stephanie Sue Stein was appointed by County Executive Tom Ament to direct the Milwaukee County Department on Aging. Her 25 years of service to older adults is exemplified by advocacy and collaboration building. As Director of the Department, she oversees 170 staff and works with the 16-member Commission on Aging, the County Executive, and the County Board of Supervisors to ensure that the lives of older adults are the best that they can be. Ms. Stein also serves on two national boards and frequently writes and lectures on aging-related issues.

James A. Blackburn, Ph.D., M.S.S.W.
cushman@uwm.edu

Dr. Jim Blackburn is currently Associate Professor and Dean of the University of Wisconsin Ð Milwaukee's School of Social Welfare. He received his M.S.S.W. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977 and 1980, respectively. Dr. Blackburn's teaching interests are in life-span development, gerontology, research methodology, and child development, and his research interests are in cognitive functioning in adulthood and old age.

Nancy Vrabec, Ph.D., RNC
vrabecn@matc.edu

Dr. Nancy Vrabec is currently Associate Dean of Nursing at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). Prior to joining MATC in 1998, she was Assistant Professor at Alverno College's Division of Nursing. Her primary research interest is the use of a stress and coping paradigm to study family caregivers of aging parents and spouses. Specifically, she is interested in the study of families at risk for greater caregiving burden because of poor socioeconomic conditions, such as those in rural farm, rural non-farm, and inner city residential areas. Dr. Vrabec received her Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1995.

Mary Jane Schank, Ph.D., RN
maryjane.schank@marquette.edu

Dr. Mary Jane Schank currently holds the position of Professor at Marquette University's College of Nursing. Within the college, she also serves as the Graduate Option Coordinator of the Older Adults specialization. She received her Ph.D. from Marquette University and her MSN from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Schank's research interests include: health promotion, women's health issues, parish nursing, and professional values.