Speakers
Kimberly Ackerman
Kim Ackerman is a lifelong Montana Resident. She graduated from Carroll College with her undergraduate Nursing Degree in 2000. She practiced in the ICU at the Billings Clinic until she went to Montana State University and graduated with her Master in Nursing; Family Nurse Practitioner in 2006. She has practiced in Diabetes at the Billings Clinic as a nurse practitioner for 20 years, except for a 3 year hiatus where she taught nursing for MSU Bozeman School of Nursing on the Billings Campus. Her practice has included pediatric diabetes, adult inpatient and outpatient diabetes and weight management. She truly believes in the team approach to Diabetes Management and Patient Care. When not seeing patients, she loves spending time with her 4 active kids and husband. She can be found in the garden, behind a camera lens, cheering her children on in multiple sporting events, and traveling to and from sporting events while catching up with her husband.
Jessie Alexander
Jessie Alexander is an occupational therapist with ten years of clinical expertise specializing in adult and older adult physical rehabilitation involving neurological conditions, orthopedics, driving rehabilitation, self-care training, and diabetes education. Jessie graduated from Colorado State University with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 2015 and after many years working in hospitals and rehabilitation centers moved to Missoula, MT, in 2023. Jessie has been the Coordinator of the Diabetes Prevention Program at Missoula Public Health for over two years and also runs her private occupational therapy practice, Adaptive Independence Missoula. Jessie feels passionate about partnering with her clients to help them achieve their goals of improved independence, greater participation in their valued life activities, and better quality of life.
James Bennett
TBA
Haley Blackburn
Hayley Blackburn, PharmD, FNAP is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy, where she teaches climate and health topics and leads interprofessional experiential learning in public health and planetary health. Her research and practice focus on the pharmacist's role in building environmentally sustainable, climate-resilient healthcare — including work on wildfire smoke and extreme heat response and exploring ways to reduce the climate impact of pharmaceutical use. She is a co-founder of Rx for Climate, an international network advancing climate-smart pharmacy practice, and serves as Global Lead for the Pharmacy Working Group within the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education. She has contributed this expertise to national and international climate-health initiatives, and serves locally as a Board Member of Montana Health and Climate, working alongside colleagues to strengthen the state's response to climate-related health impacts.
Haley Cote
Dr. Haley Cote is the Director of Clinical Services at the L.S. Skaggs Institute for Health Innovation at the University of Montana, where she leads the design and implementation of pharmacist-led clinical services that expand care-team capacity and strengthen healthcare delivery across the state. A clinical pharmacist by training, she spent eight years in advanced primary care leading the expansion of clinical pharmacy services and managing patients with diabetes and other complex chronic conditions. She later served as a Population Health Clinical Program Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, where she directed statewide chronic disease strategy, built cross-sector partnerships, and developed data-informed programs supporting communities across the state. That combination of direct patient care and payer experience informs her current focus on increasing access to high quality, team-based care. Dr. Cote is board certified in ambulatory care pharmacy (BCACP) and advanced diabetes management (BC-ADM). Her work centers on building sustainable, scalable clinical programs that improve access, quality, and health outcomes for Montanans, particularly those with cardiometabolic conditions.
Raichell Dorland-Roan
Hello! I am Raichell Dorland-Roan, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, and Certified Lactation Counselor with over 20 years of experience in rural, Tribal, and Critical Access settings in Big Horn County, Montana. I believe in meeting patients where they are and walking beside them on their health and wellness journey, supporting them as they become their own advocate and a leader within their care team. My work centers on evidence-based, culturally appropriate education: individualized plans, stronger self-management skills, and close collaboration with healthcare teams and community partners. As a scholar-practitioner, I chose my educational path based on needs identified in my community — a Bachelor of Science in nutrition and dietetics, a Master of Science in nutrition/wellness and public health education, and a Doctor of Public Health. When communities come together, they can wrap services around their members and raise the standard for health equity.
Trina Filan
Trina Filan, Ph.D., is a public health evaluator for the Montana Diabetes and Cardiovascular Health Programs at the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Bureau at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Trina is a glutton for punishment and so has several academic degrees totally disconnected from any desire to become a tenured faculty member, including a “Certified Fresh” Ph.D. in Feminist Rural Agricultural Geography. No, really! Trina loves learning about people’s strengths, skills, and needs and then connecting those people to others. She is certain that all people and places have the assets they need or the ability to collaborate with other people and places to fill gaps to energize, synergize, and maximize community wellness and thriving. She looks forward to every opportunity to learn about how terrific and resilient Montana’s communities are.
William Gardner
Will has served as the State of Montana’s diabetes epidemiologist since 2021. His prior experience includes work as a substance use epidemiologist with Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHSD and as a hospital corpsman in the US Navy. He holds degrees from Rutger’s University and University of South Florida. Outside of his professional work, he resides in Helena, MT with his two dogs and two cats and enjoys playing ice hockey and skiing.
Melissa House
Melissa House, MBA has over 20 years’ experience in clinical healthcare and management, including extensive experience in population health management and chronic disease prevention. She has worked in both urban and rural healthcare systems, spanning both the private and non-profit sectors. Her primary focus has been on the development, implementation, and management of evidence-based programs. She is currently the Program Manager for the Department of Public Health and Human Services’ Diabetes Program, overseeing the development and administration of statewide public health programs in response to state needs, federal grants, and cooperative agreements related to diabetes self-management, quality improvement, and diabetes prevention. Growing up with Type 1 diabetes in a frontier state with limited access to resources, Melissa brings a unique perspective to the chronic disease community. This experience is bolstered by the secondary effects of diabetes leading to acute kidney failure. As the recipient of a successful kidney and pancreas transplant, Melissa has devoted her career to improving the health and well-being of the communities in which she resides. In her role with the State of Montana, Melissa has led a coalition of coaches, medical practitioners, and educators in diabetes self-management and prevention. These programs have been successful in providing access and care to Montanans who would otherwise have limited or no access to services.
Kris Kilen
Kris Kilen is a Quality Improvement Advisor with Mountain Pacific, supporting chronic disease care in facilities across Montana as well as partnering with peers in regional states to bring support and resources in quality improvement projects to impact positive outcomes in care delivery. Has roots are in diabetes care and education following a 30 year career as a registered dietitian and diabetes care and education specialist, founding two DSMES programs in rural eastern Montana communities. Kris pioneered MNT and DSMES in telehealth, supported by Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network to create access to care for people affected by diabetes in 10 rural communities with no DSMES and limited diabetes care resources.
Matt Larsen
Matthew Larsen works as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist in Northwest Montana. A Montana State University graduate, he completed his dietetic internship program in rural Alaska, working in Alaska Native/Native American communities. Since academics, he has worked in outpatient healthcare settings for Tribal Health and Indian Health Service in Alaska and California, he has helped lead nutrition and diabetes teams in Northwest Montana and worked for nonprofits bringing nutrition and diabetes virtual care access to pediatric patients across the state of Montana.
Jade Bosic Reiniger
Jade Bosic-Reiniger, PharmD, MPH, MPA, BC-ADM is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy. She oversees fourth-year ambulatory care clinical pharmacy rotations at Partnership Health Center and serves as the quality coordinator for its Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) program. Additionally, she staffs at several local community pharmacies. Her professional interests include diabetes and chronic disease management, population health, geriatrics, and interprofessional education.
Alissa Roberts
Alissa Roberts is a pediatric endocrinologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor at the University of Washington. Both her clinical and research work is focused on youth and young adults with diabetes with a particular interest in psychosocial comorbidities such as substance use, diabetes distress, stigma in diabetes, fear of hypoglycemia, and reproductive health in this population.
Mercedes Seidel
Mercedes Seidel, RDN, CDCES, PCLC, is a registered dietitian, diabetes care and education specialist, and mental health counselor working in rural Montana. Her work at the intersection of nutrition, diabetes, and mental health has shaped her belief that health is about much more than numbers, diagnoses, or individual behaviors. So much of living with and managing diabetes is intertwined with stress, coping, mental health, and the realities of everyday life. She is passionate about whole-person care that considers not only physical and emotional well-being, but also access to resources and the social and environmental factors that influence a person’s ability to care for themselves, particularly in rural communities where resources may be limited.
Mary Shick
Since 2016, Mary Shick RN, AGPCNP-C, CDCES, BC-ADM has worked at the Western Montana Clinic as an Adult Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Additionally, she is the Diabetes Specialist at the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribal Health Department since 2018. In 2008, she transitioned from floor nursing to diabetes education at St. Patrick Hospital. Mary started as a RN in 1992 and finds the recent advances in the understanding of diabetes pathophysiology and management exciting and promising for better outcomes for people with diabetes.
John Sommers Glanagan
John Sommers-Flanagan (he/him) is Founding Director of the Center for the Advancement of Positive Education (CAPE) at the University of Montana, a counselor educator, clinical psychologist, and author or coauthor of over 100 publications, including 10 books and many training videos. His books, co-written with his wife Rita, include Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy in Context and Practice (4th ed., Wiley, 2026), Clinical Interviewing (7th ed., Wiley, 2024), and Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Strengths-Based Approach (American Counseling Association, 2021). John’s current work includes promoting evidence-informed kindness, gratitude, empathic relationships, and strengths-based education as the best way forward toward a civil and peaceful society. You can learn more about John and his activities on his blog: https://johnsommersflanagan.com/ or on the CAPE website, https://www.umt.edu/education/specunits/cape/.
Joe Tabler
TBA
Ginger Vieira
Ginger Vieira has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1999. Since then, she has authored hundreds of articles and several books, including Every Day with Diabetes, Exercise with Type 1 Diabetes, Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes, Dealing with Diabetes Burnout, and Stop Overeating During Lows. Ginger produces videos and podcast interviews at Diabetes Nerd on YouTube, podcast apps, and DiabetesNerd.com. She is cofounder of the Diabetes Nerd Network and Diabetes Nerd Marketing. Her background includes a Bachelor of Science in professional writing and certifications in coaching, personal training, and Ashtanga yoga, along with several records in drug-free powerlifting.