In light of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, we have decided to make our January 20th event on Telehealth a virtual-only event. We are extremely sensitive to the fact that organizations and individuals are concerned about gathering in-person, and given the current situation, want to be respectful of the needs of our sponsors, attendees, and speakers.

The theme of Telehealth: Being Deliberate in Usage and Implementation of Federal Telehealth, feels incredibly appropriate given these circumstances, and we hope you'll attend this discussion via Zoom to engage with this topic and network with colleagues. Since this is a virtual event, there will be a reduced cost of $20 for members and $40 for non-members.

We will resume with our in-person events in February, but for this month, please join us virtually

Moderator:

Brynn Cole, Director of Design + Storytelling, Veterans Health Administration's Innovation Ecosystem 

Brynn Cole serves as the Director of Design + Storytelling within the Veterans Health Administration's Innovation Ecosystem, where her insatiable curiosity about potential futures and deep love of human-centered design is able to thrive. Over her 15-year VHA career, Brynn has worked for VA Medical Centers in Vermont and San Francisco and has facilitated human centered design projects and programming with Veterans and VA employees from across the country. She and her team are currenlty focused on a large systems-design project, know as Reimagining Veteran Healthcare. She lives in a cabin in Vermont with her partner and their three pups.

Speakers:

Dr. Chris Fore, Supervisory Health Sciences Administrator, Indian Health Services, PH.D.

Dr. Chris Fore works as the Supervisory Health Sciences Administrator for the TeleBehavioral Health Center of Excellence (TBHCE) at the Indian Health Service's Division of Behavioral Health. As the Supervisory Health Sciences Administrator, he works on directing national program development and planning, developing and hiring positions, coordination of agreements and partnerships, program oversight and evaluation, establishment of sustainability models, and provision of specialty behavioral health care in high need areas. Service level is more than 4,700 patient visits per year across 26 IHS, Tribal and Urban Care sites.The TBHCE has a tele-education division that provides free CME/CEU to providers caring for Native patients. The TBHCE also houses the national IHS Indian Children's Program.

Previously, Dr. Fore worked as a forensic psychologist, as well as a behavioral health consultant for the IHS Albuquerque Area office.

Dr. Fore holds a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma, a Masters in Child Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University, and a Doctorate in Child Clinical Psychology from Oklahoma State University. 

Dr. Fore is a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.  

Toni Hightower, Human Centered Designer, VA, Burleson, Texas; Major (RET) U.S. Army Reserves 

Toni Hightower is a Human Centered Designer for the Veterans Experience Office in Veterans Affairs. Her major projects include: Own the Moment (CX Workshop focusing on the emotional element of CX!), standing up the Patient Experience University for Veterans Health Administration and currenlty the project lead for the Telehealth project (post COVID 19).

Toni served in the United States Army from 1989-2010 as a Military Police Officer with numerous deploymnets to include: Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Toni came to the Veteran's Affairs as the Chief of Police for the Little Rock VA, serving 7 years. During that time, she created Veteran Centered Policing, which eventually spread throughout the entire VA Police force.

She retired as Chief of Police in June of 2016 to take a job with the Veterans Experience Office in Dallas, Texas.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Individual Studies: Fitness and Martial Arts Specialist from the University of Northern Iowa and a Masters of Arts in Security Management from Webster University.

Certifications include: Certified PX Professional (Beryl), CX-Pro 3 (Forrester Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior Trainer, Green Belt in Lean Sigma, VA Aspiring Leaders Program Graduate, and Own the Moment Master Trainer.

Toni is the founder of the Connected Empowerment LLC. An organization focusing on equality, human connection and team building.

Toni is married to Missy Lingerfelt of Savannah, Georgia. She loves bodybuilding, playing guitar and riding her motorcycle.

COL Kevin Peck, Army MEDCOM

Kevin Peck is the Chief Information Officer for Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI, the Chief Digital Officer for the Military Health Systems Hawaii Market, and the Chief Information Officer for the 18th Medical Command that serves as the Theater Medical Command for the Indo-Pacific Command. He is directly responsible for the daily operations and support of a Level II Trauma Center, multiple small hospitals and ambulatory clinics along with all Dental, Veterinary, Preventative Medicine and Surveillance activites for the Market. Direct reports include information technology, facilites, human resources, budget, health information management, and managed care.

Kevin entered active duty as a Private in 1988 with his first duty assignment in West Germany, advancing to SGT in less than two years while having the unique experience of being present when the Berlin Wall came down. In 1990, Kevin was awarded an ROTC scholarship, commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in 1995. Throughout his career as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the US Army, Kevin has consistently been chosen to serve in leadership positions significantly senior to his rank and experience and has excelled at every turn both in Department of Defense In-Patient and Out-Patient fixed facility healthcare settings and active combat operations while serving as the CIO for operations in the Republic of South Korea, the Regional CIO for all Army Healthcare East of the Mississippi and Puerto Rico, or as the Chief Information Officer for Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Kevin is a Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer (CHCIO) and Certified Information Systems Manager (CISM). He has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Shippensburg University, a Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Science Information Systems, and MBA-Healthcare Administration Certification from Baylor University.

Kevin was selected for the Army Medical Department Mercury Award in 2009 and 2018 recognizing him as the Chief Information Officer of the Year along with having his Team selected as the Army Medical Department Mercury Award winner in 2009. Kevin was also the first Non-Army Signal Corps officer awarded the Army Signal Corps Mercury Award in 2009.