Educating Leaders '24, Kansas City, April 17-19

Plenary Speakers

These nationally known thought leaders offer fresh perspectives on topics such as achieving peak performance, understanding the political determinants of health and facilitating healthy communication. Attend their sessions and leave enlightened, inspired and ready for new challenges!

Wednesday, April 17

Stephen W. Trzeciak, MD, MPH

Stephen Trzeciak, MD, MPH is a physician scientist, Chief of Medicine at Cooper University Health Care and Professor and Chair of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey. Dr. Trzeciak is a practicing intensivist (specialist in intensive care medicine), and a clinical researcher with more than 120 articles in scientific publications. Dr. Trzeciak's publications have been featured in prominent medical journals, such as JAMA, Circulation and The New England Journal of Medicine. His scientific program has been supported by research grants from the National Institutes of Health, with Dr. Trzeciak serving as Principal Investigator.

Dr. Trzeciak is the co-author of two books, Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference (2019) and Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others Is the Best Medicine for Yourself (2022). His work has been featured in numerous media outlets including CNN, NPR, USA TODAY, The Washington Post, The New York Daily News, and Freakonomics. For this work, he was awarded the Influencers of Healthcare Award by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Broadly, Dr. Trzeciak’s mission is to raise compassion and kindness globally, through science.

Dr. Trzeciak is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He earned his medical degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Master’s of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed his residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his fellowship in critical care medicine at Rush University Medical Center. He is board certified in internal medicine and critical care medicine.

Wednesday, April 17

Tami Hendriksz, DO, FACOP, FAAP

Dr. Hendriksz, a proud alumna of Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUCOM), completed her DO degree at TUCOM after earning her undergraduate degree at the University of California Los Angeles. She then undertook her Pediatric internship and residency at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Returning to TUCOM, she has held various roles since 2009, and has been the dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine since 2021.

As a Professor of Pediatrics, Dr. Hendriksz has received the TUCOM Teacher of the Year Award five times and national recognition for her contributions to medical education. She served as Editor-in-Chief of the eJournal of the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians for 7 years, and her expertise extends to speaking at over 30 national events on medical education, humanism, and pediatrics.

Wednesday, April 17

Mike Kennedy, EdD

Dr. Mike Kennedy has been with the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) since 2000. Currently he serves as the Assistant Dean for Admissions and has done so since 2020. In his current capacity, he oversees the admissions process and chairs the admissions committee. Under his leadership, TCOM moved to the multi mini-interview process and redesigned the admissions criteria to better align with TCOM’s mission. In addition to the admission of students to TCOM, he has served in an advisory capacity for the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) and the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) to share best practices related to admissions.

Wednesday, April 17

Melva M. Landrum, MEd

Melva Landrum, MEd joined the University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC/TCOM) in 2014, and currently is the Director for the Office of Medical Student Success at the University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM). She oversees the career development curriculum, contributes to student and faculty development and oversees student enrichment. Melva is also a member of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine's (AACOM) UME-GME Taskforce and a charter member of AACOM's Council on Residency Placement (CORP).

In 2023, Ms. Landrum was selected for a three-year appointment by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Careers in Medicine (CiM) Advisory Committee as the Osteopathic Representative, where she also serves on the CiM Diversity, Equity Inclusion (DEI) subcommittee/working group. Ms. Landrum is also a member of AACOMs Council on Diversity and Equity (CDE).

Melva Landrum has a Master of Education in Student Development and Leadership in Higher Education from Angelo State University and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Strategic Communications from the University of Kansas. Ms. Landrum is also a Harvard Macy Institute Scholar, completing A Systems Approach to Assessment in Health Professions Education in 2017. Currently, Ms. Landrum is also a PhD Candidate in the Change Leadership for Equity and Inclusion program at the University of Central Arkansas.

Wednesday, April 17

Linda Solis, PhD

Linda Grace Solis, PhD (she/her) is an associate professor of applied humanities at University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine, joining the faculty in 2017, mere weeks before the inaugural DO class matriculated. Born and raised in rural central Illinois (nowhere near Chicago!), she moved to San Antonio in 1997, happily trading cold, snowy winters for long, hot summers.

Dr. Solis completed her PhD in Leadership Studies at Our Lady of the Lake University. Passionate about the professional identity formation of future physicians and healthcare providers, she facilitates sessions focused on self-awareness, identity, and emotional intelligence, as well as sessions related to social justice and equity across the healthcare education continuum. Her conviction in the importance of these topics extends beyond the workplace, informing the volunteer work she does at the local, regional, and national levels.

She fervently hopes for a just and equitable world, doing what she can to bring those ideals to medical education and healthcare. When not at work, Dr. Solis can be found on her sofa reading a good book or just hanging out with her family, usually with a cat on her lap.

Thursday, April 18

Anthony Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS

Anthony Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS, is a pediatric cardiologist and medical director of the Heart Failure Program at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). Dr. Chang serves as chief intelligence and innovation officer of CHOC Sharon Disney Lund Medical Intelligence, Information, Investigation and Innovation Institute (Mi4). The Institute is the hub of medical intelligence and innovation at CHOC and serves as a national and international leader. Mi4 was the first institute of its kind in a children’s hospital. Dr. Chang completed his master of science (MS) in Data Science with a sub-specialization in artificial intelligence from Stanford School of Medicine and has completed a certification on artificial intelligence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Chang has a master’s in business administration (MBA) in Health Care Administration from the University of Miami and a master’s in public health (MPH) in Health Care Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Chang is the founder of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Society and the founder of the Asia-Pacific Pediatric Cardiac Society. He started a pediatric innovation leadership group whose biannual symposium, Pediatrics2040: Emerging Trends and Future Innovations, has become a catalyst for the International Society for Pediatric Innovation. Each summer, the Mi4 Summer Internship Program, founded by Dr. Chang, mentors nearly 75 young future clinicians. Dr. Chang’s book, Intelligence-Based Medicine, is the first of its kind textbook on AI in medicine and is used at colleges and universities around the globe.

He is the founder and organizing chair of several artificial intelligence in medicine groups that host meetings in the U.S., Europe and Asia focusing on artificial intelligence in healthcare and medicine (www.ai-med.io). He is also the founder the Medical Intelligence Society, the American Board of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, the Alliance of Centers in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and the Pediatric Centers of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, now with over 75 participating centers from around the globe.

Friday, April 19

Dawn Mussallem, DO

Dawn Mussallem, DO, is a consultant in the Division of Hematology Oncology at Mayo Clinic and an assistant professor of medicine. She is a board-certified lifestyle medicine breast specialist at The Robert and Monica Jacoby Center for Breast Health. She serves as chair for Mayo Clinic Florida Employee Wellbeing, medical director for Humanities in Medicine and is councilor at large for Officers & Councilors of Mayo Clinic staff.

Dr. Mussallem has more than 25 years of patient-centered clinical wellness experience and is internationally recognized in the field of breast medicine, lifestyle medicine, integrative oncology and cancer survivorship. Dr. Mussallem has a unique personal connection to her work: as a stage IV cancer patient diagnosed 3 months into medical school and in 2021, she became a heart transplant recipient. She shares that her journey as a patient cultivated her boundless energy and deep purpose to help patients flourish during and after adversity.

In 2015, she founded the Integrative Medicine and Breast Health Program at Mayo Clinic Florida, a patient-centered program that works with breast cancer patients during and after a breast cancer diagnosis. The program introduces patients early on to the importance of lifestyle optimization alongside conventional cancer treatments with a goal to reframe cancer as a “teacher of life,” leading patients to discover renewed vitality through healthier living. She is frequently invited to give keynote presentations and podcasts, appears on radio and television shows and has authored journal articles, abstracts and book chapters. Her research focus includes the impact of whole food, plant-based nutrition and weight management on breast cancer outcomes, awareness of alcohol related breast cancer risk and breast cancer survivorship quality of life.

In addition to her clinical and research activities, Dr. Mussallem is active in medical education and serves as co-director for the International Medical Breast Training Program and director of the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum. She is chief executive editor for the National Consortium of Breast Centers and serves on the medical advisory board for Center for Nutrition Studies. Additionally, she is a physician representative for the Blue Zones Jacksonville Steering Committee.

In recognition of her work, Dr. Mussallem has received many awards and honors, including being named 2022 American College of Physicians Florida John G. Langdon Volunteerism in Medicine Award; 2021 Marquis Who’s Who in America Top Doctor for her leadership, dedication and achievements in integrative oncology; 2020 Marquis Who’s Who in America; Mayo Clinic Patient Experience award and Mayo Clinic Florida Hospital Instructor of the Year.

Alissa Wassung

Alissa Wassung brings more than a dozen years of dedicated policy and strategy skills to her role as executive director of the Food Is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), the national coalition of nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals and groceries, medical nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling and education to people in communities across the country living with severe and chronic illnesses. Together, FIMC advances equitable access to these life-saving interventions through policy change, research and evaluation and best practices.

Leading FIMC, Alissa unites diverse constituencies to advance the field of medically tailored food and nutrition. Through education, briefings, national symposia, technical assistance and national policy change, she has already helped build nationwide awareness of the need for access to and funding for medically tailored meals. Recently, in this time of unprecedented national attention, Alissa convened FIMC partner agencies to formalize the FIMC Accreditation program, relying on the expertise of decades of service delivery to collaboratively develop a program to ensure fidelity to quality standards for the medically tailored meal intervention.

In her former role as the senior director of Policy & Planning at God’s Love We Deliver in NYC, she directed the Food Is Medicine initiative, where she administered government funding, research endeavors and cross-sector health policy and healthcare innovation. Alissa was an advisor to the Aspen Institute’s Food Is Medicine Research Initiative that produced the Food Is Medicine Research Action Plan, is currently part of the Partnership to Align Social Care, sits on the advisory group for the Nutricare study and more. She has been a featured speaker at many national convenings such as the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, CleanMed, the National Ryan White Conference, The Root Cause Coalition National Summit on Social Determinants and others.