__________________________________________________________________________
Floyd J. Malveaux, MD, PhD
Day 1 - Keynote - Changing pO2licy: The Elements for Improving Childhood Asthma Outcomes - The Unique Role of Schools
Floyd J. Malveaux, MD, PhD is Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Merck Childhood Asthma Network, Inc. (MCAN) that supports translational research and implementation of science-based initiatives into routine medical practice. Dr. Malveaux is a nationally recognized expert on asthma and allergic diseases and is Emeritus Dean of the College of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology and Medicine at Howard University. His research contributions extend from basic research on the regulation of IgE receptor density on human basophils to translational research and development of evidence-based interventions to reduce and prevent asthma among high-risk populations.
A native of Louisiana, Dr. Malveaux received a B.S. degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and a M.S. degree from Loyola University in New Orleans. He earned a Ph.D. degree in Microbiology and Public Health from Michigan State University and the Doctor of Medicine degree, with honors, from Howard University College of Medicine. Dr. Malveaux received specialty training in Internal Medicine and subspecialty training in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He became Dean in 1995 of the Howard University College of Medicine, interim Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean (1996-2001), Vice Provost for Health Affairs and Dean (2001-2003), and remained Dean of the College of Medicine and Professor of Microbiology and Medicine at Howard University until July 2005.
Dr. Malveaux is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. He was recently appointed by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to her Science Advisory Board. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Creighton University; Board of Trustees of Loyola University (New Orleans); Board of Directors of Children's Research Institute of the Children's National Medical Center, and the Horizon Foundation. He was Past Chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, member of the Board of Directors of the American Lung Association; the National Allergy and Infectious Diseases Advisory Council of the NIH; the Board of Trustees of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, and the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH, and member of the Board of Trustees and first chair of the Allergy/Immunology Section of the National Medical Association.
Dr. Malveaux is recipient of numerous awards, including the National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health; the Vivian B. Allen Foundation Fellowship; the Clemens von Pirquet Research Award from the Georgetown School of Medicine; the Outstanding Faculty Research Award, the HUH Legacy of Leadership Award, and the 2010 Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement Award in medical education, research and international health all from Howard University; and the Soar High Leaders Award from the Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural and Minority Medicine.
__________________________________________________________________________
Lorene Alba, AE-C
Day 2 Skill-Building Sessions: Building Support and Capacity at the State and Local Level to Advance Asthma Management and Prevention
Lorene Alba joined the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) in July 2009 as project manager for asthma programs. Her main focus is to manage the Leadership Forum for Healthy Students and Healthy Schools, a collaborative to build the capacity of five states to reduce the burden of asthma in schools at the state level.
Lorene is a certified asthma educator, and comes to AASA from the American Lung Association, where she was manager of mission services for lung health. In this role she implemented programming on asthma management in schools which focused on underserved, rural and urban communities throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Lorene recruited and trained volunteers to facilitate programs through a train-the-trainer model, and has also facilitated asthma education sessions.
Lorene testified in front of the Virginia General Assembly on multiple occasions to advocate for children with asthma, asking legislators to support and pass comprehensive tobacco-free policies in public places. She played a major role in the passing of the legislation banning tobacco in restaurants that went into effect in Virginia in December 2009.
Lorene is the past vice-chair of the Virginia Asthma Coalition, past chair of Allies Against Asthma, and a steering committee member of the Consortium for Infant and Child Health (CINCH). CINCH honored Lorene with two awards in 2008 – the Community Change Agent Award and the Advocate for Change Award, and one in 2009 – Child Health Advocacy Award. She co-founded the Asthma and Allergy School Nurse Expert Program, an educational and mentorship program for school nurses to become Certified Asthma Educators and to create asthma-friendly schools. Lorene created a curriculum to teach medical professionals how to educate the lay person on asthma at the request of a Medicare provider in Virginia and has been presented at numerous in-services.
__________________________________________________________________________
Joel J. Africk
Day 2 Skill-Building Sessions: Programs and Policy: Linking Asthma Outcomes to Policy and Building Support
Joel Africk is President and Chief Executive Officer of Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, where he oversees the activities of the Association’s 50-person staff and an annual budget of $5+ million. At Respiratory Health Association, Joel is a principal advocate for the Association’s policy agenda (the Association’s accomplishments include work on policy efforts to permit self-administration of asthma inhalers in Illinois, passage of Smoke-free Chicago and Smoke-free Illinois legislation, and the expansion of student health initiatives in Chicago).
Prior to assuming his current position, Joel was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Jenner & Block, LLP, where he represented clients in a broad range of business litigation matters. Joel is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where he received a degree in Political Science and passed the Uniform CPA examination.
__________________________________________________________________________
Maureen Damitz, AE-C
Day 2 Skill-Building Sessions: Programs and Policy: Linking Asthma Outcomes to Policy and Building Support
Maureen brings nearly 20 years of experience to her work in community asthma. The Senior Director of Programs for the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, Maureen oversees all asthma programming including community, school and professional outreach. Maureen is the Director of the Addressing Asthma in Englewood Project (AAE). One of five sites funded nationwide to address asthma in a pediatric population form the Merck Childhood Asthma Network Inc.
Maureen serves on the Illinois Asthma Partnership, and is currently chair of the Education committee. Maureen is past-board chair of the Chicago Asthma Consortium and an active member of its School Task Force, Professional Education Task Force and Chair of the Community Asthma Network. Additionally, she serves as Chair for the Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness Asthma Task Force. Maureen has presented at numerous conferences on the topic of asthma, as the parent of two children with asthma and also as a professional working in the community to address and reduce its impact.
__________________________________________________________________________
Barbara Flis
Day 2 Skill-Building Sessions: We’re In This Together: Engaging Parents and Families of Students With Asthma
Barbara Flis, Founder of Parent Action for Healthy Kids, insists that every parent has the power to make a difference. Barb is a parent guru, and published expert in advocating for children's health. Her focus lies in connecting families, schools and communities on children's social, emotional and physical health. She designs and implements trainings and workshops for parents, teachers, school administrators, public health professionals and community-based organizations. Barb is a motivational speaker whose passion makes her a sought after presenter throughout her home state of Michigan and across the United States.
Barb cites her grass-roots PTA experiences as the first step on the journey that has led her to serving on an expert panel for the American Academy of Pediatrics to write guidelines for family and community involvement in health, mental health and safety in schools; being named chair of the schools committee for the Michigan Surgeon General’s Michigan Steps Up Campaign; and a Michigan and Indiana core team member for the American Cancer Society Coordinated School Health Leadership Training Institute. In 2005 Barb was appointed by Michigan’s Governor Jennifer Granholm to coordinate the Talk Early & Talk Often initiative which is designed to help parents gain knowledge and skills to talk to their middle school children about abstinence and sexuality. A tribute to Barb’s work is evidenced by her recent invitation to Washington D.C. as one of ten participants to provide input in developing the First Lady's Let's Move initiative which is designed to reduce childhood obesity and raise a healthier generation of children.
Barb has been advocating on behalf of parents and children for more than fourteen years. Her “parent-to-parent” style in communicating has won her great praise and national media attention.
Barb brings to educators and other key stakeholders at the local, state and national level, a unique parent perspective which has broadened collaboration between parents, communities and schools.
__________________________________________________________________________
Joan Edelstein, DrPH, RN
Day 2 Skill-Building Sessions: Collaboration and Policy: The Building Blocks of IAQ Sustainability
Joan Edelstein, MSN, DrPH, RN, has extensive experience as a clinician and educator in maternal/child health as well as community health. She was a Professor of Nursing for 22 years at San Jose State University, received her MSN in Pediatric Nursing and PNP certification from Yale University, and received both an MPH and DrPH in Maternal/Child Health at UC Berkeley School of Public Health.
After leaving academia, Joan worked for Oakland Unified School District as School Nurse, Asthma Specialist through a CDC Controlling Asthma in American Cities Project grant, where she helped develop and implement the Kickin’ Asthma program. She then worked for the Alameda County Public Health Department in a jointly funded position with the Oakland Unified School District as Health Services Coordinator, successfully implementing model policies to support student and staff health, including an Asthma Management Policy.
Most recently, Joan finished working on a grant through The California Endowment as a Senior Health Consultant with the California School Boards Association focusing on Asthma Management and IAQ Policy statewide. In that position, she lead efforts to create, and now chairs, the California State Environmental Health and Asthma Collaborative (SEHAC) to implement The Strategic Plan for Asthma in California, schools section. She also chairs California Asthma Partners, a statewide network of governmental and non-governmental organizations, agencies, institutions, coalitions, collaboratives, and other programs working to implement The Strategic Plan for Asthma.
Joan has co-authored publications on Kickin’ Asthma in schools and has presented on asthma and IAQ in schools at the local, national, and international levels. She currently works as School Nurse Coordinator for the Emery Unified School District in Emeryville, CA.
back to top
