About the Team
Stephen Bartels, MD, MS
Dr. Bartels is the Herman O West Professor of Geriatrics, Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Community and Family Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and Professor of Health Policy at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. He is the Director of Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging and the Population Health Collaboratory at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Dr. Bartels is a past president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry and was the founding Chair of Geriatric Mental Health Foundation. He served as the expert consultant and author for the Older Adult Subcommittee Report for the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and served on an Institute of Medicine Committee on the future health care workforce for older adults with mental disorders. Dr. Bartels directs a multi-site post-doctoral training program in geriatric mental health services research, a HRSA funded Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, and the Research Education and Training Program for Dartmouth’s SYNERGY CTSA (Clinical Translational Science Award). He is the Principal Investigator for numerous research grants, as well as the recently funded CDC Health Promotion Research Center at Dartmouth. He has published over 250 articles, scientific abstracts, and book chapters and has grant funding from NIH, CDC, CMS, HRSA, and AHRQ.
Ellen Flaherty, PhD, APRN, AGSF
Dr. Flaherty is the Co-Director of the Dartmouth Centers for Health & Aging and is the Board Chair of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). Dr. Flaherty also Co-Directs the Dartmouth HRSA funded Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) and is a Co-Principal Investigator of the AGS National Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Coordinating Center funded by the John A. Harford Foundation and has been funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation to further develop, test and spread the GITT-PC (Geriatric Interprofessional Team Transformation in Primary Care) model. Dr. Flaherty has a joint appointment in Geriatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center where she practices in General Internal Medicine. Dr. Flaherty spent 25 years working in New York City to advance clinical practice in geriatric nursing at the NYU College of Nursing/Hartford Institute where she received her Ph.D in Nursing. While at NYU, Dr. Flaherty was the Co-PI of the John A. Hartford Foundation Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training (GITT) Resource Center.
Renee Pepin, PhD
Renee Pepin is a Research Scientist at the Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging. She is a clinical geropsychologist who is interested in expanding access to mental health services for older adults in community-based settings. Her research consists of the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based treatments for older adults using innovative, brief, and practical approaches to delivery through a combination of community-based aging service providers and technology.
Bernie Seifert, MSW, LICSW
Bernie Seifert is the Geriatric Mental Health Training Coordinator at the Northern New England Geriatric Education Center, and the Director for Adult Programs at the National Alliance on Mental Illness New Hampshire. She earned her MSW degree from Boston University in 1984 and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Hampshire since 1988.
Lora Wise, MPA
Lora Wise is a project manager for the Northern New England Geriatric Education Center that is based out of Lebanon, NH and serves all of Northern New England. The NNEGEC provides training to healthcare professionals regarding how best to care for older adults through live and distance continuing education of all kinds. Lora's background includes professional and educational experience with administration, health policy, organizational management, and program evaluation. She is an Advanced Care Planning facilitator.
Daniel S. Moran, MSN, APRN
Born, raised and trained in Buffalo, New York. Early career was in firefighting, water rescue, pre-hospital and helicopter rescue as a paramedic. Graduated with Master in Science of Nursing from the State University of New York at Buffalo in May of 2000. Moved to New England in 2001 and started working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in General Internal Medicine (GIM). Was the first associate provider to be elected as team leader in GIM (Green Team) and held that role until joining the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) in 2015. Dan is a clinical content liaison to the Implementation Support Team for DHMC Service Line. Completed The Science and Practice of Leading Yourself: Geisel Leadership Course at Dartmouth and Six Sigma Green Belt Training. Leisure time spent coaching girl’s hockey as a USA Hockey certified level 4 coach, winning five New Hampshire State championships.
Deborah. J. Johnson, MHA
Born and raised in Vermont. Debbie has served for the last 27 years as a Research Scientist/Practice Facilitator/Project Manager for multiple research and quality improvement projects with the Dartmouth Primary Care Research Network. She has special training and experience with collaborative learning. Debbie served as co-director, for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) “Idealized Design of Clinical Office Practice Collaborative” and was also an Improvement Advisor. She served served as Practice Coach/Facilitator for the IHI for Bellin and ThedaCare health systems ambulatory care practice quality improvement work as well as for local CO-OP Project practices. Debbie completed the Six Sigma Green Belt training.
Timothy M. Hesselton, BA
Tim serves as the Program Coordinator for the Northern New England Geriatric Education Center. In this role, he provides program support for all activities of the Geriatric Education Center, including the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. He is passionate about improving Geriatric Care for individuals in New Hampshire and Northern New England, and is also assisting in implementing Evidence Based Practices to reduce risk of falls