Judy Beniak, D.N.P., M.P.H., R.N. has had the privilege of working in a wide variety of clinical and administrative roles at the University of Minnesota. Since 2002, she has served as the Founding Director of the Health Careers Center (HCC) to position the University of Minnesota's Health Careers Center (HCC) as a premier resource for health career information. The Center now plays a vital role in helping to address the importance of health careers and the need for more qualified health care professionals within our communities. This Center collaborates across 12 academic units at the University.
Dr. Beniak holds a teaching appointment with the College of Pharmacy. She was instrumental in the development of the Immunization Tour as an inter-professional public health course that provided mass immunization for flu vaccine on the campus. Previous professional work has included the Director of Student Services, School of Nursing and as Chief of AIDS/Sexually Transmitted Diseases Section at the Minnesota Department of Health at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. Other clinical specialties include organ transplantation, epilepsy, medical surgical nursing and public health. Educational background includes a B.S.N. from Alverno College, Milwaukee, and a Masters of Public Health in Public Health Nursing from the University of Minnesota. Doctoral education includes a Doctorate of Nursing Practice with an emphasis in Public Health. Her DNP project was the development of an e-learning module for faculty and staff entitled, “Working with Threatening Students” on campus. A certificate in health informatics will be completed in Summer, 2011. (Email Dr. Beniak at: benia001@umn.edu)
Tricia Todd, B.S., M.P.H. is Assistant Director with the Health Careers Center at the University of Minnesota and an instructor in the Public Health Practice major in the School of Public Health. Tricia has been involved in workforce and leadership development related activities for fifteen years. She began her career working in the field of public health with the Minnesota Department of Health and local public health agencies assessing and responding to workforce and public health infrastructure development needs. Tricia was heavily involved in the creation of two public health initiatives – the Emerging Leaders Network, a leadership development program created to identify and nurture future leaders in public health, and the Pathways to Public Health project, a program designed to encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to get advanced education in public health. She is a graduate of the National Public Health Leadership Institute, and was a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Turning Point Leadership Collaborative, and now directs the North Central Public Health Leadership Institute – a regional institute covering Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Tricia has served as the president of the Minnesota Public Health Association, as a representative to the American Public Health Association Governing Board, and is a past-chair of the American Public Health Association Health Administration Section. (Email: todd0002@umn.edu)
Mera Kachgal, Ph.D., L.P. develops and teaches online courses (including AHS 1102) and other educational programs. She is a licensed psychologist who has a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Her areas of specialization are counseling psychology and career assessment. She is also the Vice Chair of the Womens' Division of the Minnesota Psychological Association. (Email: kach0016@umn.edu)
Scott Simpson, M.S. is a Career Consultant at the Health Careers Center. Scott has a M.S. in the Counseling and Student Personnel program from Minnesota State University-Mankato, and a B.S. in Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Prior to coming to coming to the University of Minnesota, he worked extensively with college students as the Director of Career Services at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He has experience working with students on identifying and taking action to explore their career interests and developing an effective job search strategy. (Email: simps132@umn.edu)
Jennifer Rosand, M.Ed. is the Coordinator for the Health Careers Center. She also holds a Master of Education in Human Resource Development and a graduate certificate in Adult Education. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business with a major in Management/Marketing from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. With over ten years of experience in higher education, she has worked in recruitment roles and student services at the School of Public Health and the School of Nursing. Prior to employment in higher education, she worked marketing with a whole host of clients, many of them healthcare-related. (Email: rosan003@umn.edu)
Laura Fyfe, B.S. is the Student Services Specialist in the Health Careers Center. She joined the staff at the HCC shortly after graduating from the University of Minneosta with a B.S. in Family Social Science. As an undergraduate, she developed a passion for working in the University community, including helping students. It was this passion that brought her back as an employee. She enjoys helping students take important steps towards their futures. (Email: port0215@umn.edu)
