Dawna Pidgeon, PT, CEEAA, serves as a leader in older adult falls prevention initiatives in New Hampshire. She is the Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging’s Falls Prevention Program Lead. The Dartmouth Falls Prevention Program trains healthcare providers and community-based organization members to establish effective falls risk screening and sustainable falls prevention programs, such as Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance® (TJQMBB).  She is one of six Oregon Research Institute Authorized Trainers for TJQMBB in the country. She is a physical therapist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), and is an American Physical Therapy Association Certified Exercise Expert for the Aging Adult (CEEAA). Ms. Pidgeon serves as co-chair of the New Hampshire Falls Risk Reduction Task Force, as well as chair of the DHMC Ambulatory Falls Prevention Task Force.

Carol G. Petrie, PT, MaEd, DPT, is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy.   She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Vermont, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Rhode Island, and a Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences.   She has 29 years of clinical practice in physical therapy and is a full time Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Rhode Island DPT program.   Through her professional experience she has attained certification as a Certified Exercise Expert for Aging Adults from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and is a registered instructor for Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance programs.   Other professional activities include serving as the Chief Delegate for Rhode Island to the APTA House of Delegates and she is a retired military physical therapist.

Alexandra Morelli, MPA, CCHW is a certified Community Health Worker as well as a graduate of University of Rhode Island’s Master of Public Administration, and Rhode Island College’s Health Care Administration and Gerontology program. She has experience working with older adults, and individuals with developmental disabilities. Through her work experience, she gained proficiency in American Sign Language and has taught ASL courses at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She works on a federal Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program grant at the Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center where she coordinates educational programs for students, professionals, and the community members.

Kathleen Cameron, BSPharm, MPH, has more than 25 years of experience in the health care field as a pharmacist, researcher, and program director focusing on falls prevention, geriatric pharmacotherapy, mental health, long-term services and supports, and caregiving. Cameron is Senior Director of the NCOA Center for Healthy Aging, where she provides subject matter expertise on health care programmatic and policy related issues and oversees the Modernizing Senior Center Resource Center.