October 2024 Grand Rounds - Referral Strategies for Recruitment and Engagement of Adults into Online Health Programs - Michigan State University Extension

Catherine Hyowon Han (한효원) (she/her/hers) is a second-generation Korean American, a proud daughter of immigrants, and is the oldest of five in her family. She currently serves as a Program Specialist with the Center of Healthy Aging at National Council on Aging (NCOA) based in Arlington, VA. In her role, she supports a historic $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living to provide technical assistance to community-based organizations and senior centers working to provide lifesaving COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to older adults and people with disabilities. She also provides technical assistance to U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) grant-funded community-based organizations promoting and implementing evidence-based Falls Prevention and Chronic Disease Self-Management education programs. Formerly, Catherine served as the Virginia Middle School Program Coordinator at Asian American LEAD (AALEAD). 

Catherine holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Sociology from University of Massachusetts Lowell Honors College (UMass Lowell) and a Master of Science Degree in Social Work (MSSW) from Columbia University. 

Cheryl provides statewide leadership for MSU Extension’s community-based health, food safety, and nutrition and physical activity programming. As an institute director, she oversees budgets, staffing plans, strategic planning, partnerships, research projects, content development, and programmatic direction. Trained as a gerontologist, she is experienced in grant writing, program implementation, and evaluation. In 2017, with colleagues, she published an innovation report in Academic Medicine proposing how the national Cooperative Extension system can serve as a model of health extension to be implemented within land-grant institutions and our nation's academic health centers and community-based medical schools. All of her recent publications highlight strategies of the MSU Model of Health Extension including her forthcoming book, titled, “Health Extension: Community-Based Healthcare and the Future of Cooperative Extension.” She has a doctorate and masters degree from Oregon State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology/anthropology from Oakland University. 

Dr. Contreras is a Senior Extension Specialist with the Michigan State University Extension Health and Nutrition Institute.  She is a Co-PI on a current ACL CDSME grant and a past PI on an ACL Falls Prevention grant. She is also involved with several other several statewide health initiatives including an immunization education grant geared toward healthcare providers and an opioid misuse prevention grant focused on rural residents. Dawn is a primary author/co-author on numerous health-related articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Her Ph.D. is in Family and Child Ecology from Michigan State University.

Holly Tiret is a Senior Extension Educator with the Michigan State University Extension Health and Nutrition Institute. She is a Co-PI on a current ACL CDSME grant. She is a program lead for the team’s anger management and mindfulness programs. In her program lead role, she has developed programs, trained and mentored colleagues. In addition, she is a trained facilitator in Chronic Disease PATH and Diabetes PATH. Holly teaches classes online to a statewide audience and in-person within her community. She is author/co-author of many published peer-reviewed manuscripts. She is involved in the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences and currently serves as the Past President for the state affiliate, Michigan Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences. Her MA is in Education/Guidance and Development from Central Michigan. She is also a Certified Family Life Educator.