Victor M. Montori, MD, MS is the Robert H. and Susan M. Rewoldt Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic. An endocrinologist, health services researcher, and care activist, Dr. Montori is the author of over 800 peer-reviewed publications. He is also the 2024-2025 Human Rights and Technology Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. He is a recognized expert in evidence-based medicine, shared decision making, and minimally disruptive medicine. He works in Rochester, Minnesota, at Mayo Clinic’s KER Unit, to advance person-centered care for patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions. As a care activist, he authored the book Why We Revolt, and is leading a movement, a Patient Revolution, for Careful and Kind Care for al

Dr. Tai Mendenhall is a Professor and Medical Family Therapist and in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota (UMN). He is an Adjunct Professor in the UMN’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and Director of the UMN’s Medical Reserve Corps’ Mental Health Disaster-Response Teams. He works actively in collaborative family health care and community-based participatory research (CBPR). Across these formats, Tai integrates foci centered on burnout- and compassion fatigue- prevention / mitigation. This work engages psychology fellows, family therapy trainees, medical residents, and trauma-responders representing a diverse range of mental- and biomedical- health disciplines, alongside key operational and financial personnel working across primary-, secondary- and tertiary- care system structures.

Jessica Toft’s research examines two sides of the same coin: how neoliberalism works to limit the professional authority of social work, and how social work can and has used democratic ideas and actions to protect and extend professional authority. Her work is informed by scholarship from history, political science, sociology, cultural studies, linguistics, and social work, and draws on theories of neoliberalism, democracy, and the sociology of professions. She employes diverse methods to explore questions related to the effects of neoliberalism and democracy on social work theory and practice, including discourse analysis, historical methods, and survey research. Dr. Toft chairs the Effects of Neoliberalism on Social Work Practice in Minnesota and am the principal investigator of the Working Conditions of Minnesota Social Workers Survey and Social Workers Working Conditions Interview Project. She is also the principal investigator of Examining Social Work Unions in Historical and Contemporary Contexts. She is the former president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and the current Vice President of the Social Welfare History Group.

Dr. Gaugler’s research examines the sources and effectiveness of long-term care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions. An applied gerontologist, Dr. Gaugler’s interests include Alzheimer’s disease and long-term care, the longitudinal ramifications of family care for persons with dementia and other chronic conditions, and the effectiveness of community-based and psychosocial services for older adults with dementia and their caregiving families. Underpinning these substantive areas, Dr. Gaugler also has interests in mixed methods and implementation science.

Dr. Nkimbeng is an Assistant Professor, Division of Health Policy & Management at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health. Her research interests center around understanding the causes of health inequities in minorities and improving health outcomes for older adults. Encompassing her research and policy expertise, she works to develop and test interventions that can be translated into health policies and clinical practice to improve health and eliminate health inequities for older adults.

Robbin Frazier is the Associate Director of Equity and Community Engagement; Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation – School of Public Health; Division of Health Policy and Management – University of Minnesota. She is known as a diversity, equity, and inclusion leader with expertise in aging services, health equity, community engagement, and Alzheimer’s.

Robbin leads the planning and execution of community-oriented activities, partnerships, and engagement at CHAI. Her role is to proactively cultivate, grow and manage CHAI’s network of partner community agencies and organizations, and placing a special emphasis on increasing collaboration with black, indigenous, and communities of color as well as sexual and gender minorities (SGM).

Prior to her current position, Robbin was the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Alzheimer’s Association MN-ND Chapter. She co-developed and launched the association’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee to advance health equity by serving those at greatest risk with the least access to resource. Her role includes community, clinic, and provider education and outreach advancing health equity and reducing health disparities for diverse and underserved communities. Robbin provided education, advocacy, and referrals promoting the organization’s programs and services and linking individuals, caregivers and families with information, community resources, and care support services. She collaborated with non-profits and aging services providers for education classes addressing cognitive concerns about memory loss, dementia and living with Alzheimer’s.

Robbin promotes and supports early dementia identification, diagnosis, intervention, and community referrals among medical professionals, care coordinators, and clinic teams with special emphasis on Community Health Clinics (also known as FQHC’s) located in and serving diverse communities. Her collaborations with the U of M, Minnesota Brain Aging Research Collaborative, and the Minnesota Association of Community Health Clinics, and Dr. Soo Borson, MD has promoted and advanced the opportunity for primary care as doorway to health equity. This work has been supported by the MN Board on Aging and received national policy attention.