Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Practice Issues in Rural HealthcareAfton Koball, Ph.D., LP, Gundersen Health System Denyse Olson-Dorff, Psy.D., LP, Gundersen Health System Judy Klevan, M.D., Gundersen Health System 2.0 Continuing Education Credits Summary Statement: Gundersen Health System (GHS) provides medical care to individuals across 19 counties in Western WI, Northeast IA, and Southeast MN. Given its reach across a wide network of rural communities, the system as a whole has focused on moving healthcare beyond the reach of our hospital walls and out into communities. In particular, a variety of initiatives related to intervening on adversity in childhood and making known the long-lasting impact of these experiences on health have been undertaken. This presentation will describe a collection of research projects within GHS that have examined how individuals with high ACE-screening scores utilize the healthcare system and how patients and providers respond to discussion of adverse childhood experiences as a standard part of their healthcare. Resiliency strategies for better managing ACEs in a rural community will also be discussed. Learning Objective 1: Participants will explain how ACEs impact health over the lifespan. Bios
Dr. Koball is a Plainview, MN native who has been with Gundersen Health System (GHS) since 2015. She is a board certified Clinical Health Psychologist and currently serves as the Medical Director of Adult Outpatient Services in the Department of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Koball received her Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree from University of Minnesota-Duluth and PhD from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. Dr. Koball completed an APA-approved predoctoral internship from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL and a two year Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Koball’s clinical expertise is primarily in the area of obesity and weight management. She serves as the lead psychologist for the GHS Comprehensive Weight Management Program and the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. She also is a member of the GHS Eating Disorder Team, and works collaboratively with many medical subspecialty departments in the care and treatment of patients with medical and psychiatric co-morbidities. One of Dr. Koball’s primary research interests focuses on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in medical settings. In particular, she is interested in the impact of ACEs on healthcare utilization and the ameliorating effects of provider-patient discussions about ACEs on health, well-being, and utilization.
Denyse Olson-Dorff, PsyD ,clinical psychologist, has worked at Gundersen Health System in several capacities since completing her training at Baylor University and Yale University. She works clinically with children, adolescents and the adults who care for them. She has been the Clinical Director of the Child and Adolescent Section of Behavioral Health. Dr. Olson Doff is currently the Clinical Director of the Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center where she has had a special interest in the application of the Adverse Childhood Experience research findings into primary care workflows.
Judy Klevan, MD is a pediatrician with Gundersen Health System. She has practiced inpatient and outpatient pediatrics at Gundersen for 28 years and has a clinical appointment at UW- Madison School of Medicine. She was the Pediatric Clerkship director for the medical school for 17 years. Her interests include medical education, pediatric eating disorders and international pediatric medical care. She now divides her time between Gundersen Health in LaCrosse Wisconsin and the Lao Friends Hospital for Children in Luang Prabang, Laos. |
Afton Koball, Ph.D., LP
Denyse Olson-Dorff, Psy.D., LP
Judy Klevan, M.D.
