Editorial Staff Bios
Health content contained in this website, including that licensed by another source, is researched, authored, and/or reviewed by one or more of these qualified health care professionals prior to posting and annually thereafter. The credentials of these health care professionals are verified on a regular basis and each is required to disclose any conflict of interest with regard to the information they provide. In addition to abiding by the ethics code of this website, these health care professionals must abide by the professional ethics and principles of their respective professions. All health content on this website must comply with established company guidelines and criteria.
Dr. Wendy Bazilian provides nutrition and general health and wellness consultation to American Specialty Health and Healthyroads. In this role, Dr. Bazilian serves as a consultant on professional committees and other ASH projects, and as a nutrition writer and clinical editor for Healthyroads.
Dr. Bazilian is a doctor of Public health, registered dietitian, and certified health and fitness specialist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and literature and minor in Latin American studies from Tufts University as well as a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Bazilian received her doctorate in public health and nutrition from Loma Linda University, earning the university’s prestigious Chancellor’s Award for academic excellence.
As a leader in the fields of nutrition and fitness, Dr. Bazilian is involved in a variety of writing and research endeavors focusing on sports nutrition, women's health, and exercise. Additionally, Dr. Bazilian has assisted a wide array of clients of all ages with their nutrition and fitness goals through her private practice in San Diego. As a consultant, Dr. Bazilian has written and translated a variety of health-related and multidisciplinary publications and conference presentations in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Dr. Bazilian is author of The SuperFoods Rx Diet (Rodale) and has contributed to a number of books including the James Beard-nominated Golden Door Cooks at Home and the original New York Times bestseller SuperFoodsRx. She brings over 15 years of professional writing and health education experience to her work with ASH and Healthyroads. Dr. Bazilian joined the American Specialty Health consultation team in 2000.
As senior director for Health Services, Dr. Bjornaraa has responsibility for overseeing the clinical aspects of wellness and fitness program quality and consumer health education. These responsibilities include design of health content for wellness and health improvement products and clinical review and oversight of health appeals, grievances, and sentinel event management. She also supports day-to-day operations of ASH’s Health Services department and serves as co-chairperson of ASH’s Health Quality Committee.
Dr. Bjornaraa provides exercise and fitness expertise to Health Services and Healthyroads in the development and review of consumer health content. She provides other clinical support necessary for program implementation, as appropriate. She also provides clinical support to ASH’s physical therapy and occupational therapy network.
Dr. Bjornaraa is a certified athletic trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as well as a master’s degree in physical therapy/athletic training from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill. Dr. Bjornaraa holds a master of public health degree from San Diego State University. She received her PhD in rehabilitation science at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Bjornaraa has held leadership positions on the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Board of Directors as well as its Certification Commission. She is a faculty member at St. Catherine University in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program.
Dr. Bjornaraa brings more than 25 years of physical therapy experience to her work with ASH and Healthyroads. She has worked with ASH since 1998.
Claire Brocato is a senior manager for the Consumer Health Information team. In this role, she works with consumer health information writers and editors to research, develop, and maintain content for personal health improvement materials, ASH websites, and other ASH products and initiatives.
Ms. Brocato brings more than 20 years of experience in journalism, publishing, marketing, communications, and editing to her work with American Specialty Health. Prior to joining ASH, she worked as the managing editor for a leading nurse-focused website for 7 years. Ms. Brocato holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa.
Ms. Brocato joined the American Specialty Health team in 2011.
Kat Brokaw works with document and policy control in Health Services, and also contributes to other department projects, such as the web content management system for the Consumer Health Information team.
Ms. Brokaw brings 20 years of writing and editing experience to the team. She is a published author and playwright. Her experience with American Specialty Health brings to the team her knowledge of document control, quality improvement initiatives, and regulatory review.
Ms. Brokaw joined the American Specialty Health team in 2000.
Nora Byrne is an editorial specialist with the Consumer Health Information team. Ms. Byrne is responsible for developing health content for a variety of consumer educational materials and health improvement programs.
Ms. Byrne holds a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy, and a master’s degree in philosophy. Ms. Byrne also holds a copyediting certificate from the University of California, San Diego. She taught English and philosophy to middle and high school students before transitioning into writing and editing. Prior to joining ASH, Ms. Byrne worked as an editor at a marketing firm and as a writer/editor for a public outreach firm.
Ms. Byrne joined the American Specialty Health team in 2012.
Ann Cabrera is a Nurse Coach for the Healthyroads Coaching program. She assists members to identify and instigate behavior interventions that will impact their chronic health conditions and overall health in an effective manner.
Ms. Cabrera has over 30 years of nursing experience and holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University. Her varied clinical background ranges from acute care in the hospital to chronic and terminal care in the office and home-care settings dealing with children, adult, and geriatric populations. She has also acted as a telephone triage nurse and performed utilization and pre-authorization determinations for a major medical insurance carrier. Now, with American Specialty Health, she combines her clinical and administrative knowledge and experience to assist members in health promotion before they get too far down the path of pathology. She also acts as liaison on the clinical team that conducts referrals to outside provider vendors for further outreach opportunities.
Ms. Cabrera joined the American Specialty Health team in 2014.
As Vice President and Medical Director, Health Services, Dr. Choice is responsible for overseeing the Rehabilitation Services Clinical Quality Evaluation program. She is also responsible for providing musculoskeletal health and pain management expertise to both Health Services programs and Health Management products, leading content development, delivery, and clinical quality processes.
Dr. Choice holds a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from The Ohio State University and a doctor of medicine degree from the Medical College of Ohio. She completed her internship and residency training in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and her medical acupuncture training through University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Choice is board certified in both Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine, and she brings more than 25 years of clinical musculoskeletal care and pain management experience to her work with ASH.
Dr. Choice has worked with American Specialty Health since 2014.
Tim Curns currently serves as a manager of communications for American Specialty Health’s Marketing team. In this role, Mr. Curns manages the creation and development of client marketing efforts and sales communication campaigns, develops press releases and social media strategies, produces content for the company’s promotional materials and websites, and edits the monthly ASH News Flash e-newsletter on current topics in wellness and complementary health care.
Mr. Curns holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Binghamton University in New York. Previously, he worked as a web writer/editor in ASH’s Health Services department. Prior to his work at ASH, Mr. Curns worked for several years as editor of HPCwire, a news e-zine covering the high-performance computing industry. Here, he interviewed experts in the field and generated weekly content for the website.
Mr. Curns joined the American Specialty Health team in 2005.
Wendy Fluckiger-Brown currently works as a consultant for the Health Services department. In this role, she is responsible for developing health content for personal health improvement program materials.
Ms. Fluckiger-Brown is a registered nurse and licensed acupuncturist, with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Wyoming as well as a master’s degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. Additionally, Ms. Fluckiger-Brown has received extensive training in mind-body interventions such as mental imagery and relaxation skills. Prior to joining American Specialty Health, Ms. Fluckiger-Brown maintained a private acupuncture and massage clinic in La Costa, California. She brings over 25 years of health care and wellness education experience to her work with ASH.
Ms. Fluckiger-Brown has worked with American Specialty Health since 2001.
Leilani Fraley, RN, is a clinical reviewer for the Consumer Health Information team. In this role, Ms. Fraley works alongside the Consumer Health Information’s writers and editors, and reviews consumer health content for clinical accuracy.
Having worked in a variety of clinical settings, Ms. Fraley has a wide range of nursing experience, most notably as an ER/trauma and float nurse for several level-1 and level-2 trauma centers. She has also worked as a guest health services RN for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. In addition to her clinical background, Ms. Fraley has more than 15 years of experience as an editorial professional, having worked as a staff writer/editor for leading-edge companies in the health, wellness and technology industries. Ms. Fraley holds a nursing degree from National University, San Diego, California, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.
Ms. Fraley joined the American Specialty Health team in 2014.
Justine Greene, MD, is a board certified family practice physician with experience in primary care, urgent care, occupational health, and university health care. She graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1987 and completed her residency training in Family Medicine at the University of California, Irvine in 1990. Dr. Greene also received the master of science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in 1999. In addition, she is certified by the American Board of Holistic Medicine.
Dr. Greene has been a consultant for American Specialty Health since 1999 and is currently the company’s Associate Medical Director.
Dr. Steven Hilles has over 17 years of both clinical and administrative experience in specialty health care. Dr. Hilles’ experience in managed care includes quality management, accreditation audit support, provider education initiatives, utilization management, and credentialing. Dr. Hilles is the Associate Vice President of Health Services for American Specialty Health and oversees the clinical and health improvement education content components of the QI Program by developing key goals and quality strategies in conjunction with senior management and support committees.
Dr. Hilles received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University and is a graduate of Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. Dr. Hilles has a Master Degree in Business Administration from the University of California Irvine. He joined American Specialty Health, Inc in 1997.
Candace Hodges serves as a manager for the Consumer Health Information team. In this role, Ms. Hodges works with a team of writers and editors to develop and edit consumer health content for personal health improvement programs and ASH websites.
Ms. Hodges holds a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Houston. She has also attained professional certification in Publishing, Regulatory Compliance, and Medical Writing. Prior to joining American Specialty Health in 2012, she served for five years as an acquisitions editor in the book publishing industry and 4 years as a technical writer and editor in the defense industry.
Dr. Suzanne Ivie provides clinical review for the Consumer Health Information team. In this role, she works with the consumer health information writers and editors, reviewing consumer health content for clinical accuracy. She also assists in the development of new consumer health content for Healthyroads programs and company websites.
Dr. Ivie is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, certified massage therapist, and licensed chiropractor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Utah, as well as a doctor of chiropractic degree from Texas Chiropractic College. She has received post-graduate certifications in acupuncture and life coaching with extensive training in yoga and other mind-body techniques. She brings over 17 years of clinical experience and wellness education to her work with American Specialty Health.
As Chief Health Services Officer at American Specialty Health (ASH), Dr. Douglas Metz oversees the clinical aspects of the organization, including:
* Clinical service and clinical quality management
* Medical and physical therapy management
* Health services research administration
* Clinical product design
* Consumer health information development
* Clinical quality assurance
* Clinical guideline development
* Corporate clinical quality oversight
He is chairman of the Corporate Quality Oversight Committee and oversees the Health Quality Committee and Technology Assessment Committee. Dr. Metz has an extensive background in many aspects of clinical managed care, including clinical guideline development, utilization management, quality management, credentialing, consumer health information, benefits design, and network strategy.
Prior to his 17 years with American Specialty Health, Dr. Metz served as a medical director for Aetna Health Plans. He was responsible for the oversight of chiropractic policy and programs for Aetna’s indemnity programs, PPOs, HMOs, point-of-service plans, and managed workers’ compensation nationally.
Dr. Metz has played a critical role in corporate implementation of NCQA and URAC standards within ASH’s clinical networks, wellness, and online programs. Dr. Metz serves on the URAC board of directors and is currently the chairman of the URAC Health Standards Committee; he has served on the Health Standards Committee for 12 years. He also served as chairman of the Wellness Standards Development Committee for URAC.
Dr. Metz led the ASH organization’s award winning Patient Protection QI study that effectively implemented evidence-based x-ray imaging practices across ASH Group resulting in a reduction in imaging utilization. He is a recent winner of the San Diego Business Journal Health Champions Award for Research and Innovation. In addition, Dr. Metz was recognized by the San Diego Business Journal as a 2010 winner of the Health Champions Award for Research and Innovation.
Dr. Metz is a member of several professional organizations, including:
* American Society for Quality
* Care Continuum Alliance
* National Strength and Conditioning Association
* American College of Sports Medicine
* American Back Society
* American Public Health Association
* Society for Behavioral Medicine
* American Chiropractic Association
Dr. Metz is a 1983 graduate of the National College of Chiropractic, where he received a bachelor of science degree in biology and a doctor of chiropractic degree.
Examples of publications include articles or texts published by Nolo Press (2010), Institute of Medicine (2009), America’s Health Insurance Plans (2009), American Journal of Health Promotion (2007), and clinical cost effectiveness in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2004) and Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (2004, 2007, 2008).
Dr. Mines obtained his Chiropractic doctorate degree in1996 from Southern California University of Health Sciences. He also obtained a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology (Study of Human Movement) from California State University–Fullerton in 1992. Dr. Mines is certified as a Fellow in Health Care Quality and Management by the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians and he is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is also a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician by the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, as well as, a Corrective Exercise Specialist by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Dr. Mines currently works for American Specialty Health where he supports a variety of activities associated with musculoskeletal health provider networks, fitness and exercise services, and health management programs.
Jason Nielsen is an editorial specialist with the Consumer Health Information team. Mr. Nielsen is responsible for developing health content for a variety of consumer educational materials and health improvement programs.
Mr. Nielsen holds a bachelor’s degree in media arts from the University of Arizona. He brings over 10 years of writing and editing experience in industries ranging from higher education and compliance to mortgage risk assessment. Mr. Nielsen joined the American Specialty Health team in 2012.
Britt Northup currently works as a consultant for the Consumer Health Information team in Health Services. Ms. Northup specializes in developing health content for personal health improvement program materials.
Ms. Northup holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of San Diego and a master's degree in English from San Diego State University, where she taught composition and literary research courses. She brings 24 years of writing experience and 5 years of corporate training experience to her work with American Specialty Health (ASH). She has been working with ASH since 2005.
Sharon Odegaard is an editorial specialist for the Consumer Health Information team. Ms. Odegaard is responsible for developing and editing consumer health content for a variety of personal health improvement programs on ASH websites.
Ms. Odegaard holds a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in history. She brings more than 15 years of writing and editing experience in print and online media to the company. Prior to joining ASH, Ms. Odegaard worked as a writer and editor for an online consumer health website and as an editor for a producer of medical and science teaching materials. She has also worked as an editor of medical trade publications and science journals.
Ms. Odegaard joined the American Specialty Health team in 2012.
Gail Olson is an editorial specialist with the Consumer Health Information team. In her role, Ms. Olson is responsible for developing health content for a variety of consumer educational materials and health improvement programs.
Ms. Olson holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Diego State University and a copyediting certificate from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to joining ASH, Ms. Olson worked as a writer and editor for an online consumer health website and for an educational publishing company. In addition to her 12 years of editorial experience, Ms. Olson has worked for 17 years as a licensed massage therapist and Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP) in San Diego, California.
Ms. Olson joined the American Specialty Health team in 2013.
As vice president and medical director of the Medical Services department at American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH), Dr. Osmick provides medical management expertise and support across all ASH products, including utilization management, condition management, wellness, and fitness services.
Dr. Osmick joins ASH having served as a physician executive with many years of experience in disease management, case management, quality management, provider management, and utilization management. For the past 6+ years, she was vice president and medical director for StayWell Health Management, which included her work with LifeMasters Supported Self-Care Inc., a company which was acquired by StayWell in 2010. Dr. Osmick was responsible for leading a team to design and implement a behavioral-based coaching model which, based on outcomes, won the 2009 Care Continuum Alliance Quality and Innovation Award.
Prior to joining ASH, Dr. Osmick worked as a physician executive at Crozer Keystone Health System in southeastern Pennsylvania, a tertiary care health system, leading quality and case management, as well as building some of the first provider-based disease management (DM) programs. Additionally, she served as the medical director of the Crozer Keystone Health System employed-physician group and as chief medical officer of their Medicare Plus Choices Demonstration. Subsequently, Dr. Osmick served as national medical director for Disease Management and Health Promotion at CIGNA (Intracorp). She also co-founded a start-up that developed online-enabled interactive games for health to support individuals with health conditions.
Dr. Osmick is a board-certified internal medicine medical physician serving in direct patient care for 18 years. She received her medical degree from Temple University Medical School, and completed her medical residency at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Dr. Osmick has completed all course work from the American College of Physician Executives for a Masters of Medical Management.
Dr. Osmick joined ASH in 2011.
Dr. Pelletier is the best-selling author of 12 highly-acclaimed books, including international bestsellers Mind as Health, Mind as Slayer (1977), Sound Mind – Sound Body: A New Model for Lifelong Health (1995), The Best Alternative Medicine: What Works? What Does Not? (2000), Stress Free for Good (2005), and New Medicine: How to Integrate Alternative and Conventional Medicine for the Safest and Most Effective Treatment (2007).
Dr. Pelletier is a Clinical Professor of Medicine, Family Medicine, and Professor of Public Health at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Clinical Professor of Medicine, Family Medicine, and Psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine (UCSF) San Francisco. He is also director of the Corporate Health Improvement Program (CHIP), which is a collaborative research program between the University of Arizona School of Medicine and 15 of the Fortune 500 corporations, including American Specialty Health (ASH), IBM, Dow, Ford, Prudential, Mercer, Pepsi, MedStat, Canyon Ranch, Nestle, Corning, NASA, and the University of Texas School of Medicine in Houston. Dr. Pelletier also serves as Chairman of the American Health Association and has appointments on the Board of Directors of several non-profit foundations and for profit corporations.
Dr. Pelletier also serves as a medical and business consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), Institute for Health & Productivity Management (IHPM), and numerous major corporations, including IBM, Ford Motor Company, NASA, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and United Healthcare. Dr. Pelletier also currently serves or previously served on the Boards of the Healthtrac Foundation; Health Net; Health Systems International; California Wellness Foundation; the Health Project; Canyon Ranch Resorts, and the Rancho la Puerta/Golden Door Spas. He is a peer reviewer for the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the American Journal of Health Promotion.
Dr. Pelletier’s research, clinical practice, and publications have been the subject of numerous national and international television features, including several appearances on “Good Morning America,” “ABC World News Tonight,” “Today,” “48 Hours,” “CBS Evening News,” and “The McNeil-Lehrer News Hour.”
Nancy Strot is a director for health coaching at American Specialty Health. In this role, Ms. Strot leads Healthyroads’ coach skill development training and mentor program and oversees coaching teams. She develops, designs, and delivers initial and ongoing health coach training. Ms. Strot also helped develop a series of onsite education classes. She takes part in corporate quality improvement initiatives for the training of coaches and is a member of the Healthy Quality Committee for Healthyroads.
Ms. Strot is a registered dietitian and holds a master’s degree in dietetics from the University of Washington as well as a bachelor’s degree in theology from Gustavus Adolphus College. In 1988, Ms. Strot developed an educational tool to assess fat intake as a key component of her master’s thesis, and this tool was later published in a leading consumer fitness magazine. Ms. Strot completed her own health coach training through two nationally recognized health and wellness coach training organizations, Totally Coached, Inc. and Wellcoaches®.
Prior to joining Healthyroads, Ms. Strot worked as a counselor, group facilitator, program developer, and training and development manager in various weight management education and cardiovascular health care settings. She worked for Jenny Craig, Inc. for 12 years and her last position there was Director of Training. Ms. Strot brings 21 years of nutrition and health education experience to her work with Healthyroads.
Ms. Strot joined the American Specialty Health team in 2004.
Elizabeth Thompson leads the Healthyroads coaching team. In this role, Ms. Thompson works closely with the health coaching staff and related staff in all aspects of delivering the coaching programs. She also contributes to program enhancement development, including program content, quality assurance measures, policies and procedures, and benefit design.
Ms. Thompson is a registered dietitian. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from California Polytechnic University as well as a master of public health degree from San Jose State University. Additionally, Ms. Thompson has extensive experience in the areas of obesity counseling, dietetic research, and managed care.
As a leader in the field of dietetics, Ms. Thompson has held key leadership positions in a variety of professional health organizations, including past president of the California Dietetic Association Foundation and president of Health Care and Education for the Western Region of the American Diabetes Association. She held several national committee posts with the American Dietetic Association, including chair, Quality Management, and is a current committee member on the Coding and Coverage committee. Ms. Thompson brings over 25 years of clinical dietetic experience to her work with Healthyroads.
Ms. Thompson joined the American Specialty Health team in 1998.
Virginia Wilke currently serves as a freelance writer for the Consumer Health Information team. In this role, she is responsible for developing health content in personal health improvement program materials.
Ms. Wilke earned her Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP) certification through the International Professional School of Bodywork, where she currently serves as an instructor, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana. From 2005–2010, she served as an editor and senior editor at American Specialty Health in Health Services. Prior to that, Ms. Wilke held writing, editing, and marketing positions in the medical and publishing fields in San Diego and in Vancouver, British Columbia. She brings more than 10 years of writing and editing experience to her work with Health Services.