Academic Consultants

Dr. Bydon is a Professor in the Department of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and has joint appointments in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Health Services Research. He serves as Assistant Dean of Education in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and is Medical Director of the Mayo Clinic Enterprise Registry.  He is Principal Investigator of the Mayo Clinic Neuro-Informatics Laboratory and has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts as well as hundreds of book chapters, abstracts, and other written publications. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Neuroscience.

Dr. Krahn is a professor of Psychiatry and consultant in the Section of Sleep Medicine holding joint appointments in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology. She has served as Dean of MCCMS, Associate Dean for Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and Ombudsman, Program Director for the Sleep Disorders Center Fellowship. She served as the Chair for the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology and as interim CEO and VP for Mayo Clinic, Arizona. Dr. Krahn has also served as a member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees.  

Dr. Mansfield is a medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of thoracic malignancies and drug development. His work has supported the FDA approval of multiple therapies for lung and thyroid cancers. He has received funding from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense and Mark Foundation to develop biomarkers that improve treatment selection for patients.

Ms. Robinson launched the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine on the Florida campus.  She led the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine and the Multidisciplinary Simulation Center and Procedural Skills Lab. As Administrative Division Chair, she has had a major role in the stabilization, innovation, and expansion of medical education initiatives.  

Bio Under Development

Mr. Speary's roles at Mayo Clinic include Human Resources Manager, Director of Workforce Learning and Organization Development, Operations Administrator and Assistant Dean in the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Bob provided Human Resources and Education leadership to the activation project of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City’s hospital activation in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He led the Human Resources and Education workstreams for the Joint Venture transition. 

Ms. Beck helped to launch the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences in Florida, and has held various roles in the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development and has served as Director for the Referring Provider Office. She has been fundamental in developing strategy and infrastructure needed to support global academic collaborations with health care organizations, higher learning institutions and industry partners.

Ms. Chandler has vast experience in program and product development as she managed four allied health training programs, two physician residencies, nine fellowships, continuing medical education, faculty and career development as well as visiting clinicians, physicians and students for the Department of Radiology. Currently she supports the Mayo Clinic Academic Solutions business development by identifying products, services and solutions that can meet the needs of clients.

Mr. Randleman’s background is in non-profit, physician board certification. He brings long term knowledge of graduate medical education, training requirements, and physician credentialing. Mr. Randleman has a proven track record in successfully partnering with physician leaders to execute strategic initiatives. He has broad experience in planning and managing technical website and software development projects. Mr. Randleman has a BA in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, holds a has certificate from eCornell in Diversity and Inclusion, and holds certification in Business Analysis through the Project Management Institute (PMI). 

Ms. Hildestad has served as a Physician Liaison for the Department of Provider Relations serving as a leading resource for external providers seeking collaboration with Mayo Clinic. and a Patient Experience Coordinator in the Office of Patient Experience and currently facilitates engagement with external academic institutions, health care organizations, and clients seeking educational collaboration and partnership with Mayo Clinic. She is responsible for client relationship management activities for the Mayo Clinic Academic Solutions team.

Ms. Rosenbush has over 23 years’ experience in health care and is an accomplished clinician, educator, and leader. She has held an array of positions within the Department of Education and Department of Nursing and was instrumental in the inauguration and advancement of Emergency Nursing practice at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City in Abu Dhabi.  She led the successful accreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare for the Mayo Clinic Florida Multidisciplinary Simulation Center and the build-out of a state-of-the-art Procedural Skills Lab.

Ms. Wilkins has worked at Mayo Clinic for 6 years within the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education. She was an Education Program Coordinator (EPC) for multiple residency and f fellowship programs on the Florida campus. She also served as the Florida EPC Manager. She has been instrumental in working with EPCs, program personnel, and school leadership to help graduate medical education programs meet accreditation and institutional standards. 

Ms. Timm has worked at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine as an Operations Specialist and assisted with implementation and expansion of the Arizona campus medical school. During her time at the medical school, she provided operational support, event planning, process implementation, course management, and supervised the administrative support team. She has a wide array of UME knowledge and expertise including experience in Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Admissions, and Administration. 

Ms. Bendok is a program manager with Mayo Clinic Academic Solutions. She has managed clients in both the financial and public sectors domestically and internationally. She has led numerous projects regarding marketing strategies for an international governmental agency and has developed market penetration strategies for business clients in the Midwest. Over the past six years with Mayo Clinic, she has worked in direct contact with patients and with executives. This has allowed Karen to clearly understand the quality improvement processes in health care organizations from all perspectives.

Mr. Gundelach has over eighteen years of experience providing technical and administrative support for Mayo Clinic Research activities. He currently sits within Mayo’s International Academic Affairs team and coordinates response to all research-related consulting requests received by MCAS. He has supported research within varied departments including Surgery, Pediatrics, and Cardiovascular Medicine. With prior experience in clinical trials, laboratory science, animal studies, and qualitative & health sciences research, Justin brings a broad spectrum of expertise to support your consulting needs.

Before joining the MCAS team, Ms. Curl previously worked as a medical practice secretary for the Neurology department and as an administrative assistant for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. She was pivotal in the development and implementation of large-scale medical school events including Orientation, Family Weekend, Match Day, and Commencement for the Arizona campus. Ms. Curl has experience working in Student Affairs and provided exceptional support to deans and learners throughout their medical education. As an Education Administrative Coordinator for Mayo Clinic Academic Solutions Mary has the expertise in streamlining processes and procedures, and maintaining web-based programs for her team and organization.

Ms. Outman was instrumental in implementing the first tri-site ISES (Integrated Scheduling and Evaluation System) for the Jacksonville Transitional Year Residency Program, Mayo School of Graduate Education and assisted other coordinators with their programs. In the Referring Provider Office E.J. managed the database reporting accurate field rep visits, physician visits and referrals by requests, appointments for the RPO Scorecard reported quarterly the liaisons monthly metrics for visits and referrals. As Administrative Assistant for the Mayo Clinic Academic Solutions E.J. is supportive of the team in providing the skills needed to accomplish tasks and to assist others to reach the high standards of excellence.

She oversees faculty development programming, provides consultation, and creates resources and activities to support faculty and health professions educators across the enterprise. Heather is a faculty member within the MCSGBMS, chairs the Faculty Development Steering Committee and is the GME section leader for the regional CGEA executive committee. Heather led the creation of the Academy of Educational Excellence and is continuing to build faculty development programs, such as the Fundamentals in Medical Education program. Heather’s research projects includes innovative curriculum designs, faculty development dissemination strategies, mentorship development and multidisciplinary team science models.

Dr. Cheryll Albold is an assistant professor of medical education in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MCCMS). She currently serves as the Operations Administrator and Designated Institutional Administrator (DIA) for the Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education (MCSGME). Dr. Albold has over 25 years of experience working at higher education institutions; and she currently serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Resident Affairs, and is elected to the combined Board of Trustees for the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education Research. She has published several journal articles and book chapters. 

Dr. Kakar is Professor of Orthopaedics, past Vice Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Associate Medical Director for the Quality Academy and serves as the Medical Director for the Digital Platform within Continuous Professional Development at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota and President of the Minnesota Orthopaedic Society. Dr Kakar has authored over 220 peer reviewed scientific papers, 45 book chapters and co-editor of four orthopaedic textbooks in the Hand and Wrist. He is principal investigator on several translational research grants. He is a past Member at Large, both on The Council for Research and Quality at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery and the American Society for Surgery of The Hand and serves as the President of the Minnesota Orthopaedic Society (2022-2023).

Bio under development 

Dr. Ross Reichard is a consultant in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. His clinical and research interests are primarily neurodegenerative diseases and forensic pathology, but he is also passionate about quality improvement and has served as the Vice Chair of Quality for Anatomic Pathology and the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. He has recently transitioned in the position of medical director for the Quality Academy.

Ms. Anderson-Rau currently serves as the Department of Education’s Quality Academy Operations Manager in Rochester, Minnesota. Jolene has held roles with progressive leadership experience across many areas of the enterprise, including Operations Manager for the Department of Public Affairs, Supplier Diversity Program Manager and Contract Manager for the Department of Finance – Supply Chain Management, Finance Specialist – Performance & Consulting- supporting Surgical Services and the Clinical Practice Subcommittee with her first role being in accounting.

Ms. Rismeyer leads the Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) program at Mayo Clinic. She is an Assistant Professor of Nursing in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Denise has transformed CNE to become a global leader in nursing education. She is involved in nursing education research focused on delivery methods and leads an initiative incorporating equity and diversity in health care education. She is a member of a multidisciplinary group focused on education content, delivery, and the latest education innovations. Ms. Rismeyer has presented regionally, nationally, and internationally on nursing education.

Dr. Christopher Sletten is a Clinical Psychologist, Board Certified in Health Psychology. He is a consultant and Assistant Professor in the Department of Pain Medicine, Mayo Clinic Florida. He is the Clinical Director of the Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Sletten has written and lectured extensively on the application of behavioral rehabilitation strategies for a variety of chronic symptom populations. His research has focused on the mechanisms and outcomes of pain rehabilitation. He has also assisted in the development of Pain Rehabilitation Programs at other medical institutions.

Ms. McVeigh is an Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and currently serves as an Operations Administrator for The Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, The Department of Pain Medicine, Employee Well-Being, Medical Ethics, and is the COVID Incident Commander for our Healthcare Incident Command System (HICS) at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Kim’s past leadership roles include Supervisor and Director of Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic, as well as Operations Administrator for Sports Medicine and the Kern Center for the Science of Healthcare Delivery.

Dr. Dona Locke is a Board-Certified Neuropsychologist and Professor of Psychology who joined Mayo Clinic Arizona in 2005. Clinically she is involved in diagnostic neuropsychological evaluations for a broad range of symptom presentations in adults as well as directing the interventional HABIT Program. Her primary research interest is cognitive aging, including early identification of cognitive decline and interventions to support cognitive health and cognitive disorder. She is the PI of the Multi-Site HABIT Registry Research Program, Neuropsychology Director of the Arizona Alzheimer’s Disorder Research Consortium, and Neuropsychology Director of the Arizona APOE Cohort longitudinal research project. 

Dr. Melanie Chandler is board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and Chair of the Division of Psychology/Vice Chair Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic Florida. Dr. Chandler’s professional responsibilities include a mixture of administration, research, patient care, and teaching. She has been consistently funded for the last 15+ years to conduct research into behavioral interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), including funding from the Alzheimer’s Association, Florida Department of Health, NIH-NINR, and PCORI. She co-founded the HABIT Program. She leads the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation Endowment for the HABIT Program at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Chandler also serves as Core Faculty for Mayo’s Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology.

Dr. Anne Shandera-Ochsner is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and a Board-Certified Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Mayo Clinic Health System, La Crosse, She completed her internship training with an emphasis in neuropsychology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Following her Ph.D., she obtained further specialization in Mild Cognitive Impairment, dementia, and other aspects of neuropsychology on a postdoctoral fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida and then joined Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 2015. She has authored or co-authored 16 peer-reviewed publications and 4 book chapters. She is the Director of the HABIT Program for the midwest region of Mayo Clinic.