MATTHEW ARNOLD, PHARMD, BCACP, BC-ADM

Dr. Arnold received his PharmD from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2012. After graduation, he completed his residency in family medicine at Siouxland Medical Education Foundation in Sioux City, Iowa. He is also an appointed adjunct faculty member of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. Dr. Arnold joins the faculty to assist with resident and student education in pharmacotherapy and drug management practices. 

VALENTINA GOMEZ ARISTIZABAL, DO

Dr. Gomez Aristizabal is an internal medicine resident physician at MercyOne in Des Moines, IA. She is passionate about helping people with diabetes and diligently works to find the root of the problem so that she can better manage her patients' diabetes. Dr. Gomez Aristizabal's post-residency plans include working in disease prevention, diabetes management, and obesity management.

MADALYN ELLIOT, DO

Dr. Elliott is a resident physician in internal medicine at MercyOne Des Moines/PHC Consortium. In this role, she can manage diabetes in both an inpatient and outpatient setting on a near-daily basis. She earned her medical degree from A.T. Still University and her MBA from Missouri University of Science and Technology. Dr. Elliott plans to specialize in gastroenterology after completing her internal medicine residency.

JENNIFER GROOS, MD, FAAP

Dr. Groos has been a practicing pediatric physician for over 17 years. She earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. She practices at Primary Health Care, the FQHC, in Des Moines, Iowa, and is the clinical leadership consultant at the Iowa Primary Care Association. 

She has extensive experience in local, state, and federal legislative advocacy. She is a past president of the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, chair of the chapter committee on legislation, and founder and chair of the chapter committee on obesity. She has also served on the Iowa Medical Society and Polk County Medical Society Committees on Legislation for over ten years. She currently serves on the executive committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Obesity. 

She founded and leads Iowa's 5-2-1-0 Health Care Chronic Disease Prevention Program. In 2018, Dr. Groos received the Iowa Medical Society Physician Community Service Award for her statewide child health promotion work. She has received extensive training in Motivational Interviewing and Brief Action Planning and utilizes it daily in her practice. She provided training for students, residents, and practicing healthcare providers nationwide.

BETHANY KING, DO

Dr. King is an Internal Medicine Resident Physician at MercyOne in Des Moines, IA. She earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences and her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Cornell College. Dr. King plans to specialize in rheumatology after completing her internal medicine residency.

ANGELA R. MICKENS, BSN, BA, RN

Ms. Mickens was a surgical nurse for 27 years before moving to infection prevention at UnityPoint Des Moines. She graduated from Grand View University with a Bachelor’s in Nursing and Theology. Ms. Mickens believes her vocational purpose is to bring awareness to health disparities that impact the African American Community. She is the vice president of a nonprofit organization, Black Women 4 Healthy Living, where she enjoys writing their Wellness Wednesday post. She is also on the Biomed Board of the American Red Cross. Because of her passion for community health, she has returned to school to obtain her Master's in Public Health.

WENDY MOBLEY-BUKSTEIN, PHARMD, BCACP, CDCES, CHWC, NASM-CPT, FAPHA, FADCES

Dr. Mobley-Bukstein is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Drake University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She is also a Diabetes Care and Educational Specialist at Primary Health Care Inc., a Federally Qualified Health Center serving refugee, underserved, and uninsured populations in the Des Moines metropolitan area.

ALISON PHILLIPS, PHD

Dr. Phillips is an Associate Professor and Director of the Healthy Habits Lab at Iowa State University. The lab aims to help individuals and their healthcare providers prevent and manage chronic illness. The lab aims to identify the universal and behavior-specific processes and mechanisms of health-habit development, create a communication system, and design interventions to promote healthy behaviors in the long term.

JAMIE PITLICK, PHARMD, BCPS, BC-ADM

Dr. Pitlick is an associate professor at Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She earned her PharmD from Drake in 2008 and then completed a pharmacy practice residency at Mercy Family Medicine with the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Before returning to Drake, she was a Clinical Associate Professor at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Dr. Pitlick is involved in teaching diabetes content with a pharmacy practice site at Mercy Diabetes and Endocrinology Center.

TRINA RADSKE-SUCHAN, PT

Ms. Radske-Suchan serves as the President/CEO of the Iowa Community HUB, a nonprofit Community Care HUB providing healthcare partners a system to extend beyond the clinic walls, making clinic-community linkages integral in better-serving individuals with complex social needs. She received her master's degree in physical therapy from the University of Iowa. She has dedicated most of her career to promoting and advocating for healthier lifestyles to reduce the severity of disease and disability. Ms. Radske-Suchan has helped lead statewide health initiatives addressing chronic disease and health disparities and promoting fall prevention in aging populations as the Co-Chair of the Iowa Falls Prevention Coalition.