Facilitator

Tim Kearney: Dr. Kearny earned his BA with a combined major in Psychology and Spanish Literature at Yale University and pursued graduate work at Fuller Theological Seminary where he earned his MA (Theology) from the Graduate School of Theology and his PH.D. (Clinical Psychology) from the Graduate School of Psychology. He has also completed the post graduate Primary Care Behavioral health training program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worchester. He is licensed psychologist in Connecticut. He joined the Community Health Center behavioral health staff in 1998. He is the author of Caring for Sexually Abused Children: A Handbook for Families and Churches (Intervarsity Press, 2001). In addition to administrative and clinical leadership of the Behavioral Health programs at CHC, Dr. Kearney supervises and trains postdoctoral psychology residents, co-leads psychotherapy groups with students and younger staff to train them in the provision of child group therapy, and provides direct client care with clinical focus of providing care to children and adolescents and their families, especially those impacted by medical illness, trauma, and abuse.

Didactic Presenters

Emma Warshauer: Emma Warshauer, MPH, CPH, is a Senior Program Manager at the Weitzman Institute, where she manages the full lifecycle of multiple national education and workforce development programs, from concept development through implementation and evaluation. Her work focuses on advancing healthcare education initiatives that strengthen provider capacity, support interdisciplinary collaboration, and improve access to high-quality care in community health settings. Emma holds a Master of Public Health from Sacred Heart University and a Bachelor's degree in Strategic Communication with minors in Biomolecular Science and Writing/Publishing from Central Connecticut State University. Before joining the Weitzman Institute, Emma worked in both inpatient and outpatient neurotrauma and neurosurgery settings at Hartford Hospital , where she gained firsthand experience supporting complex patient care and interdisciplinary teams. This clinical foundation continues to inform her approach to program development, healthcare education, systems-level improvement. In her current role, Emma oversees a diverse portfolio of educational initiatives including Project ECHO programs, Learning Collaboratives, technical assistance initiatives, and quality improvement education. She has experience leading cross-functional program operations, stakeholder engagement, curriculum developments, and strategic partnerships. Certified in Public Health, Emma is passionate about translating evidence-based practices into accessible and actionable learning opportunities for healthcare professionals. her professional interest areas include behavioral health substance use, and LGBTQ+ health.

Claire Newby: Claire Newby joined the Weitzman Institute as a Program Specialist in June 2022, and was promoted to the role of Program Manager in September 2023. Now a Senior Program Manager, Claire works with the Prescription for Play program, a collaboration with The Lego Group to address the mental health needs of young children. Claire graduated summa cum laude from DePaul University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences in 2020, and went on to receive a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health from University of Minnesota in 2022. Prior to joining the team at Weitzman, Claire has experience working in public health and healthcare in a multitude of capacities, including roles such as a collegiate peer health educator, mental health advocate for adults with severe and persistent mental illness, an Autism services paraprofessional for preschool and school ages children, and a services coordinator for students in recovery from substance use disorders. Claire's interests lie in health equity and access, and she is proud to use her role as a Senior Program Manager to reduce health disparities, improve mental health in children, and encourage best practices among providers.

Panelists

Paul Fleissner: Before joining HMA, Paul served as the Behavioral Health Director with the Minnesota Department of Human Services where he directed the operations, policy, and budget of Minnesota's substance use disorder services, mental health services, and problem gambling supports. For nearly three decades prior to joining DHS, Mr. Fleissner served Olmsted County in various senior roles, mostly recently serving as deputy county administrator. Mr. Fleissner established and led the integrated Olmsted County Health, Housing and Human Services Division, which provided social services, behavioral health, public assistance, public health, Veteran's services, probation services, housing supports including the local HRA.

Stephanie Jack: Stephanie Jack is a Texas-based trainer, consultant, certifies Mental Health Peer Specialist, Peer Specialist Supervisor, and founder of the Center for Peer learning and Development, LLC, where she provides training and continuing education for peer professionals. She serves on the National Council for Mental Wellbeing's Lived and Living Experience Advisory Council, helping advance practices that center lived experience and recovery in services, organizational operations, and governance. Drawing on her her own lived experience and her work in peer supervision, peer-run crisis respite, and community behavioral health, Stephanie cares deeply about helping peer specialist feel valued, supported, and able to grow while staying connected to what makes peer support meaningful. 

Sherry Shamblin

Weitzman Institute Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Weitzman Institute to ensure that Continuing Education (CE) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners' and the public, the Weitzman Institute requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.

Faculty participating in a Weitzman Institute-sponsored activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationship(s) with ineligible companies.