Dr. Keller’s research revolves around health communication, narrative education and service learning. She routinely combines her research with a social marketing curriculum that developed at Emerson College, where she taught in a master’s program in Health Communication from 2000-2004. Her curriculum combines professional experiences from overseas entertainment education and health communication campaigns with local non-profits and student learning. Prior to becoming an academic, Keller worked with Population Communication International, USAID, and Family Health International to study media interventions for reproductive health. More recently, Keller has been funded by the Montana Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence to evaluate community-based media projects for suicide prevention. Research on her campaigns has resulted in papers appearing in the Journal of Marketing Education, Nursing & Health Sciences, Journal of Advertising, Health Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices by Nova Press, and others. Her ongoing research agenda centers on examining the use of mass media to promote health behavior and attitude change on a variety of public health topics.
Dana West has 30+ years presenting suicide prevention with QPR and counseling youth with suicidal issues in the schools. She has received advanced training in suicide assessment through QPR and recently became retrained and recertified as a Gatekeeper trainer. Her presentation is titled “Suicide Research Trends and Assessment” and will cover some recent changes in suicide prevention. Some of the topics covered are appropriate assessment vs. screening, the “rising tide of expectations” with regard to suicide prevention, and the wellness of the therapist dealing with suicidal clients.
Lani Paulson was one of the co-authors and quantitative researcher for Let’s Talk. Lani is now a Health Data Analyst with Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council Epidemiology Center.
Darla Tyler-McSherry is the Director of Student Health Services at Montana State University Billings. Darla’s work includes candid and compassionate conversations about suicide for the farm and ranch community. She is the visionary of Ask in Earnest, a website dedicated to suicide prevention for farmers.www.askinearnest.org
Sarah Music is a Health Prevention Specialist for RiverStone Health, specializing in tobacco prevention and suicide prevention. Sarah also leads the Gatekeeper Training sub-committee of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Yellowstone Valley
Nathan Stahley is the Program Manager at RiverStone Health. Nathan manages Public Health initiatives including cancer control, tobacco prevention, and suicide prevention. He also chairs the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Yellowstone Valley and is a certified Gatekeeper Instructor in Question Persuade Refer (QPR).
Michelle Anderson has a MS in Public Relations and a BS in Communication Studies from Montana State University Billings. She has been teaching Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communication at MSU Billings for six years and has worked on many research projects including mental health, suicide prevention, and local food awareness. She was with The Center for Children and Families as a Trauma-Informed Care Trainer/Coordinator for two years. Prior to that she was an educational coordinator and instructor of vocational and life skills training in the Pacific Northwest.
US Citizen, Former Syrian Refugee
Kamel Majouz, BA, Aleppo University, and Dual Master’s Degrees in Fine Arts and Design from the University of Central Oklahoma. Kamel is now a designer at A&E Architects Billings office. Kamel’s journey is jaw-dropping and spellbinding. He will share his story of survival and resilience, as he describes his days living in a storage unit and learning English using YouTube.
Vanessa McNeill, MS Psychology, part-time Instructor Montana State University Billings, Suicide Prevention Researcher, owner of Pacific Northwest Social Scientists, LLC (406) 214-0029. montanasocialscientists@gmail.com.