Research & Development and Interviews

Dr. Bravo is the author of the top selling book The BRAVO Effect: Strategies for Parenting Extreme Teens (2021). She is a highly acclaimed psychotherapist, speaker, author, and teacher. Dr. Bravo is an expert in family dynamics and human behavior. Her unique approach has bolstered her belief in the exceptional power of creativity as it pertains to health and healing.

“Adolescents are innately creative beings who explore and process their ever-evolving worlds through artistic and creative modalities. Their painful experiences are often best processed through non-verbal channels. The use of art and creativity removes the need for verbal exchange, while still bringing order to chaos, and stability to the constantly shifting sands of adolescence.”

Dr. Bravo holds a doctorate degree in behavioral health from Arizona State University and maintains a thriving private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has served as Clinical Supervisor and Professor in the Graduate Counseling Program at Arizona State University and provides private training and supervision to aspiring counselors. Dr. Bravo is also a regular consultant to various media and news outlets, academic institutions, and behavioral health organizations throughout the country.

Jon Hallberg, MD, is a professor of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is an active clinician, seeing patients in the art- and light-filled M Physicians Mill City Clinic, located across the street from the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, a clinic that he helped design. Dr. Hallberg is also the creative director of the Center for the Art of Medicine, and is a two-time regional Emmy Award winner for the “Art + Medicine” shows he created for Twin Cities Public Television.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan Skylar found her passion for Public Health in New Orleans pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Public Health Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana. The mission of Xavier is to contribute to the promotion of a more just and humane society through education and service. This mission helped strengthen her desire to pursue healthcare administration as a career path and she subsequently received her master’s degree in Health Services Administration at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her long-term goal is to be a healthcare leader who pushes for innovation and growth within the healthcare delivery system to better serve the needs of the patient.

“I hope that through my interview you leave with the feeling that my utmost intention is to do good and always lead with my best, a pursuit I believe is an act of love. I’m grateful for Anne’s artistry and the opportunity to be captured by her, it is a beautiful thing to seen through her eyes. Thank you for your friendship, it’s been such a gift.”

– Skylar Tate, M.H.S.A.

Dr. Jay Patel is a first-generation college graduate specializing in neuropsychology, whose parents immigrated to the United States from India. While growing up, he noticed differences between collectivist and individualist cultures, especially as it pertained to health and wellness. For example, the mind and body are treated as separate entities in the United States, whereas in other cultures the two are treated as a single entity. This motivated him to study clinical psychology and further explore the impact of this bidirectional mind-body relationship on the self and society.

For over 20 years, Angela Lunde, M.A. has been engaged in the important work of understanding the experience of those impacted by dementia with the hope of making a positive difference. Her research is focused on the quality of life and emotional factors experienced by those living with dementia and care partners. She has seen how resilience emerges from adjusting priorities and expectations, learning new patterns of communication, seeing the delight in ordinary things, and the practice of acceptance. Ms. Lunde has been involved in numerous partnerships to create dementia accommodating communities, reduce stigma, and support the inclusion of persons living with dementia into everyday community life. In addition to two books, she has contributed to numerous articles and scientific publications on mild cognitive impairment, dementia, caregiving, and innovative solutions toward wellbeing.

Alexander Vesely, MA. is a producer and award-winning documentary film director. He is also a licensed psychotherapist, head of the Viktor Frankl Media Archives in Vienna and teaches Logotherapy at the Elisabeth-Lukas-Archive. Vesely began in TV- and film-production and co-founded the production company Clipwerk. His interest in psychology and cinema led him to become a licensed psychotherapist, tutor at the University of Vienna and guest-lecturer at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film (HFF) in Munich, Germany. Besides his therapeutic practice, he traveled the world speaking on the topic of Logotherapy, the meaning-centered school of psychotherapy founded by his grandfather Viktor Frankl. Vesely worked with renowned dramaturg Christian Mikunda at CommEnt Production Group over five years before continuing his work with Noetic Films in Los Angeles, California. In 2010, his documentary Viktor & I won several awards.

Dr. Valerie Lemaine is a French-Canadian, double board-certified plastic surgeon who works in the Twin Cities, an international lecturer, and an expert in Breast Surgery, Reconstructive Surgery and in Microsurgery. She is a part of the medical staff at Plastic Surgery Consultants and Minnesota Oncology.

A native Montrealer with a Haitian and Irish heritage, Valerie earned multiple degrees including a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, and in Nutrition, a Doctorate of Medicine from University of Montreal in Canada, and a Master of Public Health at Columbia University. She also completed a Reconstructive Microsurgery fellowship in New York City. An accomplished plastic surgeon, Dr. Lemaine began her surgical career in 2010 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where she helped develop and expand the Breast Reconstruction, Microsurgery and Gender Affirmation Surgery programs, while also doing research and teaching. Dr. Lemaine joined Plastic Surgery Consultants and Minnesota Oncology in 2018. A sought-after speaker, she is a nationally and internationally invited lecturer in plastic surgery and breast reconstruction topics and has authored numerous plastic surgery peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Dr. Lemaine has been named “Top Doctor” and “Best Doctor for Women” by Minnesota Monthly and Mpls.St.Paul magazines every year since 2014.

Tolu Kehinde is a resident physician in Minnesota. A Nigerian native and graduate of the MD-MBA program at Dartmouth, she is deeply committed to African agency and advancement. Some of her professional experiences include assessing vaccination policy implementation at the Rwandan Ministry of Health, exploring the future of senior living in America, and creating the vision for African Leadership Academy’s healthcare network, ALforHealth. Over the course of her career, Tolu hopes to contribute to building robust African healthcare systems and furthering African development in as many ways as present themselves. She enjoys writing, theater, woodworking and chamomile tea. Her debut editorial work, Human: Voices of Tomorrow’s Doctors, on the psychosocial implications of medical training is out online and in bookstores. You can keep up with her professional life at www.tolukehinde.com.

Sarah was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and has moved around a bit before making Minnesota her newest home. Her interest in food started at a young age as she grew up helping her mother and grandmother in the kitchen. Cooking has remained a creative outlet for her throughout her life. However, she found her future career as a registered dietitian while repairing her own relationship with food. She hopes to assist others as they work through their relationship with food and progress towards healthier lifestyles. She strongly believes that all foods have a place in a balanced diet and that healthier choices can still be delicious.

Disclosure: Sarah’s thoughts and words are her own and do not represent the beliefs of any other person or organization.