The Effects of Oral Health and Asthma on Absenteeism and Presenteeism

Stacey Chacker is a Project Director at Health Resources in Action where she leads the Asthma Regional Council of New England, and serves as the Director and Co-PI for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation funded New England Asthma Innovation Collaborative. She is a leader on policy, advocacy, and research on environmental health/justice issues at community and governmental levels. For the past 7 years, she has worked extensively with health care providers, Medicaid payers, and New England State Asthma Programs to promote sustainable financing of asthma best practices – particularly led by Community Health Workers. Ms. Chacker was honored in 2014 by Partners Asthma Center (Boston) for her contributions to the field of preventive medicine and asthma.

Barbara Kaplan is the director of lung health education at the American Lung Association National Office in Washington, DC. Barbara joined the American Lung Association in 2003 to develop an evidenced-based adult asthma education program for nationwide implementation. She is responsible for the dissemination of several programs including: Asthma Basics, Asthma Educator Institute®, Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative®, Breathe Well, Live Well®: The Guide to Managing Asthma at Home and Work, Open Airways For Schools®, and Better Breathers Clubs. Barbara oversees several federal and non-federal grants aimed at improving asthma management among adults and children, and improving the quality of life for people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Tamaki West works on creative development, online marketing, digital and social media strategy development and implementation, and graphic design for HRiA projects. Projects she has worked on involve community water fluoridation, child health, substance abuse, tobacco prevention and advocacy, and youth marketing.