Dr. Eduardo Simoes received his medical degree from Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Pernambuco in 1981, his Master of Science in Community Health and Diploma of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London in 1987, and Master of Public Health from Emory School of Public Health, Emory University in 1991.

In 1982, Dr. Simoes began his career in medicine as a general practitioner. From 1984 -1989, Dr. Simoes served as the District Medical Officer and Program Planner in the Secretariat of Health of Recife and Coordinator of Research in the Secretariat of Education of Pernambuco, Brazil. From 1991-1993, Dr. Simoes was a Visiting Associate with the Division of Nutrition at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Simoes served as the Chief Chronic Disease Medical Epidemiologist for Missouri from 1996-2000 and as the Chief, Office of Epidemiology and State Epidemiologist for the Missouri Department of Health from 2000-2003. He was also Assistant Professor in Community Health in the School of Public Health, Saint Louis University (1998 – 2003) and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine, University of Missouri (1996 – 2003). Since February, 2003 he has been the Director of the Prevention Research Centers Program at CDC.

Dr. Simoes has consulted and contributed to public health projects in collaboration with CDC and other national and international agencies. Dr. Simoes has designed and implemented more than forty epidemiological studies with public health practice applications resulting in over sixty publications in scientific journals.

Spero M. Manson, Ph.D., is a member of the Pembina Chippewa tribe. He is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, and the Director of the American Indian and Alaska Native Programs (AIANP). He received his graduate training (1972-78) in medical anthropology at the University of Minnesota. From 1978 to 1986, he was employed by the Oregon Health Sciences University and Portland State University, where he directed the Social Psychiatry Research Program and the Institute on Aging, respectively. Spero relocated to Denver in September, 1986 to establish the National Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research. The Colorado Public Health Association named him 1994 Researcher of the Year, in recognition of his contribution to the health and welfare of state residents. Most recently, he was selected as the 1995 Beverly Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto, a national award honoring significant contributions to the mental health field. In July, 1996, Spero received the Indian Health Service’s Distinguished Service Award for his work on behalf on Native people. In addition to directing the National Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research and co-directing (with Candace Fleming) the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Nations Initiative, he has received funding for five major programs between 1992 and the present. These programs include the Native Elder Health Care Resource Center, the Circles of Care Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center, the Native Elder Research Center, the Center for Native American TeleHealth and TeleEducation, and the Center for Native Elder Health Disparities. The AIANP is currently housed in the Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building on the Fitzsimons Campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. This new facility offers state-of-the-art studio and multimedia program production space to support the Center for Native American TeleHealth and TeleEducation and the UCHSC TeleHealth/TeleEducation efforts.

Ronnie B. Martin, DO, FACOFP dist. was elected as president-elect of the ACOFP for 2007-2008, and will assume the ACOFP Presidency on March 14, 2008 during the ACOFP Annual Convention & Exhibition on March 12-16, 2008 in Denver, Colorado.

A board-certified family physician, Dr. Martin is a 1974 graduate of Southwestern Oklahoma University College of Pharmacy and a 1979 graduate of the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. He completed his Post Graduate Training through the Rural Consortium of Enid Regional Hospital and the Tulsa Regional Hospital.

Dr. Martin enjoyed his full spectrum family medicine and clinical education practice in Enid, Okla. for 19 years, and in Tulsa, Okla. for two years before leaving active practice in 1999 to pursue a career in medical education full time, assuming the position as the Chairperson of the Department of Family Medicine at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines, Iowa. He became Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 2001, and was promoted to the Associate Dean for Medical Education in 2003.

Dr. Martin is currently engaged in establishing the newest college of osteopathic medicine in the profession, serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Academic Officer/Dean of the newly proposed Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, which is to be located in Denver, Colorado. The new college of medicine is expected to matriculate its first students in the fall of 2008.

Loretta F. Graham, Ph.D. recived her doctoral degree from The University of Akron in Secondary Education (cognate-Educational Psychology and Statistics) and her Masters of Arts degree in Computer Based Education from the same institution. Her bacleors degree from Ohio Northern University was in Elementary Education.

She has worked for the past sixteen years in medical education working with standardized patients, faculty development, and curriculum development and assessment. This includes her work at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine - Manager, Clinical Skills Assessment; Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, the NBME - Standardized Patient Trainer and Psychometric Technician, Case Western Reserve University SOM - Program Director, Macy Initiative in Health Communications, and NSU COM - Medical Education Specialist; Clinical Medicine Co-coordinator; Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine. currently she is Chair, Human Performance Evaluation, Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Previously she worked at The University of Akron as Manager of Computer Based Testing; Teaching experience included Human Development and Learning, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Developmental Mathematics.

She is also a member of Curriculum Committee, Syllabus Review Committee, Committee for Continuing Medical Education, and Co-Advisor to CMDA; Member-at-Large for the Association of Standardized Patient Educators. Member of the Clinical Skills Testing Advisory Committee at the NBOME.