Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator
Dr. Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Penn State Hershey Diabetes Institute. He has over 20 years of clinical and research experience. Primarily, his focus has been on improving primary care health care delivery in order to improve diabetes outcomes. Through two Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) funded projects, Dr. Gabbay and his research team is examining the current PCMH transformation of primary care, identifying successful techniques, and disseminating to other states that will adopt key elements of the PA initiative.
Dr. Gabbay has been selected by the AHRQ to help develop state-level infrastructure for primary care transformation under AHRQ’s Infrastructure for Maintaining Primary Care Transformation (IMPaCT) program. Pennsylvania was one of four states selected for this initiative aimed at laying the foundation for a nationwide primary care extension service.
For the past four years, Dr. Gabbay has served as faculty chair of Pennsylvania’s statewide Chronic Care Model-focused Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) initiative involving more than 150 primary care practices with support from 17 payers. As faculty chair for the initiative he has worked closely to strengthen the connection between practitioners and patients to improve patient outcomes. This has awarded him firsthand experience with over 150 primary care practices to guide practice change and quality improvement activities.
His interest in integrating Patient Centered Medical Homes into Medical School curriculums has helped to further improve the ability of primary care providers to manage patients with chronic illness. It has also helped to promote research based off the chronic care model, and raise awareness in regards to the urgent need within our healthcare system, for this new approach.
Dr. Gabbay, originally a native of New York City, completed his Bachelor’s Degree at McGill University. He then earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin where he studied insulin signaling mechanisms. After an Internal Medicine Residency at Cornell University – New York Hospital, he had a Fellowship at Harvard Medical School – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He joined the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine in 1998. Dr. Gabbay is a tenured Professor of Medicine at the College of Medicine as well as the Department of Molecular Medicine. He also maintains an active endocrinology clinical practice.

Alan Adelman, MD, MS, Co-Investigator
Dr. Alan M. Adelman is the Jeanne L. and Thomas L. Leaman, MD Professor of Family & Community Medicine at the Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA. He serves as the Vice Chair for Academic Affairs and Research for the department.  Dr. Adelman received his MD degree from Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1975.  He completed his residency training in family medicine at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Following residency, he served as a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service for 3 years on the Hopi Reservation, Keams Canyon, Arizona. In 1983, Dr. Adelman completed a Robert Woods Johnson Family Practice Faculty Development Fellowship at the University of Iowa and received a master’s degree in Preventive Medicine. Prior to coming to Penn State, Dr. Adelman has been on faculty at University of Connecticut and University of Maryland. In addition to being board-certified in Family Medicine, he also has added qualifications in Geriatrics.

Linda Kanzleiter, MPsSC, Ded, Co-Invesitgator
Linda Kanzleiter, M.Ps.Sc., D.Ed. is Vice Chair for Education and Outreach, Director of the Center for Primary Care, Professor at Penn State University College of Medicine within the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Co-Director of the PA Area Health Education Center (PA AHEC) Program. As a clinical faculty member, Dr. Kanzleiter has worked with primary care disciplines clinically in ambulatory settings in the field of family systems; as an educator, she works within the area of professional development throughout the continuum of health professions education and training. Much of her work and research efforts are in the area of health professions work force development specific to influences shaping commitment to practice in underserved communities impacting recruitment and increased retention of the workforce. Dr. Kanzleiter has served on several workforce development task forces at the state and federal levels.

Teresea Kern, PhD, Co-Investigator
Teresea Kern, PhD, is the Associate Director, Master of Public Health and Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. She also works with the Pennsylvania Area Health Education Center, Family and Community Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Kern’s background ranges from grant writing, to teaching, to consulting on national levels. Her combination of research interests led her to work with chronic illnesses, specifically cancer, obesity, and diabetes.
Dr. Kern received both her MS in Special Education and PhD in Family Studies and Human Development/Agriculture from the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.

Pat Bricker, MBA, Research Coordinator
Pat Bricker, MBA, is a Research Coordinator with the Penn State Hershey Diabetes Institute on the PA Spread Project. Her background includes more than two years of experience in working with over 150 primary care practices which participated in the Pennsylvania Chronic Care Initiative. Working with the Improving Performance in Practice Program and the Pennsylvania Academy for Family Physicians, she served on the team that developed and led Pennsylvania’s statewide Medical Home Initiative. Previously, Pat worked with the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Medical Society.
Pat received her Bachelor’s degree from Penn State University, before earning her MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.

Laura Manley, Research Coordinator
Laura Manley, BS, is a Research Coordinator with the Penn State Hershey Diabetes Institute on the PA SPREAD project. Laura started her career working for UCB Pharmaceuticals in Rochester, NY as a Global Laboratory Information management Systems Chemist. She then accepted a position with Cornell University’s Batt Laboratory where she worked in conjunction with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research as a Quality Assurance Laboratory Manager/Analyst.
Her combined background in science and project management skills overlaps her research interests which include improving primary care, qualitative research, and clinical trials.
Laura completed her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Lock Haven University 2008.

Jessica Wright, MPAP, Research Coordinator
Jessica Wright, MPAP, is a Research Coordinator with the Penn State Hershey Diabetes Institute on the PA SPREAD project. With a background in state government, Jessica brings an understanding of public policy and health care service delivery redesign to her work on PA SPREAD.
At the Department of Health she held multiple positions, including Acting Cardiovascular Health Section Chief, Public Health Program Administrator, and Public Health Program Administrator. Her duties included project management with an emphasis on implementing state of the art cardiovascular health policy, system and environment changes to improve the health of Pennsylvanians. Additional duties included identifying efficiencies and coordinating project efforts as related to the Improving Performance in Practice (IPIP) initiative as well as writing applications for funding on federal grants, data collection and analysis, developing program contracts and generating project work plans that provide measurable outcomes.
Jessica completed her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at King’s College and received her Master of Public Affairs and Politics from Rutgers University in May 2000.

Erin McGinley, Research Assistant
Erin McGinley, BS, is a Research Assistant with the Penn State Hershey Diabetes Institute on the PA Spread Project. Her previous research experience includes basic science laboratories throughout college. Her research interests include improving primary care and Diabetes.
Erin recently graduated from Juniata College in May 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.