MSU Denver Grand Rounds

October 12th: The Weight of Being “Man Enough”

Title: The Weight of Being “Man Enough”: Men, Masculinity, and Mental Health

Presenter: Dr. Andrew Sia, Staff Psychologist & Associate Director of Training, MSU Denver Counseling Center Office

Date: Monday, October 12th – 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Person in Central Classroom 220B or virtually

RSVP: RSVP TO ATTEND A GROUND ROUNDS EVENT!

Description: This interactive session invites participants to explore how contemporary cultural and societal expectations of masculinity shape the lived experiences, relationships, and mental well-being of men. Beginning with a brief look into the pressures men experience both at the societal level and within our MSU Denver community, participants will examine how rigid adherence to masculine norms—and perceived failures to meet them—can give rise to fear, shame, anger, emotional numbness, disconnection, and despair. The session will conclude with practical insights and strategies for supporting men through meaningful connection, building on their strengths, expanding emotional and behavioral flexibility, and cultivating healthier, more sustainable pathways to well-being.

Learn More About Dr. Andrew Sia: 

Bio:

Dr. Sia (he/him/his) is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado and joined the MSU Denver Counseling Center in 2023. He earned his Ph.D. in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2010, has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in psychology, sociology, gender studies, and Asian American studies, and has worked in several University Counseling Centers, including those at UCSB, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Sia works from a collaborative, strength-based, and integrative approach to therapy, which is grounded in existential and humanistic tenets, and informed by a lens of multiculturalism and social justice. He aims to co-create a warm, non-judgmental, authentic, and affirming space to empower clients’ efforts to grow and seek support. He is a generalist therapist who works with a variety of issues relevant to the university community and specializes in career and vocational development, family and relationship concerns, AAPI mental health, men’s issues, and supervision. Among Dr. Sia’s most rewarding professional endeavors is facilitating a Men’s Process Group at the Counseling Center, providing MSU Denver students with a supportive space to explore identity, relationships, emotional well-being, and personal growth.

October 26th: Hemophilia Community Advocacy

Title: : Hemophilia Community Advocacy: From Personal Experience to Community Impact

Presenter: Victoria Vicory, Lifestyle Medicine Student

Date: Monday, October 26th 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Person in Central Classroom 220B or virtually

RSVP: RSVP TO ATTEND A GROUND ROUNDS EVENT!

Description: This MSU Denver Grand Rounds session explores how personal experience, education, and advocacy can shape a career in ways we may not anticipate. Tori will share her journey through nearly two decades of education, work, caregiving, community health, and advocacy, and how navigating life as a solo parent of two children with hemophilia, while also uncovering and learning to advocate for her own chronic condition, shaped her understanding of healthcare and her sense of purpose.

A red thread of connection has run through each part of this journey. What began with her children’s diagnoses of hemophilia led Tori to seek understanding, find community, and become more involved in advocacy for women and people with bleeding disorders. Over time, that same thread extended into patient care, healthcare education, chronic disease management, and ultimately lifestyle medicine and wellness coaching. Through each transition, the experiences and relationships along the way continued to inform where she was going next.

Students can expect a candid reflection on the unexpected ways an educational and professional path can unfold while balancing the realities of work, family, caregiving, health, and personal growth. The session invites students to consider the experiences, interests, skills, and values that may be quietly connecting the different parts of their own lives—and how those connections might help reveal a sense of purpose as their careers evolve.

Nov 2nd: COVID-19 Disparities in Colorado

Title: A Qualitative Evaluation of Local Efforts to Reduce COVID-19 Disparities in Colorado

Presenter: Anne Hill, MA, MPH, DrPH MSU Denver Affiliate Faculty

Date: Monday, November 2nd 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Person in Central Classroom 220B or virtually

RSVP: RSVP TO ATTEND A GROUND ROUNDS EVENT!

Description: his event is led by Dr. Anne Hill, Senior Data Specialist and Evaluator at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Health Professions at MSU. This interactive MSU Denver Grand Rounds session invites students to learn about an outcome evaluation that assessed how local organizations leveraged federal funds to reduce the multiple impacts of COVID-19 in Colorado. The evaluation synthesized data from 66 grantees on whether and how they achieved short-term outcomes of improving vaccine literacy and access. The study also explores reported secondary benefits of building community capacity to address SDoH. The session concludes with a facilitated discussion on the impacts of COVID-19 on historically marginalized populations and lessons learned that we could use for future public health emergencies.

Learn More About Dr. Anne Hill: 

Anne has worked in public health for the last fifteen years including in local, state, federal, and academic settings. Her experience spans from emergency preparedness to substance use prevention. She is currently work as a program evaluator at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. She has a DrPh from the Colorado School of Public Health with an emphasis in Community and Behavioral Health.

Nov 16th: Hidden Health Care Careers

Title:  Health Care Career’s You didn’t Know were a thing!

Presenter: MSU Denver Professors, Dr. Steven Rissman & Dr. Paris Prestridge

Date: Monday, November 16th 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Person in Central Classroom 220B or virtually

RSVP: RSVP TO ATTEND A GROUND ROUNDS EVENT!

Description: The future of a healthy workforce depends on many different roles beyond those most know. Join us to learn about the MSU Denver programs that prepare you to work in these hidden but crucial careers in

PAST DATE: August 24th: Optimizing Mental Telehealth Care

Topic: Journey from MSU Denver Integrative Health to creating Keystone Tide, an online psychiatric mental health clinic

Presenter: Jessica Johnson, ARNP, PMHNP-BC

Date: Monday, August 24 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Person in Central Classroom 220B or virtually

RSVP: RSVP TO ATTEND A GROUND ROUNDS EVENT!

Event Description: Jessica Johnson, MSU Denver Integrative Health Alumni speaks to her Journey from MSU Denver Integrative Health to creating Keystone Tide, an online psychiatric mental health clinic. Learn more about Keystone Tide here: https://keystonetides.com/ 

Learn more about the speaker.

JESSICA JOHNSON, ARNP, PMHNP-BC

Before becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, Jessica worked as an airplane mechanic, flight attendant instructor, automotive mechanic, and insurance adjuster. While each of these roles was meaningful in its own way, they ultimately led her to seek a deeper sense of purpose. Her background in mechanical systems became an unexpected foundation for nursing: shaping her understanding that multiple systems work together to support overall function, and when one area is impaired or , it can impact the whole, much like the human body and mind.

Today, she finds fulfillment in supporting individuals on their path toward wellness. She has experience providing psychiatric medication management and brief therapy across residential, inpatient, and outpatient settings, with a primary focus on children, adolescents, and autistic individuals of all ages. Her approach is practical, collaborative, and tailored to each person’s unique needs. Whether someone is beginning medication for the first time or adjusting an existing plan, she aims to provide thoughtful, supportive care.

PAST DATE: September 14th: For the Love of Mushrooms 

Title: Grand Rounds: For the Love of Mushrooms

Presenter: Tylor Berreth, MSU Denver Integrative Health Care Alumni

Date: Monday, September 14 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Person in Central Classroom 220B or virtually

Description: This will be a presentation given by Tylor Berreth, co-owner and lead mushroom farmer of Alpine Valley Mushrooms, that encompasses the journey of a young entrepreneur that got lost in the world of mushrooms. He will be describing the process of discovering his passion for Fungi, covering his early studies and excitements for the environment and snowboarding to the current mushroom farm, men’s groups, and homestead that he runs now.  The event will cover the important role the Integrative Healthcare Program at MSU Denver played in this journey, and what it takes to be an entrepreneur in the mushroom industry. This presentation will showcase various different species of mushrooms that have been grown at Alpine Valley Mushrooms, resources for those that want to take their mushroom knowledge to the next level, as well as a heartfelt message about biomimicry and the implications this may have for our planetary well-being as humans and beyond. Learn more about Alpine Valley Mushrooms at https://www.alpinevalleymushrooms.com/

RSVP: RSVP TO ATTEND A GROUND ROUNDS EVENT!

Learn more about the speaker.

PAST DATE: September 21st: Income and Technology Effects on Healthcare

Title: Income and Technology Effects on Healthcare Expenditures

Speaker: Professor Helen Xiaohui

Description: Global healthcare expenditures have risen steadily over decades, driven by factors such as economic growth, technological innovation, and population aging. Among these factors, income (GDP) and technological innovation are two major determinants of healthcare expenditure growth. In this section, I will present four of my papers that investigate the relationship between income, technological innovation, and healthcare expenditures across 34 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, as well as for individual countries, including Australia, the United States, and Israel. These research contribute to addressing the continuing challenges faced by healthcare systems worldwide, including developing effective policies, selecting optimal implementation strategies to achieve policy objectives, such as cost containment, improved access, and better healthcare outcomes, and identifying appropriate metrics for evaluating the performance and impact of health system policies.

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PAST DATE: October 5th: Human Trafficking

Title: Human Trafficking as a Public Health Issue: Prevention, Identification, and Response

Presenter: Kara Napolitano, MS, MA, MSU Denver Affiliate Faculty

Date: Monday, October 5th 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Person in Central Classroom 220B or virtually

RSVP: RSVP TO ATTEND A GROUND ROUNDS EVENT!

Description:
Human trafficking impacts the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities across Colorado. This training explores labor and sex trafficking through a public health lens, examining risk and protective factors, health impacts, and opportunities for prevention and early intervention. Participants will learn how social determinants of health, structural inequities, and community conditions contribute to vulnerability, while gaining practical strategies for recognizing concerns and connecting individuals to appropriate resources.