Programs

Mary Rattler-Laducer, BSN, RN, ACRN, is a proud member of the Blackfeet Nation and affiliated with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Mary is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Health Innovation and Leadership from the University of Minnesota.

As an RN HIV Case Manager in Phoenix, AZ, she provides culturally sensitive care to the American Indian/Alaskan Native population, leveraging her heritage to bridge gaps in healthcare. Mary employs a trauma-informed care approach, recognizing the historical and intergenerational trauma affecting Native communities, and is a strong advocate for gender-affirming care for Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse individuals, ensuring that healthcare services are respectful and inclusive.

Outside of her professional life, Mary and her wife are mothers to 6 children, two grandchildren, and two dogs. Mary is also an artist and in her spare time, beads traditional and contemporary American Indian regalia and jewelry.

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Nina Aouilk

Known as London's Life Coach, Nina Aouilk is globally recognized for her talks on cultural intelligence, mindset and resilience.

Nina has established herself as an expert and a leading authority in cultural intelligence, gender-based violence, and regaining control after enduring abuse. Her accomplishments include national recognition as a speaker and awards for her work. She is a best-selling author, an influential activist, and the founder of a nonprofit organization. She's on a heartfelt mission to replace fear with love for every individual across the globe.

Content warning: Personal accounts of assault and domestic violence.

 Dr. Amit Sood

Dr. Sood is the creator of the Resilient Option program and executive director of the Global Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing. He was not only a professor of medicine but also held the position of Chair for student life and wellness at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Sood has presented at some of the highest impact forums like, TEDx, Lake Nona, Forbes Under 30 Forum, Conference Board, Beckers, YPO, NPR, NAMI, NBGH, NASA, keynotes for Fortune 500 companies, universities, foundations, and others.

Dr. Sood has authored or co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles, editorials, book chapters, abstracts and letters. He developed the first Mayo Clinic iPhone app for meditation training. He has also authored multiple books including: It Takes You to Tango: Leverage the Science of Loneliness to Master the Art of Connection, The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living, The Mayo Clinic Handbook for Happiness, Immerse: A 52-Week Course in Resilient Living, Mindfulness Redesigned for the Twenty-First Century, Stronger, SMART with Dr. Sood, 2021: Your Year of Healing, and That Makes Sense: Bite-sized resilience insights to lift your day.

Gertrude N. Orakwue, DNP, APRN, CNP

Gertrude Orakwue is a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner at Olmsted Medical Center. She holds a Master's and Doctorate in Nursing from the University of Minnesota, specializing in Adult Gerontology. For the past five years, she has served as a primary care provider in nursing homes in Rochester and the surrounding areas. Additionally, she provides dementia and memory care consultations, palliative care consultations, fall prevention services, and medical cannabis certifications at the OMC clinic.

She is also a board member of the Chancellor Advisory Council at UMN and the Elder’s Network in Rochester. She is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American Geriatrics Society, and the Minnesota Gerontological Society.

Dr Andrea Leep Hunderfund

Andrea Leep Hunderfund, MD, MHPE is Associate Professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where she is Medical Director of the Office for Applied Scholarship and Education Science, Associate Director of the Mayo Clinic Program in Professionalism and Values, and Chair of Staff and Patient Experience for the Department of Neurology.  Her scholarly work explores the relationship between learning environment factors and important educational outcomes related to professionalism & professional formation, sense of belonging, equity and inclusion, high-value care, and well-being.  She is also an active contributor to the Kern National Network for Flourishing in Medicine, which seeks to advance flourishing through the integration of caring, character, and practical wisdom.

Jake Wright, Ph.D.

Jake Wright, Ph.D. is a Distinguished University Teacher and Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Minnesota Rochester’s Center for Learning Innovation.  His research focuses on the ethical and pedagogical justifications for introductory teaching practices—especially practices that address systemic inequalities or go beyond the discipline’s signature pedagogy.  Dr. Wright has recently begun work on his first book on flourishing-focused pedagogy, tentatively titled No Small Matter: Teaching for Human Flourishing.  It argues we should place human flourishing at the center of our teaching because doing so improves student outcomes and, more importantly, returns higher education to its roots developing students so that they can flourish.  Dr. Wright is a 2023 recipient of the University of Minnesota’s Morse-Alumni Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.

 Sherry S. Chesak, PhD, RN

Sherry Chesak, Ph.D., M.S., R.N. is the inaugural director of the Center for Flourishing Health Care Communities at the University of Minnesota. She is a Clinical Professor at the University and a Nurse Scientist at Mayo Clinic. Her program of research is centered on investigating factors that promote resilience and flourishing among individuals, teams, and organizations within healthcare. Dr. Chesak has trained in several awareness-based modalities and is certified as a Resilience Trainer by the Global Resilience and Inner Transformation Institute, as well as a mindfulness meditation teacher.