Primary Care Behavioral Health Fellowship Faculty

Bio

Dana Brandenburg, PsyD, LP is faculty in the University of Minnesota Medical Center Family Medicine Residency. She completed a fellowship in primary care and behavioral science education through Michigan State University. Her scholarly interests include the integration of mental health services into primary care, behavioral science education within residency education, interprofessional education and health behavior change. Dr. Brandenburg is the training director for the Primary Care Behavioral Health Fellowship program. Additionally, she serves as a health care professional representative on the state Health Care Home Advisory Committee with the Minnesota Department of Health.

Research Summary

Smoking cessation, health behavior change, primary care psychology

Bio

Christine Danner, PhD, has worked in the department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota since 1998, when she began as the department’s first full-time post-doctoral fellow in behavioral health. She has served as the Director of Behavioral Health for the Woodwinds (formerly St. Joseph’s) Family Medicine Residency Program since completing her fellowship in 2000. In 2022, Dr. Danner's role expanded when she became the Director of Behavioral Health for the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. Dr. Danner’s current clinical interests include providing integrated behavioral health services across the lifespan in the primary care setting, refugee mental health, addressing equity gaps in the mental health care system, healthy lifestyle promotion and chronic pain management. 

Research Summary

Refugee physical and mental health, chronic pain management, medical cannabis, patient centered communication training, integrated behavioral health

Clinical Summary

Integrated Behavioral Health, Chronic Pain Management, Medical Cannabis, Pediatric Obesity Prevention, Refugee Mental Health

Bio

Elizabeth Martinez, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and director of behavioral health at the North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. She completed her postdoctoral training in primary care behavioral health at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Martinez has a special interest in community-grounded research, mental health promotion, and intervention with racial/ethnic minorities and immigrant/refugee families. She enjoys providing integrated behavioral health services in the primary care setting and teaching behavioral science to family medicine residents.

Research Summary

Stress and resilience in Latinx immigrant families; racial/ethnic health disparities; primary care behavioral health prevention and intervention.

Teaching Summary

Dr. Martinez provides behavioral science and education to family medicine residents and training in patient-centered communication. Teaching areas: Integrated behavioral health; patient-centered care; motivational interviewing; health behavior change.

Service Summary

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Latinx population, Dr. Martinez partnered with local organizations and news outlets such as CLUES, Univision MN, and TPT to provide outreach, COVID-19, and mental health information to the Spanish-speaking community. Additional informational videos and releases have been ongoing as needed.

Clinical Summary

Depression; anxiety; trauma; health behavior change

Bio

Dr. Zak-Hunter is the Director of Behavioral Health at St. John's Family Medicine Residency/Phalen Village Clinic. She completed her doctoral internship at St. John's in 2011. She provides integrated behavioral healthcare, teaches and oversees the family medicine residents' curriculum related to mental/behavioral/social health, physician office-based counseling and communication skills, and well-being/resilience. She supervises the behavioral health/medical family therapy pre-doctoral internship at St. John's. She is co-founder and chair of the Medical Family Therapy Consortium, a national group of professionals addressing workforce development, advocacy, training, and education for family therapists in healthcare settings. Her interests include integrated behavioral healthcare, medical family therapy, family centered healthcare, primary care approaches to trauma and adverse life experiences, and provider well-being.

Research Summary

Provider and resident personal and relational wellbeing, family-centered care, primary care approaches to adverse experience and trauma, adult eating disorders.

Clinical Summary

Integrated behavioral healthcare, medical family therapy, family-centered healthcare, impact of disease on personal and family functioning.