Flu Fighters: HCP Profiles

Every year individuals around the world work to study, track, and prevent flu. This page profiles these Flu Fighters and the work they are doing to contribute to flu prevention in the U.S. and around the world!

Flu Fighters – HCP Profiles

Traci Gonzales, APRN, PNP-C, AE-C

Meet flu fighter Traci Gonzales, a pediatric nurse practitioner at the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston. She leads a team of providers who do pulmonary testing on pediatric patients. Her passion is working with children with complex medical needs, both for their primary care and pulmonary conditions. She understands how devastating flu can be for children, especially those with certain underlying health issues. Therefore, she enthusiastically recommends that all her patients and their loved ones receive a flu vaccine each year.

MeiLan K. Han, MD, MS

Meet flu fighter Dr. MeiLan K. Han, professor of internal medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System and director of the Michigan Airways Program. Her research focuses on COPD, and she is a strong advocate of flu and pneumonia vaccination in her older patients. She understands that older patients and those with chronic health problems are at higher risk for complications from the flu, and she is dedicated to educating her patients about those risks.

Lacey Eden, MS, FNP-C

Meet flu fighter Lacey Eden, an assistant teaching professor at Brigham Young University. She is a family nurse practitioner at a pediatric outpatient clinic in Provo, Utah. In her work, she dedicates much of her time to educating her patients, their parents, and her co-workers on the importance of vaccines. She created a mobile application called “Best for Baby” in order to help parents track their child’s upcoming developmental milestones and vaccinations.

Margot Savoy, MD, MPH

Meet flu fighter Dr. Margot Savoy, professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. She is a leader in the medical field, and has been recognized by several professional organizations for her work. Dr. Savoy works to make getting a flu vaccine an easy choice for all her patients, and finds joy in educating her community.

Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, CDE

Meet influenza (flu) fighter Dr. Sandra Leal. Dr. Leal is a pharmacist, Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), and chief operating officer at SinfoníaRx, a national provider of Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services based in Tucson, Arizona. She also serves on the board of trustees for the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and as board chair for the National Center for Farmworker Health. She has received many accolades for her work with medically underserved Hispanic and American Indian populations in her region. Dr. Leal is dedicated to improving patient safety and health outcomes for her patients. She works hard to increase access to preventative health services, including flu vaccines.

Peter Shult, PhD

Meet influenza (flu) fighter Dr. Peter Shult, associate director of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene and director of its Communicable Disease Division and Emergency Response. The state public health lab, located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is one of the country’s three National Influenza Reference Centers, or NIRCs, which serve as extensions of the Virus Surveillance and Diagnosis Branch in CDC’s Influenza Division and as critical components of the nation’s flu surveillance and pandemic readiness systems.

Laura E. Riley, MD

Meet flu fighter Dr. Laura E. Riley, an obstetrician who has delivered thousands of babies and works directly with mothers to guide them through their pregnancy, providing support to ensure that mothers and their babies are healthy. She says her motivation to fight flu comes from her desire to protect her patients and family. “What I tell my patients is that it’s really important not to get the flu during pregnancy,” says Dr. Riley. She reminds patients that flu can lead to serious complications in pregnant women and that a flu shot is the best available protection for mothers and their babies.

Aisha Bhatti, BPharm, PharmD, RPh

Dr. Aisha Bhatti is a pharmacist and independent pharmacy owner. Her mission is to advocate for and promote the importance of vaccinations and the flu vaccine within the community. She is particularly involved in and passionate about ensuring that underserved areas, the uninsured, underinsured, ethnic minorities and often neglected communities have access to education about the flu vaccine and understand the significant role it plays in contributing to good health, as well as healthy communities at large.

Lori Boyle, MSN, AGPCNP – BC, WCC, CWS

Meet flu fighter Lori Boyle, a nurse practitioner certified in adult/geriatric primary care and wound care, and Nurses Who Vaccinate member. Boyle is a self- proclaimed geek.  Give her a good peer reviewed study and a movie with superheroes, lasers or dragons and she’s a happy girl.  Boyle has made it her mission to increase flu vaccination among the healthcare workers.  She finds that education with a bit of silliness goes a long way to increase understanding about the seriousness of flu and the importance of flu vaccination.

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson

Meet flu fighter Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson. Dr. Swanson is a pediatrician, blogger, media contributor, and vaccine advocate working to build trust with the public around the flu vaccine. Dr. Swanson educates parents on the importance of getting a flu vaccine for their children, dispelling myths and helping parents make healthy choices for their kids.

Hank Bernstein, DO, MHCM, FAAP

Meet flu fighter Dr. Hank Bernstein, Professor of Pediatrics at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Dr. Bernstein has advocated tirelessly for everyone to get vaccinated against seasonal flu on an annual basis. Dr. Bernstein is a trusted subject matter expert for all of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) influenza-related work. Dr. Bernstein shares, “the most rewarding part of my work has been educating patients, parents, families, and health professionals about the flu.”

Jasmine MSN, RN

Meet flu fighter Jasmine a clinical nurse providing care to critically ill children and support to patients’ families during the most difficult times in their lives. Beyond providing treatments to her patients, Jasmine is committed to preventing flu and its spread in the hospital by getting an annual flu vaccine and practicing proper hand hygiene and isolation techniques.