MELANIE M. LAZARUS, MPH -  Editor

Melanie is the Director of Marketing for Archimage, a serious game developer with titles including Escape From Diab and Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space. Melanie graduated a Lewis Scholar from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. She went on to earn a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. While at the UTHSC, Melanie was the Research Assistant for the Accolade Award-winning, NIH-funded multimedia project HEADS UP and the Production Coordinator for the HEADS UP Virtual Molecular Biology Lab, a computer-based Serious Game program for advanced high school students.  Melanie is also the author and editor of Monster’s Blog, the corporate blog for the casual Games for Health site Playnormous.  You can contact Melanie with story ideas and authorship inquiries at mlazarus[at]archimageonline[dot]com.

ANDRE BLACKMAN -  Co-Author

Andre Blackman has an extensive background associated with science, technology and public health, conducting research at institutions such as the Naval Research Lab, NASA and WESTAT. This merging of technology and health has proven helpful in his current work in health communications. Andre is very passionate about the role of new media, mobile and other emerging technologies as it relates to health communications and public health in general.  You can find his thoughts on the intersections of health and technology through his blog, Pulse + Signal, and via Twitter.

MOHAMED SELAMNIA, PhD, MBA, MS -  Contributing Author

Dr. Mohamed Selamnia is the founder of DCIS (Decisions and Innovation Consulting and Health) in Paris, where he devotes himself entirely to Health 2.0 and national health events organization.  After his PhD in Physiology of Human Nutrition (Paris 7) in 1997, Mohamed conducted a postdoctoral fellowship for 18 months in basic oncology at Penn State University College of Medicine.  Back in France, he earned an MBA in Marketing BtoB at Paris-La Défense and started to work for a Business Consultant firm in Biotech. In 2001, he co-founded IMEDIAL in Gennevilliers, France where he has developed an expertise in pharmaceutical promotion and medical and participated in the development of several internal activity report software.  He has been the owner of DCIS since October of 2008.

BETH FROST-JOHNSON -  Contributing Author

Beth is President of Frost-Johnson and Associates, a healthcare technology marketing and business development firm.   Her experience in all sectors of healthcare – provider groups, multi-hospital system, payers, biomedical devices and healthcare IT, makes her a solid believer that patient-driven technology will be the greatest single strategy to improve our future health and healthcare.

CHRIS HALL, PHP -  Guest Contributor

Chris Hall is an internet enthusiast working to promote a health epidemic centered on Life and Happiness within the walls of Humana’s Innovation Center. A project manager by trade, Chris is passionate about all forms of digital media, electronic dance music, and Carne Asada burritos. Chris can be found tweeting and blogging about all forms of awesomeness under the code name: Hallicious.

JOHN LA PUMA, MD -  Guest Contributor

John La Puma, MD is obsessed by games that can do good and still be as fun as World of Warcraft.  A practicing physician, professionally trained chef, and a New York Times best-selling author, he hosts “What’s Cooking with ChefMD?” Sunday mornings on Lifetime TV’s “Health Corner.”  Visit him at www.drjohnlapuma.com.

ERNIE MEDINA, JR, DrPH -  Guest Contributor

Dr. Medina is a preventive care specialist who has spent the last 13 years working at Beaver Medical Group in Redlands, California., helping patients of all ages overcome lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.  Dr. Medina is the originator and co-founder of XRtainment Zone, a first-of-a-kind center combining the latest in exergaming equipment and professional programming for total wellness in the family. He recently incorporated exergaming into the Zone’s Family FitZone class, a pediatric and family weight management class.

JAMES CHISHOLM -  Guest Contributor

James Chisholm is the Co-founder and Principal of ExperiencePoint.  A pioneer in the design of online game-based learning, James has authored numerous leadership simulations in use by thousands of executives and managers worldwide including the United Nations, GE, Nokia, SAP, Bayer, US Steel, various branches of the US Armed Forces and leading business schools such as Duke, Kellogg, UNC, Mt. Eliza, HEC, and the University of Michigan. James speaks and writes widely on the subject of games, learning and change management and recently co-authored a chapter on managing change in the “Handbook of Experiential Learning” published by Pfieffer.

AMY JUSSEL -  Guest Contributor

Amy Jussel is the Founder and Executive Director of Shaping Youth, a nonprofit concerned with media and marketing’s impact on kids.  Her focus is to shift harmful messages in a more positive direction with the help of industry insiders. Amy is particularly interested in the effective use of virtual worlds and avatars for changing behaviors in children, and is a beta tester for projects like Elf Island.  Amy hopes that healthGAMERS will become a forum to share best practices so leaders in the health games industry can get a handle on what works and what doesn’t.

JENELLE BOUCHER -  Guest Contributor

Jenelle Boucher is the VP of Instructional Design at Kognito Interactive, a learning simulations and games company in New York City. In this role, Jenelle has planned, written, and managed the production of games, simulations, and other interactive learning experiences for organizations such as Starwood Hotels, The New York City Office of Emergency Management, and The City University of New York. Jenelle loves the art of teaching and believes that interactive learning is the most effective way to gain skills and knowledge that transfer to real-world situations.

SHANNON WILLS -  Guest Contributor

Shannon Wills is a freelance writer currently associated with Physical Therapist Assistant Schools, a site dedicated to helping students find physical therapy assistant programs and compare physical therapy assistant school options.  Shannon focuses her writing expertise on health topics.  She covers a variety of health beats including diabetes management, anti-aging and healthy eating.