Dr. Phelps has directed the family medicine residency program since July 2003. He is a native of Chittenango, NY. This small town in Upstate New York was home to Lyman Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz. He is a graduate of The University of Toledo with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He attended the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio, and completed a rotating internship at Firelands Community Hospital in Sandusky, Ohio. His family medicine residency training was completed through the former Medical College of Ohio/St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center program.

His medical interests include assisting patients with health behavior change, office procedures and electrocardiography. He is married to Kristel, and they have five children. His hobbies include running, basketball and golfing.

Dr. Tafelski was born in Toledo, Ohio, and attended St. Francis de Sales High School. He completed his undergraduate degree at Loyola University Chicago and earned his doctorate in anatomy from the University of Cincinnati. After teaching anatomy for one year at Chicago Medical School, he attended the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio, where he received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in 1981. He completed his residency in family medicine at the former Medical College of Ohio (now The University of Toledo College of Medicine) and has served as full-time faculty since his residency graduation.

Dr. Tafelski’s research interests are in preventive medicine, and resident and student education. He is married and enjoys all sports, especially golf and hunting.

Dr. Schaefer was born and raised in Andover, Ohio (population 1,200), a small town tucked away in the northeastern corner of the state. For his education, he crisscrossed northern Ohio, going to The University of Toledo (UT) as an undergraduate, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for his doctorate in neuroscience and behavior, and back to the former Medical College of Ohio (MCO), now the UT College of Medicine, for his medical training. He entered an accelerated residency program in family medicine at MCO and stayed on in the department as a faculty member.

His area of academic interest is depression, especially in young adults. He is married to Kelly, and they have two children, Hope and James. He has a strong interest in natural history, his favorite hobby, for which he occasionally is able to squeeze in a little time (usually with children in tow).

Dr. Brennan is a native of Toledo and received her bachelor’s degree with a double major of dietetics and psychology from the University of Dayton in Ohio. She completed her dietetic internship at Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio, and received her doctorate in counseling psychology from The Ohio State University in Columbus. Her research has focused on the prevention of eating disorders and implementing wellness programs for patients and medical students. She also has a passion for helping patients make healthier lifestyle choices and improve their quality of life. She has practiced both dietetics and psychology in various settings, including community mental health centers, student medical centers, hospitals, outpatient clinics, a pain clinic and a school-based setting.

Her hobbies include running, teaching spin exercise classes, and most of all, spending time with her family and friends. She and her husband, Joe, have two sons.

Dr. French was appointed professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at The University of Toledo (UT) College of Medicine in November 2006. She earned her medical degree from Austral University Medical School in Valdivia, Chile, and completed her family medicine residency at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Mich. Dr. French is board certified in family medicine.

After completing her residency training, Dr. French joined the residency faculty at Oakwood and completed a primary care faculty development fellowship at Michigan State University (MSU) in Lansing, Mich. Prior to coming to UT, Dr. French was senior associate chair of the Department of Family Medicine at MSU. She is a fellow in the AAMC-sponsored Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program for the development of women leaders in academic medicine, class of 2007.

Dr. French is nationally recognized for her expertise in women’s health and evidence-based medicine. Her research interests include medical decision-making regarding menopausal hormone use and breast cancer risk assessment in primary care practice. She has published extensively on varied topics related to women’s health and is a member of the editorial boards of Family Medicine and The Journal of Family Practice, both peer-reviewed journals. In 2005, she received the Outstanding Clinician Award at MSU and was also inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.

Dr. Kimmel, a native of Scio, Ohio, is a professor of family medicine and vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine. He also is Vice Chief of Staff at The University of Toledo Medical Center.

Dr. Kimmel received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from The Ohio State University in Columbus. He earned his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Subsequently, he completed a family practice residency at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, and a pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

A reviewer for multiple scientific journals, Dr. Kimmel is a member of the editorial boards of Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, Family Practice Recertification, and Ohio Family Physician. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He also serves as a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Group on Immunization Education. He is a fellow of both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

He is married to Sharon, who is a school nurse. They are proud of their two grown children, Isaac and Katie. Dr. Kimmel collects die-cast model cars, and he and Sharon both enjoy antiquing.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Dr. Weiner attended Michigan State University in Lansing, where he received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in 1988. After completing one residency in obstetrical anesthesiology at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit and another in anesthesiology at Botsford General Hospital in Farmington Hills, Mich., Dr. Weiner practiced as a staff anesthesiologist at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and at Mercy and Parkview hospitals in Toledo, Ohio. In 1998, he completed the Family Practice Residency Program at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo and served as the associate director of the program prior to joining the faculty at the former Medical University of Ohio. He is board certified in both family practice and anesthesiology.

Dr. Weiner currently serves as the medical director for the Physician Assistant Program and recently was appointed the clerkship director for undergraduate medical education at the UT College of Medicine. Clinically, Dr. Weiner has a special interest in pain management and actively uses osteopathic manipulation in a family practice setting. He also is involved in research of quality care issues.

Dr. Weldy was recently appointed assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine. He earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Ohio (MCO) in Toledo, and completed his family medicine residency at the MCO and St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo. Dr. Weldy received his doctorate in exercise physiology from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, and completed a family practice fellowship in academic medicine from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) in Rootstown, Ohio. He is board certified in family medicine with an added qualification in sports medicine.

Prior to returning to Toledo, Dr. Weldy spent 20 years in private practice in the Ohio cities of Hiram, Mantua and Ravenna, and since 1992, was an associate clinical professor at NEOUCOM. He has served as team physician for several high schools and Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. He is currently the team physician for Rogers High School in Toledo and The University of Toledo Women’s Soccer Team. Dr. Weldy is a member of many professional societies, including the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, the American Medical Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians. He was cited as one of Northeast Ohio’s top doctors in 2006 and 2007.

Dr. Weldy’s clinical interests are sports medicine and exercise physiology. His research interests are in cognition and physical fitness, and coagulation and exercise.

Dr. Gokula recently was appointed an assistant professor in the department. He earned his medical degree at Siddhartha Medical College in India and completed his family medicine residency at Sparrow Hospital/Michigan State University in Lansing. After his residency, Dr. Gokula continued his training at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he completed a fellowship in geriatrics. He is board certified in family medicine, geriatrics and hospice, and palliative medicine. He is a Certified Medical Director (CMD) for long-term care.

Before moving to Toledo, Dr. Gokula was the associate hospice director at Heartland Hospice in Bad Axe, Mich., and medical director of the long-term care unit in Harbor Beach, Mich. He has been an invited speaker at several national and regional conferences, and has written multiple publications including several on the inappropriate use of urinary catheters in elderly patients. He currently is developing a geriatrics fellowship at UT he hopes will be up and running by 2009.

His special clinical interests are in polypharmacy, diseases of the elderly and palliative medicine. He has conducted extensive research about the inappropriate use of foley catheters in hospitals and new models of geriatric care in practice. His wife also is a faculty member in the family medicine department, and they are blessed with two children. He enjoys karaoke Hindi singing in his spare time.

Dr. Halasy was appointed assistant professor in 2006. He earned his medical degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. After an internship in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio, he completed his residency in family medicine at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio. He is board certified in family medicine.

Dr. Halasy received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University in Bloomington. He worked in a financial capacity for General Electric and Exxon before attending medical school. Following his residency he was in private practice in rural Ohio and served at indigent clinics in Akron and Mansfield before moving to Toledo.

Dr. Halasy has a special interest in young adult/college health, and he practices at the main campus Student Medical Center, where he serves as medical director.

Mr. Hickey is an associate professor of family medicine and pediatrics, and serves as the associate administrative director of the Center for Clinical Research at the UT College of Medicine. He graduated from the University of Toledo with a Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor degrees and received a graduate certificate in Medical and Health Science Education from the former Medical College of Ohio. Mr. Hickey's areas of teaching expertise include interviewing and communication, health economics, and health law. He is board certified in health care management and is licensed as an attorney in Ohio.

Dr. Shriner is an assistant professor of family medicine and pediatrics. She received both her Master of Education and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Toledo. Her background and expertise include curriculum development and evaluation. Dr. Shriner is also a faculty member in the Joint Research Program for Pediatrics and Family Medicine and co-directs the Research in Primary Care Graduate Certificate Program – a faculty development program focused on the development of clinical research skills.

Ms. Porter is an instructor of family medicine and has been a member of the department since August 1997. She is a native of central Pennsylvania and received her bachelor’s degree in science from Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa.

Upon receiving her Master of Librarianship in 1979 from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., she moved to Ohio to begin her professional library career and has been in Ohio ever since. She joined the former Medical College of Ohio as a medical reference librarian in 1992 and is currently the Director of the Raymon H. Mulford Library on The University of Toledo Health Science campus.