Staff

William Appelgate, PhD, CPC

Executive Director | Email

As Executive Director of ICCC, Dr. Bill Appelgate has provided leadership and guidance in the areas of chronic disease management, clinical health coaching, health risk assessments, health policy, prevention, health promotion and healthy aging.

Under his leadership ICCC has led the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise in deploying statewide chronic disease programs in heart failure and diabetes to its members. He was also actively involved in the development of chronic health care cost reduction strategies within recently enacted health care reform legislation.

Dr. Appelgate speaks nationally on the topics of chronic disease management, population health management and health policy. He has addressed organizations such as the American Telemedicine Association, the Care Continuum Alliance (formerly the Disease Management Association of America or DMAA), The Center for Telehealth and E-Health Law, and the AT&T North Texas Health System Think Tank.

His early professional work included service as a director of a university research center, a college foundation director, a community college president, and CEO of two comprehensive and innovative healthcare systems in Wisconsin and Iowa. During the 1980s he received recognition as the Outstanding New Professional in Aging Services in North America from the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. Most recently, Dr. Appelgate served a ten-year term with Des Moines University as its Vice President for Planning & External Relations. His areas of responsibility included planning, marketing & communications, information technology, state and federal government relations, community relations, institutional research, accreditation and quality advancement, development and alumni relations.

Priscilla Gilbert

Wellness Program Coordinator | Email

Priscilla Gilbert is a trained and certified health and wellness coach and the Wellness Program Coordinator for ICCC. In this role Priscilla works with small businesses in developing employee wellness programs, presenting wellness topics and providing individual health coaching. Priscilla serves as a faculty member for the Clinical Health Coach™ Training Program, where she assists in instruction on health coaching techniques.

She also serves as a consultant to ICCC for community programs and initiatives that are involved in developing community health assessments and using individual health risk assessments (HRAs) to determine the health status of a community or group.

Previously, Priscilla was Membership Manager with the Wellness Council of Iowa where she also served as project manager for the Modeling Wellness for Youth Program. The program involved conducting health risk assessments and developing physical activity and nutrition programs for youth in five school districts. Priscilla’s education is in health promotion and elementary and special education.

Kathleen Kunath, RN

Clinical Project Manager | Email

As Clinical Project Manager for ICCC, Kathy Kunath leads disease management demonstrations, and is involved in community health improvement projects and prevention programs utilizing health risk assessments (HRAs). She currently serves as project coordinator for the Clinical Health Coach training program and “Keep It in Check,” the Iowa Medicaid Diabetes Tel-Assurance Program. She also serves on the Care Continuum Alliance (formerly DMAA) Medicaid Guidelines WorkGroup.

Kathy was instrumental in the development of the Physician Office Health Coach Training Program, which was the predecessor to the Clinical Health Coach™ training program and conducted in partnership with Mercy Clinics, Inc., from 2008-2010.

As an independent consultant in project management with a career focus of promoting and supporting healthier individuals and communities, Kathy has worked for ICCC since 2004. She is certified as a Program Director through the American College of Sports Medicine, and as an administrator of the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator™.

Kathy has 24 years experience in the field of cardiovascular healthcare, cardiac rehabilitation and health promotion. In 1999, she was chosen by the American Hospital Association’s Health Forum as one of 30 participants across the U.S. to participate in a Cardiovascular Health Leadership Fellowship. In 2003, she was commissioned by the Iowa Department of Public Health to lead a team in writing the white paper, “Chronic Diseases: A Critical Issue for Iowa.” Kathy has also served in leadership roles for numerous state coalitions, including Tobacco Free Iowa, Iowa Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Coalition and Iowa Association for Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab.

Deb Kazmerzak

BASW Iowa Chronic Care Consortium | Email

For more than 30 years Deb Kazmerzak has been working in Iowa’s public health and human services delivery systems. With the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium, Kazmerzak has been focused on raising awareness, creating support, and building infrastructure to support Iowa’s Community Health Workers.

Julie Ebeling

Operations | Email

Julie Ebeling is a graduate in Journalism from Iowa State University. Before joining the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium in 2013, Julie managed Eastern and Southern Iowa territories in pharmaceutical sales, where she shared with medical providers the newest information on current and existing medications, with special interest in diabetes education. Julie will provide both general and technical support along with operations management for the Clinical Health Coach® Training Online Program.