Intimate Relationships: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?

Dr. Tai Mendenhall is a Medical Family Therapist (MedFT) and Associate Professor in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota (UMN) in the Department of Family Social Science. He is also the Associate Director of the UMN’s Citizen Professional Center, Director of the UMN’s Medical Reserve Corps’ Mental Health Disaster-Response Teams, and an Adjunct Faculty Member and Clinician in the UMN’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. He works actively in the conduct of collaborative family healthcare and community-based participatory research (CBPR) focused on a variety of public health issues. In professional writing, Tai has contributed extensively to both medical and social sciences through publications in peer reviewed journals and book chapters. He has also published five edited books (four as first-author/ editor), including two texts regarding cutting-edge applications of MedFT. In professional forums, he regularly delivers workshops and presentations across state, national, and international arenas. Originally from New Zealand, Tai is now a “kiwi in the arctic.” Outside work, he enjoys motorcycling, running, and home-remodeling projects.

Dr. Elizabeth (“Libby”) Plowman is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the School of Education at American Public University and American Military University. In addition to teaching, she works as a research consultant with several marketing firms in Chicago, IL, and co-owns a small business dedicated to fundraising for breast cancer research. Libby has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented her work at various national and international conferences. Her academic interests center on innovative research designs in family science, the assessment of parent–child relationships, and parenting education. Outside the office, Libby is passionate about spending quality time with her husband and their young daughter, Leonie.

Dr. Lisa Trump is an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas. Her program of research has focused on couple- and family-level interventions for chronic illness management, and investigating new approaches to support patients’ biopsychosocial/spiritual needs. Lisa has co-authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals and has presented her work at local and national conferences. When she is not teaching and writing, she spends time with her young daughter at home. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in northern Minnesota at her family’s cabin and trying new restaurants and coffee shops in the Twin Cities.

Pamela Dysart is a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in Family Social Science. Her research interests focus on death, dying, grief, and loss. She has engaged as an AmeriCorps VISTA and Peace Corps Volunteer, worked with middle school students on financial literacy education, and has volunteered in a variety of medical settings (e.g., retirement centers, hospitals, hospice agencies). Pamela earned her MSW from the University of Maryland - Baltimore, she has taught English as a second Language abroad and in the US to youth and adults. She has been working in both clinical and community settings throughout her career. Pamela is the mother of two beautiful souls who are consistently curious about the world, and she enjoys spending time learning and growing with them each and every day.