Meet the faces behind Celiac and Me! Carleton College faculty and students developed this website with support from local community partners. We share a common goal to educate, engage, and empower individuals living with celiac disease. We look forward to exploring new ways to understand celiac disease with you!
THE CARLETON TEAM
DEBBY WALSER-KUNTZ is a professor of Biology at Carleton College and teaches courses in Immunology, Virology, Public Health, and Methods of Teaching Science. She ventured into the world of academic civic engagement more than ten years ago after recognizing that her bright and talented students could still learn, and in fact might learn more, while sharing their knowledge with others. Students enrolled in Debby’s courses learn to work with and in a community, combining academic knowledge with the wisdom held by community partners. As an immunologist, Debby is intrigued by the interaction of the environment with the immune system, and it has been rewarding to watch her students generate creative and engaging resources for the celiac community.
EMIRI MATSUDA is a Carleton College graduate in Biology and author/illustrator of “What’s Up With My Gut?”. She first got involved in celiac outreach while taking Debby Walser-Kuntz’s Immunology course in 2014 and hasn’t looked back since. Emiri is passionate about community health, immunology and communicating science. Her projects focus on patient empowerment and improving public health literacy by developing engaging, thoughtfully designed resources for use by patient populations, loved ones, and learners alike.
PHUOC “TIEN” TRAN, a 2015 Carleton College graduate in Biology, is the developer of the gut model. Approaching new ideas with enthusiasm and an open mind has been a great lesson Tien learned at Carleton, especially when he took Debby’s Immunology course. Through the celiac disease project, Tien developed an appreciation for the psychological and social dimensions of the well-being of a person and the public. An aspiring physician and health scientist, Tien is passionate about a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to medicine that engages with these dimensions and promotes public health.
OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The Northfield Area Can’t Eat Wheat support group was founded in 1998, and is co-sponsored by the Northfield Hospital. JODY FRIEDOW has been the coordinator of the group since 2003, and invites guest speakers to the meetings from the regional celiac community and area gluten-free businesses. With the support of a strong core group of members, she provides information and resources to both newly-diagnosed celiacs and people with long experience following the gluten-free diet.
As Executive Director of the Celiac Center of Minnesota, JULIE SALATO has combined her years of experience in working with non-profits, and personal experience as a diagnosed celiac and parent of a celiac daughter to develop support resources for families across the Midwest. Julie developed the children’s mental health program, The Gluten Detectives, after watching her own daughter struggle with feelings of isolation, frustration, and loss as a result of following such a restrictive diet. Julie has become a leader in the community and is often asked to speak as an expert on the topic of celiac disease. She has also published magazine articles on the topic and has recently partnered with a major Minnesota corporation on the production of a documentary showcasing the gluten free community and the need to serve it.
Questions? Comments? Want to say hello? We’d love to hear from you.
Click the envelope above, or send us an e-mail at helloceliacandme@gmail.com
