Faculty & Staff

William J. Doherty, Ph.D., LMFT, LP
Professor, Department of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota
Project Director, Citizen Professional Center

Bill Doherty

William J. Doherty, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Family Social Science and Director of the Citizen Professional Center at the University of Minnesota. He leads the Citizen Health Care and Families and Democracy Project, which aims to develop the theory and practice of democratic public work by health and human services professionals. With his colleagues he has developed a model of grass roots organizing among parents and other citizens around cultural, community, and health issues. These projects have ranged from the cultural discontents of middle class families (over scheduling, out-of-control birthday parties) to challenges of urban single fathers, from health care overuse to the distrust between police and African American men. Bill is an academic leader in his field, a researcher and family therapist, author of 12 books, past president of the National Council on Family Relations, and recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. Visit the Doherty Relationship Institute for more information. 

Tai J. Mendenhall, Ph.D., LMFT
Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School
Associate Project Director, Citizen Professional Center

Tai Mendenhall

Dr. Tai Mendenhall is a Medical Family Therapist and Professor in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota (UMN) in the Department of Family Social Science. He is also an Associate Director of the UMN’s Citizen Professional Center and Director of the UMN’s Medical Reserve Corps’ Mental Health Disaster-Response Teams. He works actively in the conduct of collaborative family healthcare and community-based participatory research (CBPR) focused on a variety of public health issues. Dr. Mendenhall co-leads the Citizen Health Care and Families and Democracy Projects, which aims to develop the theory and practice of democratic public work by health and human services professionals. His principal investigative interests include community interventions for chronic health-related (e.g., diabetes, chronic pain), mental health-related (e.g., depression), and unhealthy behavioral (e.g., smoking, sedentary lifestyle) arenas. Dr. Mendenhall is currently a co-investigator on two research projects that are positioned within the local American Indian community: (a) the Family Education Diabetes Series, or “FEDS”, and (b), the East Metro American Indian Diabetes Initiative (EMAIDI). Visit Dr. Mendenhall’s website for more details.

Jerica M. Berge, Ph.D., LMFT, CFLE
Associate Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School
Associate Director, Citizen Professional Center
Co-Founder/Co-Director Healthy Eating and Activity across the Lifespan (HEAL)

Jerica Berge

Jerica Berge is a behavioral medicine provider and researcher at the UMN’s Medical School, in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She co-leads the Citizen Health Care and Families and Democracy Project, which aims to develop the theory and practice of democratic public work by health care and mental health professionals. Dr. Berge maintains specialized training in collaborative family healthcare and medical family therapy. She was recently awarded an R01 National Institutes of Health grant called Family Matters. This study uses mixed-methods and community-based participatory research methods to partner with African American, Hispanic, Hmong, Native American, Somali, and White families to identify risk and protective factors for childhood obesity in the home environment. She is also the principal investigator on other citizen health care initiatives such as, Paha Sapa: Play it Forward which promotes physical activity at the neighborhood level. She is also the co-founder/co-director of the Healthy Eating and Activity across the Lifespan (HEAL) Center which promotes a culture of health by integrating research, clinical practice, community, and policy domains to address weight and weight-related behaviors. She is also the Families and Health section chair for the National Council on Family Relations. Visit Jerica Berge’s website for more details.