University of South Dakota

Assistant Professor of Health Services Administration, Beacom School of Business, University of South Dakota. Research interests include intersection of telehealth, chronic care, and health policy. 15 years experience as health care executive, including long-term care, home health, and hospice, within vertically-integrated health systems. Master’s in public health from the University of Missouri (1987). PhD focused in health communication from the Missouri School of Journalism (2005), followed by a National Library of Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Informatics (2005-2008). Health & Aging Policy and Congressional Fellow in 2009, during formulation of health reform, in office of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia. Helped develop health information technology legislation within the Recovery Act and palliative care and advance planning legislation within the Finance Committee’s health reform bill.

Health Policy, Health Care Strategy, American Health Care System

Telehealth, Chronic Care, Health Policy, Media Coverage of Health Care, Teaching of Health Care Management

• Ph D, Health Communication, University of Missouri, 2005
• MS, Public Health, University of Missouri, 1987
• University of Nebraska-Omaha, 1984
• BS, Education, University of Nebraska, 1983

• From Disparities Research to Disparities Interventions, National Institute on Drug Abuse R13 scientific conference grant (with additional support provided by National Institute of Mental Health MH and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the University of South Florida College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, (2010 - 2011)
• Regional Extension Center Critical Access Hospital Assessment, Dakota State University, (2011)

• Hensel, B., Parker-Oliver, D., Demiris, G., Rantz, M., (2009), A comparison of video-based resident-family communication in a nursing home and a congregate living facility, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association .

• Hensel, B. (2013, January). Obamacare and You: How healthcare reform will impact your future medical practice. Presented at the Scholarship Pathways Program Seminar , Vermillion.
• Hensel, B. (2013, January). The PPACA. Presented at the Health Care Policy Session for Medical Students, Lee Hall, Vermillion.
• Giger, J. T., Hensel, B., Luken, R., , , (2012, April). In-Home Health Monitoring of Adults with Serious Mental Illness: Informal Caregiver Attitudes and Perceptions. Presented at the USD School of Health Sciences Research Conference, Vermillion.
• Hensel, B. (2012, January). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Presented at the Health Policy Session, Led Medical Building.
• Hensel, B. (2011, January). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Presented at the Health Policy Session, Led Medical Building.
• Hensel, B. (2010, September). The Health Care Reform Debate and Process: Observations of a Health Policy Fellow. Presented at the Dean’s Lecture, University of South Dakota.
• Hensel, B., Fontelo, P. (2008, November). Physician Attitudes Toward SMS/Text Messaging in Medicine. Presented at the American Medical Informatics Association Annual Meeting, Washington DC.
• Courtney, K., Demiris, G., Hensel, B. (2008, April). Describing obtrusiveness for telehealth and smart home technologies. Presented at the Annual International Meeting of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA, Seattle.
• Alexander, G. L., Hensel, B. (2007, August). An analysis of skin integrity alerts to monitor nursing home residents. Presented at the 12th International Health (Medical) Informatics Congress, Medinfo, Brisbane, Australia.
• Dickey, G., Demiris, G., Parker-Oliver, D., Hensel, B. (2007, August). Use of Technology to Address Feelings Associated with Institutional Placement for Older Residents and their Family Members. Presented at the 17th Annual Caring for the Frail Elderly Conference, Columbia, Missouri.
• Dickey, G., Demiris, G., Parker-Oliver, D., Hensel, B. (2007, August). Use of Technology to Address Feelings Associated with Institutional Placement for Older Residents and their Family Members. Presented at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting 2007, San Francisco.
• Hensel, B., Cameron, G. T. (2007, June). New Media Research in Health Care Settings: The Sociotechnical Model of Technology-Mediated Health Communication. Presented at the Health Care Communication in the New Media Landscape, Columbia, Missouri.
• Hensel, B., Demiris, G., Courtney, K. (2007, June). Content Validity of Obtrusiveness Model of Home Telehealth Technologies. Presented at the National Library of Medicine Informatics Training Conference, Stanford University.
• Parker-Oliver, D., Demiris, G., Hensel, B. (2007, May). A Videophone Intervention with In-hospice caregivers: Clinical Outcomes. Telemedicine and e-health . Presented at the 12th Annual International Meeting of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), Nashville.
• Hensel, B., Parker-Oliver, D., Demiris, G. (2007, May). Does Greater Communication Bandwidth Increase Perceived Social Presence in Videophone Communication? . Presented at the 12th Annual International Meeting of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), Nashville.
• Grinfeld, M., Hensel, B., Cassidy, J. T., Walker, S. E., Parker, J. C. (2006, November). A new media solution for coordination of care for juvenile arthritis: The JAHelp.org advocacy-oriented health care access project. Presented at the American College of Rheumatology/ Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Scientific Meeting, Washington DC.
• Hensel, B., Parker-Oliver, D., Demiris, G., Willis, L. (2006, November). A telehealth case study of videophone use between family members. Presented at the American Medical Informatics Association Annual Meeting, Washington DC.
• Hensel, B., Parker-Oliver, D., Demiris, G. (2006, August). "It was almost like being in the same room": Videophone communication between a nursing home resident and family member. Presented at the 16th Annual Caring for the Frail Elderly Conference, Columbia, Missouri.
• Hensel, B. (2006, August). Sensor Technologies in Retirement Communities for Older Adults: Promoting Health and Independence. Presented at the 16th Annual Caring for the Frail Elderly Conference, Columbia, Missouri.
• Grinfeld, M. J., Hensel, B. (2006, August). Advocacy oriented behavior and health care access: A conceptual model of health communication used in coordinating care for children with juvenile arthritis, . Presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 89th Annual Convention, San Francisco.
• Grinfeld, M., Hensel, B. (2006, April). JAHelp to the rescue: Online coordination of care for juvenile arthritis. Presented at the Bridging the Quality Gap in Mid-America: Measuring and Promoting Excellence Across the Continuum of Care, Columbia, Missouri.
• Hensel, B. (2004, August). The conceptual overlap in “promotion” between marketing and marketing communications: Does it extend to an overlap in research? . Presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 87th Annual Convention, Toronto.
• Hensel, B. (2004, August). Harry Truman’s reluctance in “going public” for national health insurance. Presented at the International Communication Association Annual Conference, New Orleans.
• Hensel, B. (2003, November). A second-level agenda-setting study of arguments for and against Harry Truman’s national health insurance plan. Presented at the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference, Chicago.
• Hensel, B. (2003, November). Harry Truman’s fight for national health insurance: His responses to the opposing arguments and one newspaper’s coverage. Presented at the Missouri Conference on History, Jefferson City, Missouri.
• Hensel, B. (2000, October). Telemedicine and e-Health. Presented at the Telepower 2000, Hays, Kansas.
• Hensel, B. (1999, May). Demonstration of Hays Medical Center’s NTIA telehomecare initiative. Presented at the North Dakota Telecommunications Technology Symposium, Fargo, North Dakota.
• Hensel, B. (1998, October). Demonstration of Hays Medical Center’s NTIA telehomecare initiative. Presented at the Plenipotentiary Conference , Minneapolis, Minnesota.