State Board of Health and Senior Services

The Department of Health and Senior Services protects and promotes quality of life and health for all Missourians by partnering with other agencies and organizations, developing and implementing programs and systems that provide: information and education, effective regulation and oversight, quality services and surveillance of diseases and conditions. The State Board of Health and Senior Services advise the department director in planning for departmental activities and acts in an advisory capacity regarding rules promulgated by the Department of Health and Senior Services. Board members are appointed by the governor. The director of the department, appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the chief liaison officer of the department for joint efforts with other governmental agencies and with private organizations that conduct or sponsor programs that relate to public health in Missouri.

Members

Nick Ragone
Mr. Ragone, of St. Louis, is Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Ascension, one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health care systems. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.. Mr. Ragone is the author of four books on presidential history and American government. In 2015, he started a nonprofit with the St. Louis Chess Club called Your Move Chess, which funds after-school chess for underserved communities in the St. Louis area.

Dr. Matthew Brandt
Dr. Brandt is an emergency medicine physician and the Medical Director for CoxHealth Pre-Hospital Services in Springfield, Missouri, the Missouri Highway Patrol Region D SWAT team, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, the Ozarks Technical Community College Department of Paramedicine, and 37 fire departments in Southwest Missouri. He serves as the Assistant Medical Director for the Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is a former U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) Medical Sergeant. He was the 2019 recipient of the Frank Mitchell Memorial Physician of the Year Award for Service in Emergency Medical Services.  He received Bachelors of Arts from Luther College in Biology and Philosophy and a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is currently an assistant professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine for the University of Missouri. Dr. Brandt is a fellow of both the American College of Emergency Medicine and of the Academy of Emergency Medical Services.

Dr. Jeffrey P. Coughenour
Dr. Coughenour is the Medical Director of MU Air Medical Service and Frank L. Mitchell Jr., MD, Trauma Center with University of Missouri Health Care. He is also an Associate Medical Director for the Trauma Division of Pre-Hospital Services with the Department of Emergency Medicine at the MU School of Medicine. He is a member of the Air Medical Physician Association, American College of Surgeons, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Dr. Coughenour holds several professional designations including Surface Water Rescue Technician, Helicopter Search and Rescue Technician, and Confined Space and Disaster Medicine Specialist. He has several medical writing publications and has received numerous awards and honors for professional excellence in the field of medicine. Dr. Coughenour holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Debra Ann Schumer
Ms. Schumer is the manager of Saint Francis Healthcare System's Nutrition Services Department and Diabetes Education & Management Center. She provides clinical management of all inpatient and outpatient nutrition services and is responsible for productivity monitoring for budgetary oversight purposes. She has over 15 years of clinical experience as well as experience in long-term care and academia. Ms. Schumer has served as president, treasurer, and director-at-large of the Missouri Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has received the academy's Emerging Leaders Award. Ms. Schumer holds a Bachelor of Science in dietetics and a Master of Arts in human environmental studies from Southeast Missouri State University.

Sue Allen
Ms. Allen currently serves as an Alderman for the City of Town and Country and as Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. Previously, Ms. Allen was a Missouri State Representative for the 100th District and served as Chair of the Missouri House of Representatives Committee on Fiscal Review. Ms. Allen has been a pediatric physical therapist for more than 25 years. She also co-owned and founded First Steps Pediatrics, LLC. Ms. Allen holds a Bachelor of Science in physical therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master of Science in physical therapy from St. Louis University.

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