P-SCIP Team

Gary L. Freed, M.D., M.P.H.

Director of P-SCIP

Gary Freed is the Percy and Mary Murphy professor of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and professor of Health Management and Policy in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He currently serves as Associate Chair for Government Relations in the Department of Pediatrics and as Director of Research in the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion at the Michigan Medical School. Dr. Freed has more than 30 years of experience in children's health services research. He has been the principal investigator of numerous federal, state and foundation-funded grants, and of the first pediatric health services research fellowship program funded by the National Institutes of Health. 

The current focus of his research is child health equity. Dr. Freed developed the Pediatric Sickle Cell Improvement Program (P-SCIP) as a regional initiative in 2021 and then attained funding from the state to expand the program througout Michigan in 2025. In 2023, he launched two other programs for which he serves as director: the Program for Equity in Adolescent and Child Health (PEACH) and the Michigan Child Health Equity Collaborative (MI-CHEC). PEACH and Mi-CHEC are first-of-their kind programs designed to examine and address potential inequities in the care of children and adolescents.  In 2024, following the blueprint of Mi-CHEC, Dr. Freed started another quality collaborative, Michigan Community Hospitals Improving Equity for Children (Mi-CHIME), for which he is the director.

Email: gfreed@med.umich.edu

Susan J. Woolford, M.D., M.P.H.

Associate Director of P-SCIP

Susan Woolford’s clinical and research interests focus on behavioral interventions in the clinical setting for the treatment of obesity, particularly for severely obese adolescents.  Her research explores the delivery of weight management interventions and outcomes from multidisciplinary obesity care.  In particular, Dr. Woolford’s work focuses on the use of communications technology to enhance patient engagement and adherence to treatment recommendations. In recognition of her innovative work in the area of childhood obesity, Dr. Woolford has received awards from the American Academy of Pediatrics and from the Society for Adolescent Medicine. 

The current focus of her research is child health equity, and she moved into the associate director role of the Pediatric Sickle Cell Improvement Program (P-SCIP)  in 2025. In 2023, she launched two other programs for which she serves as associate director: the Program for Equity in Adolescent and Child Health (PEACH) and the Michigan Child Health Equity Collaborative (MI-CHEC). PEACH and Mi-CHEC are first-of-their kind programs designed to examine and address potential inequities in the care of children and adolescents.  In 2024, following the blueprint of Mi-CHEC, Dr. Woolford started another quality collaborative, Michigan Community Hospitals Improving Equity for Children (Mi-CHIME), for which she is the associate director.

Email: swoolfor@med.umich.edu

Julie McCormick

Program Manager, Equity Programs

Julie McCormick is the lead project manager for equity programs launched in 2023 by Drs. Freed and Woolford. She has nearly two decades of clinical and research project management experience, as well having served as a senior research scientist at Pfizer and an IRB coordinator at the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration. Julie brings considerable experience to the team to help guide P-SCIP’s expansion from regional to statewide. She loves traveling with her family and spending time outdoors. Her hobbies include costuming for community theater shows and shark fishing. 

Email: mccormj@umich.edu

Cori Davis

Quality Improvement Team Leader

Cori Davis is an improvement specialist supporting collaboratives and projects focused on child health equity with Drs Freed and Woolford. Cori has over a decade of experience designing and leading quality improvement efforts to amplify and accelerate social change. Cori believes that improvement science is accessible to all and loves supporting people with diverse skillsets and backgrounds learn about and implement improvement science to make meaningful change. Outside of work, you can find Cori acting as an uber driver and domestic coordinator for her daughter, Peyton. She also enjoys gardening, exploring new restaurants or wineries, listening to podcasts, and traveling to warmer climates. 

Email: ahrecori@umich.edu

Jennifer Stout, R.N.

Quality Improvement Specialist

Jennifer Stout is a quality improvement specialist who supports child health equity initiatives led by Drs. Woolford and Freed. She was introduced to improvement science through her nursing experience at University of Michigan Health System. Jennifer has worked as an inpatient nurse for over 10 years, most recently on a Medical Intensive/Step Down unit. She has multiple years of experience working with free and charitable clinics and serving as an anti-human trafficking advocate, specifically in the field of education for healthcare providers. Jennifer loves to rollerblade and travel in her free time.

Email: jlstout@umich.edu

Sheng Koivu

Lead Administrative Assistant

Sheng Koivu is the lead administrative assistant for the equity programs launched by Drs. Freed and Woolford. She joined the Child Health Evaluation and Research Center in 2016 as an administrative assistant, providing support to the Division of General Pediatrics, and planning continuing medical education activities. Sheng holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Oakland University. In her free time, Sheng enjoys spending time with her family.

Email: shengk@med.umich.edu

Michael J. Happy

Web Project Manager

Michael Happy is the website project manager for child health equity programs launched by Drs. Freed and Woolford. After serving seven years as a U.S. Navy journalist, he received his Bachelor of Arts in social studies from Towson University in Maryland and then started a professional journalism career that took him to CBS Sports, The Detroit News and The New York Times. For 13-plus years before joining PEACH, he worked as the digital content manager for FOX Sports Detroit. When he's not working, Michael loves to spend time with his bride, Shannon, relaxing at their cabin near Alpena. He also enjoys hanging out with his two adult children, Louis and Amanda, and telling stories about his angel, Shaun.

Email: mhappy@umich.edu