Brian Hallstrom, MD
Brian Hallstrom, MD is the Co-Director of MARCQI. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Hallstrom received his medical degree from Boston University before completing a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Michigan. He completed an adult reconstruction fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital before returning to Ann Arbor to practice at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. He joined the University of Michigan faculty in 2008.
Richard E. Hughes, PhD
Richard E. Hughes, PhD is the Co-Director of MARCQI. He is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, and Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University and PhD from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University of Michigan faculty in 1998, he worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in orthopaedic biomechanics.
Tae Kim, MHSA
Tae Kim is the Senior Project Manager for MARCQI. She received her BS and MHSA from The University of Michigan. Tae comes to MARCQI from the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative, MUSIC. She led their surgical outcomes initiatives (peri-operative, oncologic and patient reported outcomes, skills outcomes, skill workshops, video library). Tae has developed patient education and physician support materials along with launching two new initiatives within the urology collaborative. She joined MARCQI in 2019.
Thomas Zheng, PhD, MS, MSE
Thomas (Huiyong) Zheng, PhD, MS, joined MARCQI as the Technical Statistical Lead in 2016. Prior to joining MARCQI, Dr. Zheng has been a senior staff in Biostatistics and faculty member, Associate Research Scientist, in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan since 2004. He has BS, MS in Mathematics and PhD in Control Theory (NPU China) and post-doctoral in Scientific Computing (Tsinghua University China). He worked in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science EECS and Industrial & Operation Engineering IOE University of Michigan as post-doctoral research fellow from 2000 to 2004 (also earned an MSE in IOE with a focus on Statistics and Quality Control). Dr. Zheng has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters in methodology and epidemiological/health studies. He has been a Principle Investigator or co-investigator in many research projects and playing leading role in analytics among collaborative studies.
Qi Zhu, MS
Qi Zhu, MS, joins MARCQI as a Database Manager. Qi is part of the MARCQI data analytics team with Dr. Zheng and Heather Chubb. Qi received his BS from Hohai University, China. At Michigan State, Qi completed two masters’ degrees, one in Electrical Engineering and one in statistics. He has more than ten years of experience in data management and healthcare claims data analysis.
Lisheng Chen, PhD
Lisheng Chen joins MARCQI as a statistician. He received his PhD in Genetics from Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Prior to joining MARCQI, he was a senior research specialist in the department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences with extensive experience in basic medical research. He is currently in the master program of applied statistics in Eastern Michigan University. Lisheng has strong interests in the application of data science in healthcare field. He joined the MARCQI team in 2023.
Jim Shepich, MS
Jim Shepich is MARCQI’s Data Visualization Specialist. He received his BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and his MS in Data Science from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining MARCQI, Jim gained diverse experience in organometallic chemistry research, education/edtech, and game development. His areas of expertise include data science, AI/ML, and full-stack development. Jim started as a summer intern at MARCQI in 2022 and joined the team full-time in 2023.

Joe Brooks, MSML
Joe Brooks is one of MARCQI’s Clinical Quality Assurance Coordinators. Joe received both his Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and Master of Science in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University. He has over 20 years of clinical anesthesia experience encompassing roles in clinical training, leadership, and research. He designed a nationally recognized Anesthesia Technology program and developed best-practices for intraoperative blood salvage for major surgical procedures. He has a keen interest in improving quality and clinical outcomes. Joe joined the team in 2021.
Davonne Bolden, MHA
Davonne Bolden is one of MARCQI’s Site Support Coordinators. She received her BS in Interdisciplinary Health Services from Western Michigan University and her Master’s of Healthcare Administration from Purdue University. Davonne has vast knowledge of Orthopedic operations to include but not limited to procurement, billing and coding, quality assurance of clinical and surgical documentation, and project management. She also developed a system for reporting and tracking of surgical implant usage. Davonne joined the MARCQI team in 2022.
Zach DeLong is one of MARCQI’s Assistant Clinical Quality Assurance Coordinators. Zach received a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and a Master of Public Health from Saginaw Valley State University. Zach has previously worked as an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac Rehabilitation, a Supervisor of Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy Programs in a 20-bed Rehabilitation Unit, and most recently as a Clinical Research Coordinator for Oncology Clinical Research Trials at Michigan Medicine. Zach joined the MARCQI team in 2022.
Sara Koralewski, RHIT
Sara Koralewski is one of MARCQI’s Clinical Quality Assurance Coordinators. She is a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Sara has four years of infection prevention experience specializing in surgical site infection surveillance and reporting. She also worked on the Epic infection prevention software; implementing and supporting the application for a multi-state healthcare system. Sara joined the MARCQI team in 2021.
Devon Larese, MSN,
AGCNS-BC
Devon Larese is one of MARCQI’s Clinical Quality Assurance Coordinators. After obtaining her Bachelor’s in Science of Nursing from Lake Superior State University, Devon received her Master’s in Science of Nursing from Michigan State University. She previously worked as a nurse at Michigan Medicine both on the floor and Surgical Short Stay. Her experience includes clinical quality improvement activities and developing and delivering nurse education. She is excited to bring her perspective to MARCQI. Devon joined the team in 2021.
Alex Wong, DAT, AT
Alex Wong is one of MARCQI’s Site Support Coordinators. He received his BS from the University of New Hampshire, MS from the University of Oregon and his Doctorate in Athletic Training from A.T. Still University. A valued member of the athletic healthcare community for over 20 years, Alex brings extensive integrated sports medicine experience to MARCQI. Alex has also served as an instructor and clinical preceptor for numerous athletic training education programs. He joined the MARCQI team in 2022.
Anne Kagay-Lidster
Anne Kagay-Lidster is the Administrative Assistant for MARCQI. Anne received her Associates Degree from Washtenaw Community College in Visual Arts (Photography, Graphic and Web Design). In her previous position as a Lead Research Technician, she provided support to engineering projects with data processing, report preparation, and logistics. Anne joined the Coordinating Center staff in 2014.