About Us

Dr. Motto

Maria

Maria is a Behavioral Health Educator and has been the Director of Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program since 2003. After graduating from Benedictine University with a B.S. degree in nutrition (1996), she utilized her training as a nutritionist by joining our Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program as a Behavioral Health Educator. Maria’s natural warmth and ability to connect with others were immediately apparent. Her people skills coupled with her nutrition skills plus the expertise obtained from her attending many HMR™ national training sessions, all contributed to making her very effective in helping our patients lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. Blessed also with a good business sense, Maria has been able to continue as a Behavioral Health Educator while she manages the Program. A distance runner and devotee of healthy eating, Maria is passionate in her belief in the HMR™ principles as the basis for people to lose weight and to keep it off. Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program, has prospered under her leadership.

Kathy

Kathy, a Behavioral Health Educator, has been involved with Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program since 1985 initially part time but full time for the past four years. She is an experienced psychiatric R.N. who received her B.S.N. degree (1964) from Loyola University School of Nursing, Chicago and her M.S.N. (1978) degree from the University of Illinois College of Nursing, Chicago. Kathy spent the major part of her psychiatric nursing career in community mental health at Leyden Family Services and Mental Health Center, Franklin Park where she had the opportunity to work with individuals, families, and other organizations in a variety of ways – always aiming to improve the quality of peoples’ lives. Because of her exceptional people skills, both individual and group, it was only natural that she was asked by Dr. Motto to help him start, in 1985, the first Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program sessions. In 2001 she retired from the mental health field and began working exclusively with our HMR™ Program as the Director for several years and now as a staff Behavioral Health Educator. “I enjoy my work immensely,” says Kathy, “it’s very rewarding to help our patients make real progress in changing their lives by losing weight and keeping it off.”

Joan

Joan is a native Chicagoan who has lived in the northwest suburbs for more than forty years. Having received a scholarship to Mundelein College, Chicago (now a part of Loyola University), she completed her undergraduate work in 1971, graduating with a B.A. in elementary education. Joan was employed by School District 59 for twenty-seven years as a fifth and then a sixth grade (junior high) teacher – teaching primarily math and science. For the past five years she has effectively utilized her prodigious teaching talents as a Behavioral Health Educator in our Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program. “I am personally committed to a healthy lifestyle,” says Joan, “and I enjoy teaching and encouraging our adult patients.”

Margaret

Margaret has worked as a nurse with Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program, for over ten years. She is a Licensed Practical Nurse with an Associate Degree in science and art. Margaret’s professionalism and warmth make her very effective in working with our patients who quickly realize that she is truly interested and concerned about them both as individuals and as participants in the HMR™ Program. No matter how many are in line, Margaret always manages somehow to give each patient her undivided attention. Margaret’s knowledge and understanding of our Program’s principles and procedures and her ability to communicate these to our patients has been very instrumental in their success.

Nancy

Nancy, our patient services representative, has been with Weight & Risk Factor Management, an HMR™ Program, for six years. Prior to joining us, she worked in jobs necessitating people contact including her being a public school tutor. Dedicated to her work, Nancy enjoys dealing with patients during their medical visits. She makes certain things run smoothly with such things as payment and lab procedures. Her sunny disposition and her genuine delight in sharing with patients the joy of their health improvement through weight management helps to motivate patients to become even more successful.