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Our Team

April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
Vice President and Director

April Joy Damian, PhD, MSc, CHPM, PMP
Vice President and Director
Dr. Damian completed her PhD in the Department of Mental Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Master's in Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies, Highest Honors. She has worked with several reputable governing bodies, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Health Administration in Washington, DC, International Organization for Migration in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as local health departments, on policy and programs relating to improving healthcare access and quality for medically underserved communities. She is an inducted member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Honor Society, and has received numerous recognitions in honor of her role as a social change agent, including the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Community Well-Being Warrior Award, and an honorarium from the University of Delaware.

Margaret Flinter, PhD, APRN
Founder Emeritus, Senior Investigator

Margaret Flinter, PhD, APRN
Founder Emeritus, Senior Investigator
Margaret received her BSN from the University of Connecticut, her MSN from Yale University, and her PhD at the University of Connecticut. She is a fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Margaret is a former National Health Service Corps and RWJ Executive Nurse Fellow.

Jermane Bond, PhD
Director of Research

Jermane Bond, PhD
Director of Research
Dr. Bond, a public health leader and health equity strategist, has published widely in the areas of maternal and child health disparities, paternal involvement in pregnancy outcomes and men’s health. He has served on numerous task forces, editorial and advisory boards, including the Leadership Committee of the Maternal and Child Health Section of the American Public Health Association, the Maternal and Child Health Journal, American Journal of Public Health and the Community Engagement in Genomics Working Group of the Advisory Council for Human Genome Research of the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genomics Research Institute.

Karen Ashley, EdD
Director of Education

Karen Ashley, EdD
Director of Education
Prior to joining Dartmouth, Karen served as Director of Education for the Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care, providing continuing education for hospice and end-of-life care providers and volunteers for hospice agencies across North and South Carolina. Before that, she worked with the Northeast Tennessee Area Health Education Center through East Tennessee State University, coordinating continuing education for medical and other health care professionals in 13 counties in Tennessee. Karen completed her EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix, MEd in Health Education from the University of Tennessee, and BS in Health and Sport Science from Wake Forest University.

Mandy Lamb, MA
Director of Partnerships and Development

Mandy Lamb, MA
Director of Partnerships and Development
Mandy joined the Weitzman Institute’s Education Department in 2017, where she was responsible for overseeing the expansion and implementation of Weitzman’s Project ECHO® program. Project ECHO is a disruptive and innovative tele-mentoring program developed at the University of New Mexico, and successfully replicated by the Weitzman Institute, with the goal of reducing disparities in access to specialty care for patients in medically underserved regions. Along with overseeing the implementation of Weitzman ECHO programs, Mandy also led multiple large education and telehealth initiatives. Mandy initially joined the Community Health Center in 2015 as the Executive Assistant to the CEO and Senior Vice President and Clinical Director, where she supported special initiatives of the executive office and was responsible for managing the Board of Directors for CHC and its affiliates.
Prior to joining the Community Health Center, Mandy was a Research Associate for the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she developed and reported on public opinion polls on various domestic and international health topics, including attitudes on immunizations, infectious disease prevention, and health policy. Mandy obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Saint Michael’s College, and her Masters of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. While completing her studies at UMass Amherst, Mandy taught courses and conducted research on health policy and public opinion.

Shelby Anderson-Badbade, MA
Research and Evaluation Associate

Shelby Anderson-Badbade, MA
Research and Evaluation Associate

Meaghan Angers
Program Specialist

Meaghan Angers
Program Specialist

Brandon Azevedo
Health Policy Analyst

Brandon Azevedo
Health Policy Analyst

Hannah Beath
Program Specialist, Nurse Practitioner Residency program

Hannah Beath
Program Specialist, Nurse Practitioner Residency program

Julie Beckham
Project Manager

Julie Beckham
Project Manager
Julie is responsible for the development of training and implementation for social determinants of health screenings, pediatric and behavioral health initiatives, operational processes, and she continues to align herself with projects that promote overall primary care delivery.

Lauren Bifulco, MPH
Senior Research Associate

Lauren Bifulco, MPH
Senior Research Associate
Prior to her work at Weitzman Institute, Lauren was a business analyst and project manager providing data management services at Prometheus Research, now part of IQVIA, and assisted with overseeing data quality and integrity of information that was collected as part of multi-site longitudinal autism research studies. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut in Biology, a Master of Public Health degree from Southern Connecticut State University, and a graduate certificate in Climate Change and Health from Yale School of Public Health.

Najwa Brown
Research Coordinator I

Najwa Brown
Research Coordinator I

Jiayi Chen
Research Coordinator I

Jiayi Chen
Research Coordinator I

Kharla Colon-Vazquez
Program Specialist, All of Us Research Program

Kharla Colon-Vazquez
Program Specialist, All of Us Research Program
Kharla joined Weitzman because she believes research is the foundation of clinical care, and programs like All of Us and other Weitzman-led efforts can pave the way toward healthier communities and addressing health disparities.

Charise Corsino, MA
Program Director, Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs

Charise Corsino, MA
Program Director, Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs
Charise joined CHCI in 2010 as the Program Manager for the Statewide Mobile Program and Community Wellness Programs, overseeing the organization’s in-school dental program, Community HealthCorps program, and a portfolio community wellness programs. In 2012, Charise became the Director of Middlesex County Sites, managing the daily operations of three of CHC’s primary care health center locations. She joined the Weitzman Institute in 2014 as the Program Manager for CHCI’s NP Residency Program. Charise is also a certified Clinical Microsystems coach and former Health Leadership Fellow through the Connecticut Health Foundation.
Charise is a native Mainer where she currently lives with her family. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management from the University of Connecticut’s School of Business and a Masters of Arts degree in Health Communication from Emerson College in collaboration with Tufts University School of Medicine.

Meaghan Cosgrove
Program Specialist

Meaghan Cosgrove
Program Specialist

Jaclyn Cunningham
Project Manager, Population Health

Jaclyn Cunningham
Project Manager, Population Health
Jaclyn started at CHC as the Inter-Professional Student Coordinator where she worked with CHC’s leadership team to oversee student placements across the medical, dental and behavioral health disciplines. During her time coordinating clinical and non-clinical placements for students across all sites, Jaclyn served as the primary contact for CHC’s academic partners and facilitated the onboarding and offboarding process for 300-400 students and medical residents each year. Jaclyn managed the process of new affiliation agreement requests, assessing site capacity for in-person and hybrid placements, student evaluations, and ensuring all Workday accounts were compliant with DCF, state and infection control requirements. Jaclyn has also served as a coach on the Health Professions Student Training Learning Collaborative to help other organizations develop and standardize workflows relating to student placements.
Prior to her time at Community Health Center, Jaclyn served as a Graduate Medical Education Coordinator overseeing the Residency and Fellowship programs for the Dermatology Division at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She also worked in the Academic Affairs office at CHLA as an Administrative Resident. In Academic Affairs, her work focused on process improvement initiatives in the faculty appointment and promotion processes. Jaclyn completed her Masters of Health Administration (MHA) at the University of Southern California. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration at the University of Scranton.

Anthony DiMartino, MA
Education Specialist

Anthony DiMartino, MA
Education Specialist

Alejandra Duran Sanchez
Research Coordinator II - All of Us Research Program

Alejandra Duran Sanchez
Research Coordinator II - All of Us Research Program

Natalie Ewashkow
Education Specialist

Natalie Ewashkow
Education Specialist

Bianca Flowers, MPH
Project Manager, NTTAP

Bianca Flowers, MPH
Project Manager, NTTAP

Andriene Gaudette, CCHW, MHA
Education Program Specialist

Andriene Gaudette, CCHW, MHA
Education Program Specialist
With her work in public health and community engagement, Andriene has a deep commitment to working with underserved populations. Andriene continues to work as a Community Health Worker where she advocates for the community. Andriene always had a goal of giving back to the communities that gave to her, she continues to work with these populations helping people find healthcare services they may need.

Tierney Giannotti, MPA
Senior Program Manager, Population Health

Tierney Giannotti, MPA
Senior Program Manager, Population Health
Prior to joining CHC, Tierney worked at UConn Health Center in the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities for five years. There, she coordinated the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities grant, helping to train the next generation of leaders in a variety of disciplines to work with children with disabilities. She also served as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Act Early Ambassador for Connecticut, promoting their “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign. Tierney worked as a data analyst, project coordinator and then senior research associate at Qualidigm focused on quality improvement and data analysis, with a specialization in the Medicaid population. She started her career as a data analyst at Neighborhood Health Plan of Massachusetts, a health plan created by the health centers of MA.
Born and raised in New York City, Tierney enjoys life on the shoreline of Connecticut, hiking with her rescue dogs, occasionally accompanied by her 2 legged family members. Tierney received a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University.

Lynsey Grzejszczak, MHA
Project Manager

Lynsey Grzejszczak, MHA
Project Manager
She has been with the organization since 2019 and previously, worked as an Education Program Specialist, focusing on Project ECHO. Within the Project ECHO team, Lynsey managed several ECHOs including Complex Integrated Pediatrics and Advanced Primary Care. Lynsey started as the Department Coordinator of the Weitzman Institute and Executive Assistant to Community Health Center, Inc.’s President and CEO Mark Masselli.
She graduated from the University of Connecticut with a dual degree in History and Human Rights, and has her Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration at the University of Cincinnati.
Outside of her time at the Weitzman Institute, Lynsey enjoys time with her dog, reading, and listening to true crime podcasts.

Lucy Hewitt
Research-Evaluation Associate

Lucy Hewitt
Research-Evaluation Associate

Jhoselyn Jara
Participant Experience Lead

Jhoselyn Jara
Participant Experience Lead
Jhoselyn graduated from Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) with a Bachelor degree in Psychology and a minor in Biology in 2019. She is a member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, and a New Haven Scholar. In 2021, she received her Master’s degree in Health Psychology from CCSU.

MacKenzie Koester, MPH
Research and Evaluation Program Manager

MacKenzie Koester, MPH
Research and Evaluation Program Manager

Zeba Kokan
Health Policy Research Fellow

Zeba Kokan
Health Policy Research Fellow

Bibian Ladino-Davis
Behavioral Health Coordinator

Bibian Ladino-Davis
Behavioral Health Coordinator

Jenni Lane, MA
Assistant Director of Training and Technical Assistance

Jenni Lane, MA
Assistant Director of Training and Technical Assistance
In 1999, Jenni received her Master’s degree in English from Eastern Michigan University, where she taught writing while volunteering at a local family planning clinic. She found her passion for prevention/education work in adolescent sexual health there, and she dedicated herself to improving adolescent health and wellbeing through centering the voices and needs of young people. This launched the next twenty years of her career, where she focused on training and professional development for adolescents and the adult professionals who serve them. Jenni adheres to the principle, “Nothing about us/without us,” through human-centered program development and patient care practices. She brings this perspective and her love of data-driven continuous quality improvement to Weitzman after serving for eight years as Senior Program Manager at the University of Michigan Adolescent Health Initiative. At AHI, Jenni built strong national partnerships and secured funding for many innovative projects, striving to keep youth justice, reproductive justice, and racial and social justice at the center of the work. Jenni has been a proud member of the Youth Engagement committee of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine since its inauguration, and has served on many boards and task forces. She finds joy in her daily morning walks, vegetable growing and cooking, reading, NYT crossword puzzles, and her many treasured relationships.

Lindsey Lehet
Program Specialist

Lindsey Lehet
Program Specialist
Prior to joining the Weitzman Institute, Lindsey worked as a Prevention Coordinator where she planned and implemented programs for students, community members, and school officials on current and up and coming health trends. She also served as the Coalition Coordinator for her local Coalition. She has taken her love for prevention work and continues to volunteer on several substance abuse prevention councils and to advocate for issues affecting youth today.
Lindsey graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a B.S. in Public Health; Health Promotion. Lindsey is a Licensed Massage Therapist and has been practicing for over 14 years. Outside of CHC and volunteering Lindsey enjoys spending as much time as she can with her family. When she isn’t at a sporting event cheering on her boys you can find Lindsey with her family outside hiking, swimming, or paddle boarding. Lindsey was originally drawn to the Weitzman Institute because of Project ECHO. She loved being able to connect with professionals across the country to discuss potential didactics and curriculum as well as listening to the multidisciplinary faculty members collaborate as they discuss difficult patient cases. After working at Weitzman, Lindsey quickly discovered there was so much more work that went on and that Weitzman Institute truly stays on the forefront of “transforming the delivery of primary care through research, technology, education, and innovation.” Lindsey enjoys that no two days are the same and she loves working with her colleagues to produce educational programs that help arm clinical staff with the tools to overcome hurdles and barriers seen in the healthcare industry today.

Casandra Lehr
Education Program Specialist

Casandra Lehr
Education Program Specialist

Leah Miller
Program Manager for Education

Leah Miller
Program Manager for Education
In 2018, Leah graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts and she is currently pursuing her Masters in Healthcare Administration at Colorado State University. Leah has a passion for bringing awareness to healthcare disparities that disproportionately affect people of color, more specifically examining the intersectionality of race and gender and how this affects health outcomes for women of color. As a result of her interests, Leah is committed to continue to assist Weitzman Education’s goal in developing quality inclusive and equitable educational programs.

Maximillian Morris, MPH
Research and Evaluation Associate

Maximillian Morris, MPH
Research and Evaluation Associate

Rosie Motz, MPH, MA, RDN
Program Manager for Education

Rosie Motz, MPH, MA, RDN
Program Manager for Education
Rosie earned an MPH in Behavioral, Social, Community Health and MA in Latin American Studies from Indiana University Bloomington and holds a BS in Dietetics and BA in Human Rights Studies from the University of Dayton. Her research, during her dual MPH-MA, investigated food insecurity and the food system of the indigenous Peruvian Quechua population, where she spent over 6 months in Peru learning the Quechua language and culture, conducting her research, and working at a local health nonprofit. In her role before joining Weitzman, she worked as a community dietitian with disadvantaged populations in Chicago including recently resettled refugees, people experiencing housing insecurity, and people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Rosie lives in Bloomington, Indiana where, in her spare time, she enjoys playing in her garden, adventuring outdoors, and experimenting in her kitchen.

Thelma Nanbigne
Research Coordinator I

Thelma Nanbigne
Research Coordinator I

May Oo, MPH
Senior Research/Evaluation Associate

May Oo, MPH
Senior Research/Evaluation Associate

Reilly Orner
Education Specialist

Reilly Orner
Education Specialist
Reilly enjoys good food, traveling, and exploring a few of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes with her husband, son, and two golden retrievers.

Sonya Panjwani, MPH
Research Scientist

Sonya Panjwani, MPH
Research Scientist

Colleen Phillips
Instructional Design Specialist

Colleen Phillips
Instructional Design Specialist

Ariel Porto
Senior Program Manager, Education

Ariel Porto
Senior Program Manager, Education
Prior to this position, Ariel managed the support department for an elder law website and taught English to children in Japan, developing diverse technology and communication skills lending to the dynamic perspective she brings to program management. She completed a dual Bachelor's Degree in Communications and English Literature at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Ariel is focused on developing and utilizing interventions to solve for major public health disparities, with a particular passion for the effective integration of mental health and wellness services to improve key health indicators.

Nikita Reyes-Nieves
Education Program Specialist

Nikita Reyes-Nieves
Education Program Specialist
Nikita graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2019 as an Eta Sigma Gamma Health Education Honorary and A New Haven Promise Scholar with a B.S. in Public Health. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health with a concentration in Women’s Health and will graduate this upcoming spring 2022 semester.

Peyton Rogers, MPH
Research and Evaluation Associate

Peyton Rogers, MPH
Research and Evaluation Associate

Adriana Rojas
Population Health Manager

Adriana Rojas
Population Health Manager
Prior to joining the CHC family, Adriana taught English as a second language while living in Yokohama, Japan and worked in alumni and parent relations at her alma mater, Wesleyan University, where she holds a BA in English and Sociology. Adriana currently resides in Pennsylvania with her two children and golden retriever.

Amanda Schiessl, MPP
Project Director / Co-Principal Investigator

Amanda Schiessl, MPP
Project Director / Co-Principal Investigator
Amanda started at CHC as the first Interprofessional Student Coordinator. Her diverse background in higher education provided her with the skills to develop systems needed to support efforts to train the next generation of health care professionals as outlined in the CHC Healthcare Student Playbook. She provided support to two HRSA grant partnerships with affiliated academic institutions with the objectives of providing comprehensive didactic and clinical experiences that prepare students to deliver effective integrated care services upon graduation within complex health settings for medically underserved communities. Amanda completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Allied Health at the University of Connecticut and received a Masters of Public Policy degree with a Health Policy concentration from Trinity College.

Melissa Sigua
Research Coordinator

Melissa Sigua
Research Coordinator
Melissa earned a Bachelor’s of Biology with a minor in Microbiology at the University of Connecticut in 2017. During her time as an undergraduate student, she studied American Sign Language and volunteered at Americares Free Clinic in Stamford CT, as a Medical Translator. Prior to Weitzman Institute, she worked as an Advanced Clinical Associate at an urgent care facility and as a Medical Scribe for various specialties. She gained vast experience and medical knowledge while working indirectly and directly with patients. While simultaneously serving her community and earning her degree, her commitment to improving healthcare disparities was sparked. She noticed that although modern medical practices enabled people to live longer and live better quality lives, the majority of these opportunities are restricted to many individuals due to their socioeconomic status. Her passion is to work with patients and programs that assist in bridging this gap.

Idiana Velez
Weitzman Institute Project Manager

Idiana Velez
Weitzman Institute Project Manager
In her current role as a Project Manager for the Weitzman Institute, Idiana contributes to multiple research projects by conducting patient interviews as well as assisting with patient recruitment and FQHC recruitment for project rollouts at the national level. She also brings her expertise in working with marginalized populations to meet the needs of the Weitzman Institute's diverse research portfolio. Additionally, Idiana plays a significant role in the development for Weitzman by actively seeking funding opportunities and leading the WI Internal Funding Committee. She also provides support for our grant writers by tracking all activities during the writing process as well as all components of the applications. Idiana has cross-department roles within Research and Education and provides administrative support to the VP/Director as well as the Director of Partnerships and Development at Weitzman Institute.

Katrina Yamazaki, PhD
Principal Investigator, All of Us Research Program / Senior Research Associate

Katrina Yamazaki, PhD
Principal Investigator, All of Us Research Program / Senior Research Associate