CHWs and Partners Take Action to Reduce Heart Health Disparities

Speakers & Bios

CHWs and Partners Take Action to Reduce Heart Health Disparities:
Lessons from NHLBI's Strategic Champions Demonstration Projects

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	Jovonni R. Spinner, M.P.H., CHES, Public Health Analyst, Division for the Application of Research Discoveries, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Jovonni Spinner is the data analyst for the Division’s health education programs. She oversees evaluation contracts for the CHW Health Disparities Initiative and We Can!^®, a program to reduce childhood obesity using evidence-based approaches. Ms. Spinner leads analyses examining the Initiative programs’ impacts on heart-healthy knowledge and behaviors, and is working to develop more extensive evaluation plans for the Initiative and the We Can!^®Program.

	Jodi Anthony, M.P.H., Senior Associate, Community Health Systems, Altarum Institute, Ph.D. Candidate, Harvard University Jodi Anthony is a Senior Associate and Area of Expertise Lead in Health Disparities and Health Equity. Ms. Anthony has dedicated her career to the policies, programs, and systems that address determinants of health and help to eliminate health disparities. She has 15 years of experience collaborating with community, State, Federal and international entities in strategic analysis, participatory planning, technical assistance and process and outcome evaluations. Ms. Anthony is trained on a number of different methodologies including Technology of Participation and World Café, and applies these and other techniques as appropriate to each group’s needs and the intended outcomes. Ms. Anthony served as Director of the NHLBI-funded Strategic Champion Demonstration Project at Altarum Institute. She recently began a Ph.D. program in Public Health at Harvard University.

	Melinda Cordero-Bárzaga, Associate Director of Visión y Compromiso Melinda Cordero-Bárzaga, Associate Director at Visión y Compromiso, has dedicated most of her professional career of approximately 22 years to working with promotores in several capacities including, designing and directing programs, developing curricula, training, mentoring, evaluating projects. She is one of five co-founders of Visión y Compromiso and joined the organization in 2004 as the Director of its California Network of Promotoras and Community Health Workers (CHW’s). As Associate Director, Ms. Cordero-Bárzaga oversees Visión y Compromiso’s statewide programmatic work and operations including the Network statewide annual conference, annual legislative day in Sacramento, California and the development of the Promotores Institute. Ms. Cordero-Bárzaga has received various awards and has been recognized for her work with women and girls, as well as with Promotores. She has also served on many advisory boards and is currently serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors of California Latinas for Reproductive Justice.

	Marisela Robles, Community Liaison for Community Engagement, Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) Marisela Robles, Community Liaison for the Community Engagement program for the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI), works with local community organizations, community clinics and USC researchers to identify potential collaborative research projects and support research teams in the process of building partnerships, project management and dissemination. She also serves as coordinator for several of the community based research projects supported by the Community Engagement program. Before her work at the SC CTSI Ms. Robles worked as coordinator for a collaborative community-based research project that studied the dietary and lifestyle changes due to migration among a transnational community in Seaside, California and Oaxaca, Mexico. She received her master’s degree in Community Development from the University of California at Davis and her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies from California State University at Northridge.

	Hannah Sehn, Healthy Heart Project Manager/COPE Training Coordinator, Partners In Health – Navajo Nation Hannah Sehn has worked with the Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment (COPE) Project on Navajo Nation since 2010, beginning as the Project Coordinator. COPE provides community-based interventions to reduce the burden of chronic diseases in Navajo Nation through CHR outreach, collaboration with clinic based care teams, and a larger focus on social determinants of health, such as working to increase access to healthy foods. Ms. Sehn also works in Nicaragua, helping develop community health worker (CHW) curriculum and chronic disease management interventions. In late 2012, she started working as the Project Manager for the Altarum Strategic Champion Project to implement the NHLBI Honoring the Gift of Heart Health curriculum in Navajo Nation with community health representatives (CHR). She wants to find innovate ways to integrate community health workers as a vital part of the healthcare team to address health disparities in order to improve the patients’ quality of life and health outcomes. She is currently the Training Coordinator for the COPE Project. Ms. Sehn received a bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College studying Native American Studies and Biology.

	Teleshia Stewart, Strategic Champion Project Director, Columbia Housing Authority Taleshia M. Stewart has been employed by the Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) for more than 13 years. Currently, she is the director of family self-sufficiency, assuming the responsibilities of overseeing all supportive service activities directed toward helping families become self-sufficient. Ms. Stewart became involved in providing health education to economically disadvantage persons in 2009 when she organized NHLBI’s With Every Heartbeat Is Life Program. The program provided heart health education for families in CHA’s public housing communities. Ms. Stewart also served as the project manager for a Champion project funded by Altarum Institute that trained public housing residents to become CHWs and teach heart health education to others in their communities. Under her leadership, the project successfully influenced knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes that participants had towarda health and helped to develop workforce skills for the CHWs. Ms. Stewart has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in human resources training and development from Webster University.

	Leonida Gamboa, Strategic Champion Project Lead Trainer, New York University Leonida "Leoni" Gamboa joined Kalusugan Coalition, Inc. in 2008. She currently serves as the Lead Community Health Worker. In this role, she trains other CHWs in CHW core competencies and how to deliver heart health education, and provides the CHWs with ongoing mentorship and support as she does with the Alliance of Filipino American Community Health Workers Leoni also conducts breast and heart health education and healthy lifestyle coaching, organizes physical fitness activities, and links community members to needed services. Leoni is in the process of completing her training as a Master Trainer through the Women's Health Leadership Institute, a Department of Health and Human Services Program. Leonida completed her Bachelors.

	Patricia Dick, CHW/Neighborhood Outreach Specialist (NOSey), University of Alabama at Birmingham Patricia Dick is a member of Lily Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. She has worked as a nurse for over 35 years. Diabetes and hypertension have been a part of her family history for many years, having lost her mother and grandparents at an early age to diabetes and other complications. Eliminating health disparities in her family and the community is near and dear to Ms. Dick’s heart.

	Thomasine Jackson, CHW/Neighborhood Outreach Specialist (NOSey), University of Alabama at Birmingham Thomasine Jackson is a member of Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Birmingham, Alabama. As a member of Payne Chapel, she has participated in the health ministry since 2006. She has collaborated with Congregations for Public Health and helped to implement the “Step Up Reach Out” Program for a Presiding Elders District of the AME Church, which was the start of her “Healthy Learning and Living”. On this project, 21 churches collaborated and partnered with Congregations for Public Health, Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems, Baptist Health System, B’ham Black Nurses, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Congregational Health. Mrs. Jackson continues to work and partner with UAB Congregations for Public Health with heart health and diabetes education. Mrs. Jackson has been a print supervisor at Drummond Company, Inc for 29 years, and is a Christian Education Director and Health Ambassador for her church, conference and district.

	Jacqueline Knox, CHW/Neighborhood Outreach Specialist (NOSey), University of Alabama Jacqueline Knox is a member of New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Hueytown, Alabama. She has implemented “With Every Heartbeat Is Life” at her church. Ms. Knox has worked in both education and administration. As a member of a family affected by diabetes and hypertension, she has been inspired to be an advocate for promoting a healthy lifestyle. Ms. Knox has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education.

	Dorothy McAdory, CHW/Neighborhood Outreach Specialist (NOSey), University of Alabama at Birmingham Dorothy McAdory is a Certified Dean and Instructor at the Sunday School Publishing Board of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. She is also a member of Faith Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama, where she serves as Director of Christian Education, Instructor, New Member Orientation, Media Ministry, and in many facets of church administration. Ms. McAdory presently serves as President of the State of Alabama International Association of Ministers’ Wives and Ministers’ Widows (Interdenominational), Executive Director of the Bessemer Literacy Program, Certified Instructor and lecturer at the Women’s Auxiliary of the Mt. Pilgrim Baptist District Association in Birmingham, and Administrative Assistant to the Dean and Instructor of Alabama Baptist State Congress of Christian Education.

	Maxine Starks, CHW/Neighborhood Outreach Specialist (NOSey), University of Alabama at Birmingham Maxine Starks is a member of First Baptist Church Fairfield (FBCF) in Fairfield, Alabama. As a member of FBCF, she has participated in the health ministry for many years. Since 2009, she has been a Neighborhood Outreach Specialist (NOSey) for FBCF and Congregations For Public Health. In these roles, she has assisted with the implementation of community health fair screenings and training. As a Community Health Worker/NOSey, Ms. Starks has collaborated with: Smoke Free Initiative for Jefferson County, Body and Soul Program, diabetes focus groups for a local county hospital, Power To End Stroke Initiative, and McWane Healthy Change In Your Community Youth Healthy Eating. Ms. Starks is a registered nurse and has been employed in the health industry for more than 35 years. She has a master’s degree in public health.