People

Cynthia Frank is a medical anthropologist and nurse who is the Director of Dr. Springer’s research program  at the Yale School of Medicine. She has clinical experience in emergency medicine and infectious diseases and extensive clinical research experience in HIV and Hepatitis C, where she has coordinated and implemented over 200 clinical trial protocols. Her research interests include disease-related stigma, infectious diseases, and substance use disorders and treatment with a focus on the experiences of women.

Esther is a Project Coordinator for InSTRIDE working on research involving substance use disorders and infectious diseases. Previously, she worked as the Postgraduate Research Associate for InSTRIDE. She graduated in May 2020 with degrees in Public Health and Jewish Studies from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. During college, she interned at the Connecticut Department of Public Health for the Office of Injury Prevention, Community, Family Health, and Prevention Section, where she worked on a statewide public awareness campaign to help communities deal with the prescription drug and opioids misuse crisis and assisted with the creation of an opioid overdose app specific to Connecticut. Additionally, she interned at St. Luke’s University Health Network in Allentown, PA where she worked on projects centered around opioid prevention and recovery. Also, she worked as Head Narcan Trainer for the “End Overdose Together” initiative where she assured community trainers were well-educated on how to administer Narcan and on the scale and scope of the opioid crisis in the Lehigh Valley. Esther is interested in public health, infectious diseases, substance use disorders, justice-system involvement, community health, and the opioid epidemic. She hopes to work in positions throughout her career that help people and that lead towards making positive changes in the health for all people.

Alysse is a Project Director working on research involving addiction and people living with HIV. She graduated May 2020 with a Masters in Psychology from Northern Illinois University, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Sewanee: The University of the South with a B.A. in Psychology and English and a minor in Neuroscience. Interested in substance use disorders, public health, normal and abnormal neurological development, and the experiences of women in healthcare.

Sheela Shenoi is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the AIDS Program of the Section of Infectious Diseases and Associate Director of the Office of Global Health at Yale University School of Medicine.  Dr. Shenoi received her M.P.H. from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and her M.D. from the University of Connecticut, and completed residency and fellowship training at Yale School of Medicine.  She is a member of the International AIDS Society, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Dr. Shenoi was honored as a Fulbright Scholar and was awarded an international clinical research fellowship in global health by the U.S. National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences. Dr. Shenoi works to improve clinical outcomes of those with HIV and/or tuberculosis and prioritizes implementation of prevention strategies.

Richard Colon is an applied medical anthropologist. He is a project coordinator at InSTRIDE and is currently conducting research on addiction, justice system experience, and HIV/AIDS prevention. His previous research projects include work on: PTSD, cardiovascular disease prevention, hypertension risk, intimate and domestic partner violence prevention, fraternity and sorority life, sexual assault prevention, substance use and addiction, HIV prevention/medication adherence, and ethnographic research methods. Using his previous expertise as a college professor, Richard has developed and administered interventions and workshops to high school and college students to reduce sexual violence on the college campus.

Angela Di Paola is a Postdoctoral Associate with the InSTRIDE research group. She recently received her PhD in Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She has over 10 years of research experience with projects involving people with substance use disorders and criminal justice system involvement. Her research interest includes substance or alcohol use disorders, mental health, criminal justice involvement, health disparities, and infectious diseases.

Adati Tarfa is a postdoctoral associate in the InSTRIDE lab. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Drake University (2017) and an MS and PhD in Health Services Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2023).Adati's master's thesis explored patients', pharmacists', and social workers' perspectives on barriers to linkage and retention in HIV care within community pharmacies. For her dissertation, she utilized the Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) mobile app intervention to investigate factors influencing HIV medication adherence among individuals with substance use disorders. Additionally, she used qualitative discourse analysis and illness perception theories to explore patients' perspectives and the barriers they encounter when seeking care for their co-occurring health conditions.Using pharmacist-focused approaches, Adati's research interests center around the application of mixed methods and social behavioral theories to inform the development and dissemination of interventions targeting comorbid substance use disorders and HIV.

Ralph is a Data Manager in the Yale AIDS Program. He develops and maintains databases for research projects addressing HIV treatment and prevention and associated highly prevalent comorbidities including substance use, hepatitis C coinfection, and tuberculosis within Connecticut, across the United States and globally, especially in South Africa.  He graduated from Yale University in 1997 with a B.S. in Engineering Sciences-Chemical, and in 2000 with an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University.  His main interests lie in applying IT and data solutions to field-based research challenges across multiple platforms, including REDCap, Qualtrics, R, SAS, VBA and Excel / MS Access, or Video for streaming.

Dr. Vander Wyk is a biostatistician in the Yale OAIC Biostatistics Core.  He provides expertise in study design, statistical analyses, and research programming. Since joining Yale’s Program on Aging in 2018, his work has focused on physical and cognitive changes related to aging and the development of methods and statistical analyses to address complex, multimodal datasets that arise in longitudinal studies, functional neuroimaging, administrative records, human immunology and animal models.

Mary Kay Wegman received her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from Cedar Crest College, Allentown, Pennsylvania. She went on to receive her Master's Degree in Nursing from De Sales University and graduated as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 1999. She earned her board certifications from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners as a Family Nurse Practitioner and from the American Nurses Credentialing Center as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Mary Kay has APRN work experience in Cardiology, Nephrology, Emergency Medicine, Weight Management, Family Practice, Occupational Health, Student Medicine, and Clinical Research. She has also worked in the Rapid Response Team at Yale University COVID-19 vaccine clinics and volunteered as an attending at the Neighborhood Health Project in New Haven, CT. Mary Kay is employed at the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation.

Lauren Astorino is a nurse practitioner at the Yale School of Medicine. She is a research clinician supporting many facets of research within the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI), the Yale Depression Research Program (YDRP) and InSTRIDE. Lauren earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Villanova University. She later earned her master’s degree in nursing from Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts. She is board certified by the ANCC as a Family Nurse Practitioner. As an APRN for YCCI, Lauren serves as sub-investigator and study coordinator for multiple clinical trials in infectious diseases, interventional psychiatry, addiction medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, and maternal fetal medicine. Lauren has over 23 years of experience in nursing, including critical care, organ donation, pediatric peri-operative care and pediatric solid organ transplantation. Lauren values patient and family centered care and is dedicated to ensuring safe, effective and personalized care to her patients and study participants. Outside of work, Lauren enjoys cooking, hiking, kayaking, and travelling, especially with her husband and blended family of 5 children.

Anne is a nurse practitioner with the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI). She is currently supporting infectious disease and substance use research being conducted through InSTRIDE at the Yale School of Medicine. Previously, Anne worked as a family nurse practitioner in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Brooklyn, New York, where she provided primary care to individuals across the lifespan, including women’s health. She has additional clinical nursing experience in pediatric emergency and homecare settings. Anne’s commitment to healthcare equity and social justice has served as the foundation of her career. As a clinician, Anne strives to work closely with patients to provide compassionate, evidence-based care.

Carol Amico is a physician assistant working on substance use treatment and infectious diseases research with the InSTRIDE team. She is a certified HIV Specialist with expertise in HIV/AIDS medicine, HIV prevention including PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), hepatitis B and C, sexually transmitted infections and other infectious diseases, as well as primary care. A graduate of the Yale PA Program, Carol has dedicated her career of over 30 years to providing medical care and supporting community health in New Haven. She values compassionate care and partnering with her patients to work together on their health care goals and challenges.

Tracy Ghantous is a registered nurse for InSTRIDE working on research involving substance use disorder and people living with HIV. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Tracy graduated in 1991 from the Seneca College of Applied Arts with an Associates in Nursing. While in Canada, she was a nurse in the ED, Intensive Care, and IV team. In 1996, she came to the U.S., and worked at St. Raphael’s Hospital (now YNHH Saint Raphael Campus) in their high paced Emergency Room. Tracy is married with three daughters and enjoys outdoor activities including running, paddle boarding, gardening, and hiking with their two dogs.

A. Luis Ojeda is currently a Research Assistant III, he has over 16 years’ experience as a Research Assistant. During his past sixteen years, he has worked with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). He has also worked with the homeless and those suffering from substance use disorders. Mr. A. Luis. Ojeda was born in Puerto Rico and was raised in the Tri-State area. Born of Hispanic parents, he is fluent in Spanish, which allows him to speak fluently with the Spanish speaking population in New Haven county and other areas of the state. Interesting facts about Luis is that he likes the outdoors, and as result he enjoys fishing, hiking, kayaking, and skiing.

Barbara loves doing research. She has been involved in the HIV/AIDS field since the beginning of 1990's. She began her scientific journey back in 1994 in nursing school in Cuba. She has been doing research for more than 20 years, working at Yale for 15 years. Barbara has a passion for vulnerable populations, helping them to get services and doing research studies with them. She is fluent in Spanish and English. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Charter Oak State College and has an RN degree from Cuba. Aside from work Barbara is a volunteer for the Girls Scouts of CT serving as a leader, gold award mentor and Service Unit manager helping girls to grow as strong and independent leaders. Barbara loves traveling and discovering new and exciting places.

Marinelly Ventura is a Research Assistant 2 and has been working with people living with HIV/AIDS for 5 years. Her previous experiences were working as a Medical Case Manager for the Ryan White program, a CAC (Certified Application Counselor) for Access Health CT which was assisting individuals to apply for health insurance and assisting clients applying for SNAP and cash assistance. Marinelly grew up in NYC and moved to Connecticut in 2011. She is a certified Community Health Worker with the State of Connecticut and is fluent in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish. Marinelly is continuing her education and is currently completing her Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and is excited to continue assisting and educating individuals on the importance of attaining quality care.

Sarah is a Research Assistant for the ACTION study working on research involving substance use and HIV/AIDS. She graduated in December 2016 with a B.S. in Counseling and an M.A. in Human Services Counseling with a focus on Marriage and Family therapy in August 2018. Her previous work experience includes working in the mental health field primarily in crisis prevention and intervention. Sarah is a community-oriented person and loves to work with and help others. Her passion is giving back to the community and she hopes to use her knowledge and experience to contribute to helping people living with substance use disorders and HIV/AIDS and to help people succeed in overcoming barriers that lead to better health.

Ronald Valenzuela is a Research Assistant for InStride working on research about substance use disorders and infectious diseases. Ronald was born in New Haven, CT and was raised within the area. He has his bachelor’s degree in criminology and a minor in sociology. Ronald has always had the intuition of wanting to help people and the community. He comes from a family that has always instilled those values in him. When in college, Ronald would see the disparities that exist in society in more depth and that is where his passion of helping others was developed even more. Ronald comes from a Latino family. He speaks and writes in English and Spanish fluently and that helps him and others to have a variety of ways to connect and communicate. In his free time, Ronald enjoys watching soccer, playing tennis, skiing, and much more.

Linda Lopez is a Research Aide for InSTRIDE working on research with substance use disorders and infectious diseases. Linda was born and raised in New Haven, CT with a passion to give back to her community. She comes from a family that has always assisted vulnerable populations. At the height of the pandemic, she orchestrated a food donation to create care packages for the homeless of New Haven, CT. Linda’s extensive customer service experience, as well as being fluent in writing and speaking Spanish are tools in helping the research studies and the participants. In Linda’s free time, she enjoys comedy and making people laugh. Linda hopes to aid in ending the opioid epidemic and fight for equity in the justice system.

Stazja is a Community Health Worker for InSTRIDE working on the ACTION study, which involves substance use disorder and infectious disease research. As a graduate from Muhlenberg College, Stazja completed her Bachelor of Arts in Public Health as well as an Art History minor at John Cabot University in Rome. Her undergraduate research focused on the intersection of healthcare and the carceral system, including topics such as maternal health practices in state and federal correctional facilities, compassionate release policies, and reducing infectious diseases in incarcerated populations. As a Community Trainer for the PA state-funded grant program “End Overdose Together,” she was trained to educate the community about the opioid epidemic and teach them how to administer Narcan during a suspected overdose. Stazja’s research interests include substance use disorders, infectious diseases, criminal justice system involvement, maternal and child healthcare, and health disparities. She looks forward to working in a direct role with the communities she is serving while advocating for an expansion of accessible and quality health care.

Elda is a Patient Navigator for InSTRIDE and has 14 years of case management experience. She specializes in working with special populations including, but not limited to, people living with HIV/AIDS, substance use disorders, and mental health. As a native from the Bronx, she is fluent in both English and Spanish. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and has always been interested in human behavior. She is passionate about having a positive impact on people’s lives and believes that “helping connects us to others”. Elda enjoys problem solving and assessing alternatives to issues that may have once been deemed unsolvable. Elda loves traveling, spending time with her children, and the outdoors. Her favorite quote is “NORMAL is just a setting on a washing machine” she says, “normal is a matter of perception—what’s normal to you may not be normal to me”.

Tahirah Armstrong is a Mobile Health Assistant for InSTRIDE working on the InMOTION project. She is a dedicated and highly skilled healthcare professional with a strong background in public health. Tahirah earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion Studies with a concentration in Holistic and Integrative Health, along with a minor in Community Health, from Western Connecticut State University in 2021. Committed to furthering her knowledge and impact in the healthcare industry, Tahirah is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health at the University of Bridgeport. She worked as a Contact Tracer during COVID-19 pandemic to track the spread of contagious diseases. She looks forward to making a difference with the InMOTION project bringing integrated care to your neighborhood.

Stacey Cannon is a Community Health Worker for InSTRIDE working with the InMOTION Project. Stacey earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development & Family Studies, along with a Minor in Women's Studies at the University of Connecticut in 2003. At the start of her career, she worked as a Mental health Counselor at the Yale Child Study Center, Intensive In-Home Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Services, where she worked directly with children, adolescents, and families with complex psychiatric, dual diagnoses and psychosocial needs. During this time, Stacey facilitated several trainings throughout the years focusing on crisis management, de-escalation techniques, and clinical engagement tool implementation, which left her to spearhead the development of "The Cycle of the Main Problem." In 2014, she began working as a Family Support Specialist for the Yale Child Study Center, Family-Based Recovery Program, which specialized in In-Home substance use treatment and parent-child relationships for families involved with the CT Department of Children and Families. In this professional role, Stacey assisted families within the new Haven community with assessing, accessing, and navigating community-based resources to support the overarching goal of obtaining sobriety. In addition, she acquired a specific expertise in the area of administering rapid toxicology screenings and evaluating the symptomology associated with substance use disorders. As a Community Health Worker, Stacey is dedicated to connecting and working with individuals in under-served communities, to overcome barriers that impact accessibility to medical, substance use, and mental health treatment.

Heather is a pharmacist for working on the InMOTION mobile pharmacy clinic. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Curry College in 2011 and Master’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Science from Northeastern University in 2013. She went on to obtain her Doctorate of Pharmacy degree from Northeastern University in 2018. After graduation, Heather completed a general pharmacy practice residency at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont and a postgraduate year two (PGY-2) in psychiatric pharmacy at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT . She is board certified in psychiatric pharmacy and is the residency program coordinator for the psychiatric PGY-2 residency program at Yale New Haven Hospital. Prior to joining the InSTRIDE team, Heather was the inaugural behavioral health ambulatory care pharmacy at Yale New Haven Hospital where she worked as a member of a collaborative team optimizing medication therapies for patients living with psychiatric conditions and substance use disorders. She has led a number of initiatives to improve transitions of care in patients on high risk psychotropics and to increase patient access to psychiatric pharmacy services. Heather is passionate about providing care for underserved patients and reducing stigma surrounding behavioral health, substance use disorders, and gender affirming care.

Esther Wegener is a registered nurse currently working on the COMMIT project for the Yale School of Medicine AIDS Program. She has worked in various clinical settings which has given her the opportunity to work with a diverse group of patients. Esther got her start in Nevada where she earned her Associate of Nursing in 2015 from Western Nevada College, then her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2018. Her current interests include substance use treatment, prevention, and its associated diseases.

Steven has been working with people living with HIV (PLWHIV) since 1982 in the Bronx where he worked with one of the first Methadone Maintenance Treatment Programs to offer primary care to HIV positive individuals with Opiate Use Disorder (OUD). Later in New Haven he continued his HIV work at Yale's Nathan Smith Clinic. In addition, he spent some time seeing patients at the Connecticut Department of Corrections. He left clinical practice briefly to work with Bristol Myers - Squibb. He then returned to HIV practice at the West Haven VA.

Rene L. Ortiz works as a Mobile Health Van Driver for InSTRIDE, bringing over 38 years of experience as a driver for different companies. In this current role, Rene works on the Mobile Pharmacy Clinic as the lead driver, working with the homeless population and those suffering from substance use disorders. Rene has family roots in Puerto Rico, which allows him to speak Spanish and communicate with Spanish-speaking populations across the state. In Rene’s spare time, he enjoys volunteering in many community locations that provide services to those in need, such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food pantries. Additionally, he likes the outdoors, nutrition, and healthy living.