Executive Director of Social Determinants of Health

• Apr 2020 - Present

Deputy Director of Research

• Jul 2018 - Apr 2020

Research Manager

• Jul 2014 - Jul 2018

Managed the development of a national standardized tool built into the Electronic Health Record to measure patients' social determinants of health, such as housing, income, food security, and others. Now nationally known as PRAPARE, this tool is the dominant social risk screening tool used by safety net organizations and is increasingly being used by hospitals, health systems, and payers.Manage multi-million dollar initiative to build organizational capacity to collect and apply standardized data on the social determinants of health and non-clinical services to inform care and community transformation, alternative payment models, and risk adjustment. Responsibilities include: Leading the development of interactive trainings and infographic resources to highlight implementation strategies that can be customized to each organization's setting. Managing multi-million dollar budget and a team of six to ensure timely completion of deliverables. Engaging the field to harvest promising practices and package lessons learned in visually stimulating, easy to read resources. Building relationships with key stakeholders, such as end-user organizations, vendors, patients, and policymakers. Analyzing and presenting data to highlight the impact of social determinants on outcomes and the impact of social determinant interventions. Collaborating with vendors to build PRAPARE into different Electronic Health Record systems and other population health analytic tools.Lead the development of health policy-related publications, resources, and data analyses.Collaborate with external partners to build Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) capacity at health centers. Show less

Research Project Specialist

• Jun 2013 - Jun 2014

Coordinate grant-based project operations and deliverables in collaboration with external partners and stakeholders. Lead project development, strategic planning, and proposal development.Author or co-author new publications, including peer-review papers, issue briefs, policy reports, webinars, and conference presentations for a wide range of audiences. Conduct research and data analysis using national data sets on community health centers and other primary care organizations. Provide program assistance on efforts to build community-based and patient-centered research capacity among health centers.Recruit, train, and supervise new Research Department staff and interns. Show less

Research Associate

• Jan 2011 - Jun 2013

Conduct and manage policy-related research and data analysis on community health centers.Conduct Community-Based Participatory Research and Community-Engaged Research to identify community needs.Help build health center research capacity through needs assessments and training resources.

Editor

• Jul 2010 - Mar 2011

Reviewed 90+ submissions for quality and originality of undergraduate research. Coordinated academic peer reviews of selected manuscripts. Worked with student authors to edit their work--providing extensive guidance when needed. Reviewed 90+ submissions for quality and originality of undergraduate research. Coordinated academic peer reviews of selected manuscripts. Worked with student authors to edit their work--providing extensive guidance when needed.

Vestibular Research Assistant and Technician

• Jun 2009 - Feb 2010

Conducted clinical tests on patients for two research studies: one project focused on dynamic visual acuity in people with vestibular (inner ear balance) hypofunction while the other was a genetic study on people with vestibular hypofunction and HIV/AIDS. Performed diagnostic tests, known as the ENG (electronystagomagraphy) and VEMP (vestibular envoked myogenic potential) tests, to see if patients' symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, and migraines were caused by problems with the vestibular system. Coordinated the budget and crafted the research proposal for an $8 million NIH multicenter trial on intratympanic steroid treatment for Ménière’s disease. Show less

Research Assistant--Biology Department

• May 2006 - Aug 2006

During this summer, I worked on two projects entitled “Action Potentials Affect the Morphology of Dendrites in Retinal Ganglion Cells” and “Analysis of Retinal Cell Growth Cone Dynamics”. For the first project, I performed disassociated tissue cultures of Xenopus laevis eyebuds and used the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin and immunostaining techniques to determine if action potentials were necessary for dendritic arborization in retinal ganglion cells. For the second project, I analyzed time lapse images of growth cones to determine aspects of growth cone movement, including the straightness of trajectory, the consistency of rate, the effects of lamellipodial area on growth rate, and the effects of developmental time in culture on growth rate. Show less