Meet the HKMRS Teams
Coordinating Center
Missouri (MO) CEAL
The MO CEAL team serves as the HKMRS Pilot Coordinating Center. The MO CEAL team is a partnership among the City of St. Louis Department of Health, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health, the St. Louis COVID-19 Regional Response Team, and the Health Communication Research Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis.
Principal Investigator
- Matthew Kreuter, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Team Members
- Alexis Marsh, L.M.S.W., Program Manager
- Mikayla Johnson, Project Coordinator
- Rachel Garg, Ph.D., Evaluation Lead
- Blakley Stretch, Evaluation Project Coordinator
- Victoria De La Vega, M.P.H., C.P.H., Survey Coordinator
- Kim Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H., Data Lead
- Balaji Golla, M.S., Web Developer
- Penina Acayo Laker, M.F.A., Design Director
- Christine Watridge, Design Coordinator
- Alex Koehl, UX/UI Designer
- Michaela Kroner, Graphic Designer
- Ayo Olagoke, Ph.D., M.P.H., Content Writer
- Charlene Caburnay, Ph.D., Editor
- Lauren Grimes, M.P.H., Environmental Scan Coordinator
- Enguday Teshome, M.P.H., Environmental Scan Coder
Website
Social Media
HKMRS Pilot Sites
Phase 2
DeKalb Public Health (DKPH)
A state government agency in Georgia that works to protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of all DeKalb County residents, including the city of Atlanta. DKPH comprises a partnership with community groups such as the Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia and the Live Healthy DeKalb Coalition; faith-based organizations such as Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, and New Life Community Alliance; and health care providers such as the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Mercy Care Atlanta, and Southside Medical Center.
Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH)
A state government agency that protects and advances the health, well-being, and safety of everyone in Mississippi by providing the core public health functions and essential services. Key partners include the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Mayoral Health Councils, and our network of community health clinics, community health workers, and health advocates.
North Carolina Alliance for Health (NCAH)
A statewide nonpartisan coalition that convenes, mobilizes, supports, and empowers partners to advance equitable health policies that reduce health disparities and promote health. NCAH consists of partnerships with the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority, Green Rural Redevelopment Organization, Healthy Robeson, and other local partners to enhance community well-being.
Phase 1
Colorado (CO) CEAL
The CO CEAL team is a partnership among the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Servicios de la Raza, the Trailhead Institute, Denver Public Health, UCHealth, 2040 Partners for Health, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and other community-based organizations.
Principal Investigator
- Donald E. Nease, Jr., M.D.
Team Members
- Montelle M. Taméz, Co-Director
- Meredith Warman, Project Manager
- Allison R. Sands, Project Coordinator
- Kate Oviatt, Ph.D., Survey Management
- Curtis Kline, Ph.D., Survey Distribution
- Charlene Barrientos Ortiz, Dissemination and Training Support/Community Engagement Manager
District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) CEAL
The DMV CEAL team is a partnership among Johns Hopkins University, The George Washington University, Morgan State University, Howard University, and the University of Maryland Baltimore. Johns Hopkins University leads the iHeard DMV project and partners with R.I.C.H. Foundation, SONS of Phoenix, New Lebanon Calvary Baptist Church, Young Successful Leaders Inc, and Medi.
Principal Investigator
- Cheryl Himmelfarb, Ph.D., R.N., M.S.N.
Team Members
- Cyd Lacanienta, M.S.W., Associate Director
- Donald Young, Community Outreach Engagement Specialist
- India Kutcherman, Project Coordinator
- Joy Chepkorir, R.N., M.Sc., Project Coordinator
Texas (TX) CEAL
The TX CEAL team is a partnership among the University of North Texas Health Science Center, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, CAN DO Houston, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the University of Houston, and Baylor College of Medicine. These partners implement the CEAL mission across the TX counties of Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Hidalgo, and Tarrant.
Principal Investigator
- Jamboor Vishwanatha, Ph.D.
Team Members
- Nitasha Siddique, Project Coordinator
- Palak Desai, M.P.H., C.P.H., Project Coordinator
- Justin Luningham, Ph.D., Biostatistician
Blue Ribbon Panel
The HKMRS Blue Ribbon Panel guides HKMRS sites and the Community Engagement Technical Assistance Center on the scientific rigor of the Pilot, ensuring that evidence-based health communication science methodologies are used in evaluating the possibility of expanding the HKMRS to a broader—if not national—health information, monitoring, and response system.
Evaluation Support
Tesfa Alexander, Ph.D.
Department Manager, Public Health Systems Innovation and Transformation
The MITRE Corporation
Thomas Chapel, M.A., M.B.A.
Guest Researcher/Senior Evaluation Fellow, former Chief Evaluation Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Tony Foleno, M.A.
Senior Vice President, Strategy & Evaluation
The Advertising Council
Inaccurate Health Information Mitigation Support
Seema Yasmin, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor
Stanford University
Yonaira Rivera, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Assistant Professor
Rutgers University–New Brunswick