About NEPHTC

Central Office

NEPHTC Central Office:

Department of Community Health Sciences at Boston University School of Public Health

NEPHTC

Patricia A. Janulewicz Lloyd, DSc, Principal Investigator
Dr. Janulewicz is the Principal Investigator for NEPHTC. Dr. Janulewicz combines her expertise in environmental health, neurotoxicology and teratology to examine how environmental exposures impact the nervous system. Her work spans the life-course and examines prenatal, early postnatal, childhood and adult exposures. Dr. Janulewicz’s ongoing projects include investigating the gene-environment interactions in multiple cohorts of Gulf War veterans in order to determine why some veterans became ill following in-theater exposures and other did not, examining the link between the microbiome and veterans health, exploring the role endocrine disrupting chemicals have on thyroid function, examining the effects of maternal medication use during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment, investigating the long-term developmental trajectories of children prenatally exposure to the Zika virus and assessing head impact exposures as a public health issue using an exposure assessment framework.

Karla Todd Barrett, MBA, MSM, Senior Program Manager and Training Specialist
Karla Todd Barrett is the Senior Program Manager and Training Specialist at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). She manages overall operations and partnerships for HRSA-funded New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC), including training development, data analysis, reporting and governance. Ms. Todd Barrett has authored or presented about NEPHTC training innovations for the public health workforce at NACCHO, APHA, NNPHI, SOPHE and NACCHO Emergency Preparedness. In the past year, NEPHTC reached over 60,000 participants, through 500+ trainings, in collaboration with health departments, associations, and other academic institutions, reaching a diverse public health professional workforce. NEPHTC is committed to supporting Community Health Worker organizations in New England. Ms. Todd Barrett is a co-author of the Public Health Learning Agenda for Systems Change Manuscript and Toolkit. Four of NEPHTC’s courses have been selected by the CDC Learning Connection for national promotion and 18 of NEPHTC’s self-paced courses have been awarded quality seals by the Public Health Learning Navigator.

Alyssa Faria, MPH, Training Manager

Ms. Faria is the Training Manager for NEPHTC, SHIELD and LPHI at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). Before joining BUSPH, Alyssa worked as an Academic Instructional Technologist at Northeastern University. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Human Services and her Master of Public Health at Northeastern University.

Kathleen MacVarish, MS, REHS, RS, Instructional Designer
Ms. MacVarish, Director of Practice Programs, is the Associate Professor of Instructional Design for NEPHTC. A number of workforce development programs and courses under her direction have received state and national recognition for innovation, impact, and best practices. Kathleen was a local Board of Health Agent in Massachusetts for 15 years and also directed local tobacco control programs and worked as a Sanitarian/Inspector in California and New York. She has been a Registered Sanitarian since 1986 and currently holds national (Registered Environmental Health Specialist) and state (Registered Sanitarian) credentials. She received a BS in Food Science from Cornell University and an MS in Environmental Studies from UMass Lowell. In 2012 she graduated from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute and in 2016 she matriculated in the MEd Instructional Design program at UMass Boston. Kathleen’s professional activities have included a variety of appointed and elected positions in national and state associations.

Olivia Stenger, Marketing Coordinator

Ms. Stenger is the Marketing Coordinator for NEPHTC, LPHI, and SHIELD at Boston University School of Public Health. Prior to her employment at BUSPH, she worked as Editorial Assistant for Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, online research journal. She graduated from University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Speech, Language, and Hearing Science.

Maurine Crouch, MPH

Maurine Crouch is a program manager in the Office of Public Health Practice at the Yale School of Public Health. She works with the New England Public Health Training Center as the training partner for Connecticut, focused on continuing education for public health professionals. Prior to this position, she has worked in COVID response, substance use disorder research, health communication, and nutrition education. She received her BA in Anthropology from the University of Virginia and her MPH in Community Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Christie Ngo, Data Analyst

Christie is the Student Data Analyst for NEPHTC at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree at BUSPH with concentrations in Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation. Prior to joining BUSPH, Christie worked as a Program Assistant at the University of Southern California with a focus on social and behavioral health determinants and addiction research. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UC Berkeley.

Neha Hanumanthiah, Student Marketing Assistant

Neha is a current Master of Public Health candidate at Boston University School of Public Health with plans of graduating in May 2023. She received her Bachelor of Science from Saint Louis University in 2021, where she studied Health Management and Policy, Public Health, and Spanish.

Mia Taylor, Student Training Program Assistant

Mia is the Student Training Program Assistant for NEPHTC at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree at BUSPH with a functional certificate in Epidemiology & Biostatistics and a context certificate in Maternal and Child Health. Mia received her Bachelor of Arts in Health and Society from the University of Vermont in 2022.

Martine Chase, DrPH Fellow

Martine Chase is a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) fellow working with NEPHTC. She is pursuing her DrPH at Boston University’s School of Public Health. Martine’s experience includes capacity building, strategic planning, control of infectious diseases and strengthening of strategic information systems. Her previous roles included serving as Strategic Information Team Lead for the CDC Caribbean Regional Office and as an International Consultant with- the PAHO/WHO Eastern Caribbean Office and the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC Global).

Community Health Worker Partners

In 2016, NEPHTC conducted an environmental scan to “help [NEPTHC] better understand the evolving CHW workforce model in each [New England] state and identify potential roles NEPTHC might play in the future development of the CHW workforce.“ The scan, which can be accessed here, NEPHTC_CHW Environmental Scan_2016, consisted of reviewing state and national reports and resources and conducting a series of group interviews of CHW supporters by state. It revealed that formal and informal networks advocating for CHWs existed in each state and momentum towards formal credentialing of CHWs was gathering strength, with four of six states in the process of establishing some sort of system. Recommendations included that NEPHTC work with the CHW allies who were “looking to improve their CHW training infrastructure, including continuing education programs.”

NEPHTC builds relationships with a variety of training partners and CHW Advisors to support Community Health Workers, a vital part of the front line public health workforce. We are a public health training and learning organization, and one of our roles is to support the organizations participating in the development of this workforce, by providing training and educational technology support.

Advisory Committee Members:

Jamie Berberena is a CHW and serves as Regional Chapter Leader in Southeastern Massachusetts and Advisory Board member for the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers. She is a core competency trainer with the Center for Health Education for the Boston Public Health Commission and has facilitated CHW trainings with the Justice Resource Institute. She contributes upstream programming approaches for Health Begins and serves as a policy council member with the Massachusetts Public Health Association.

Areliz O. Barbosa is a CHW and was pioneer valley regional coordinator for the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers from December 7, 2019- December 31, 2021. She currently works at Bay Path University in an interprofessional team teaching Introduction to Public Health, Culture Humility, and Social Justice to Physician’s Assistant students. She is passionate about sharing and using her lived experience as a tool to teach and inspire others.

Friend and Former Advisory Committee member: Gail Hirsch–Board Member, NACHW Former Director of Office of Community Health Workers, MA Department of Public Health

Curriculum Design Expert:

Dawn Heffernan, MS, Community Health Nursing
Ms. Heffernan is a Contact Tracing Case Investigator on Partners in Health Contact Tracing Team and is Past Program Director of the Western MA Public Health Training Center (WMPHTC). She is also a registered nurse, certified diabetes educator, master trainer for Stanford Diabetes Self-Management Programs (DSMP), and T-trainer for the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs. She is responsible for developing a 60-hour community health worker (CHW) curriculum that meets the MA Board of Certification of CHW Approved Core Competencies. She has developed self-paced CHW training and popular webinars featuring both experts working with CHWs and CHWs in practice. Ms. Heffernan has many ties to clinical and public health agencies and organizations.

For a list of all CHW trainings, click this Search Tool for CHW related content:

Workshops:

COVID-19 Peer Learning and Support for Community Health Workers

MACHW Workshops: Housing Rights and Advocacy Resources for CHWs

MACHW Workshops: ABCs of Immigration & Know Your Rights

NEPHTC is continuing a bi-monthly interactive workshop series in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers on urgent community public health challenges through summer 2021.

Self Paced Trainings aimed at CHWs:

Introduction to Ethics for CHWs

Introduction to HIPAA for CHWs (coming soon)

Introduction to Outreach Methods and Strategies

Use of Public Health Concepts and Approaches

Introducción a los Métodos y Estrategias de Alcanc e

Several Webinars Per Year aimed at CHWs:

CHW Webinar: Trauma Informed Self Care and Community Care during a Pandemic

An examination of Harm Reduction during the COVID 19 Pandemic through an Anti -Racist Lens: A Discussion Based Webinar

Conversations around Chronic Care: Introduction to Motivational Interviewing

Practical Strategies to Increase Your Personal Safety While Doing Fieldwork

2 part series: Trauma Informed Care to Support Health and Well-Being

2 part series: The Essential Role of Community Health Workers in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic Webinar 2

Community Health Workers Learn Teach Back

Role of Community Health Workers in the Prevention of Diabetes Part 1

Role of Community Health Workers in the Prevention of Diabetes Part 2

Integration of Community Health Workers Into a Community Health Center Pharmacy

Technical Assistance Partner: Boston Public Health Commission CHEC

Other NEPHTC collaborations with organizations supporting CHW learning and training:

Develop workshop series with Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers (2020 – present)

Featured Denise Smith, National Association of Community Health Workers (2020)

Participate as possible in Regional NE CHW Coalition, organized by Region 1 HHS Georgia Simpson (2018 – present)

Attend NHCHW annual meeting (2019 – present, as held)

Collaborate in training development with Southern New Hampshire AHEC (CHW trainer) (2016 – present)

Collaborate in training development with Maine Mobile Health (2018 – present)

Support CHW training via University of New England (2019 – present)

Support training and marketing through RI CHW Association (2017 – present)

Seek advisory support from RI DPH Special Health Needs which supports CHWs (2016 – present)

Communicate about training options with newly forming Community Health Workers of Vermont, organized by VT DPH Chronic Disease (2020 – present)

Support Connecticut Partnership for Public Health Workforce Development which includes CHW supporting organizations (2016 – present)

Connecticut

Snapshot of NEPHTC in Connecticut:

BRINGING PREPAREDNESS SKILLS TO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS: NEPHTC USES PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN FOUR NEW ENGLAND STATES

NEPHTC partner, Yale School of Public Health, together with community health center association partners, worked with preparedness experts to design a project-based learning course to help community health centers get and stay ready for emergencies.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are required by HRSA to be National Incident Command System (NIMS) compliant and have an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an Emergency Preparedness (EP) Rule, effective in November 2017, that required FQHCs to have and maintain an emergency preparedness program. These EP programs and plans should utilize the Incident Command System (ICS) for implementation. Because of high turnover and understaffing in many FQHC organizations, there is ongoing need for preparedness planning that is both practical and implementable.

“By designing this course to include project-based learning, Kathi Traugh is offering a contextualized learning opportunity to community health centers, of direct relevance to their work environments and based on their specific needs,” says NEPHTC Primary Investigator, Dr. Anne Fidler.

Tina Wright, Operations Manager for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Center speaks to the value of the training program: “CHCs are where public health happens in the community. It is critical we be able to speak the same language as our public health counterparts and communicate underneath in the same structure. We definitely see that happening with the ICS training across health care and public health.”

Community Based Training Partner:

Yale School of Public Health

Principal Investigator and Manager of Student Internships:

Kathi Traugh, MPH
Ms. Traugh is Director of Public Health Workforce Development and Continuing Education for the Yale School of Public Health’s Office of Public Health Practice. There, she works with partners to coordinate and implement continuing education programs for public health practitioners, and provides technical assistance to public health agencies on workforce development. Ms. Traugh is also Project Director for the CT Partnership for Public Health Workforce Development. Previously, she served as lead coordinator for the Yale Center for Public Health Preparedness. Ms. Traugh is a member of the Council of Linkages Core Competency Workgroup and is a past president of the CT Public Health Association.

In addition to coordinating trainings in Connecticut, Ms. Traugh will serve as part of the NEPHTC central office staff. In that role, she will manage the student internship program, act as the expert on the TRAIN LMS, and coordinate CBT needs assessments with each CBT.

Executive Director, Office of Public Health Practice:

Susan Nappi, MPH

Susan Nappi is the Executive Director of the Office of Public Health Practice at the Yale School of Public Health. With a diverse portfolio in public health practice and research, she has held multiple positions in Connecticut including Senior Director of Community Impact at the United Way of Greater New Haven, Executive Director of the Community Center of Excellence in Women’s Health (CCOE) at Griffin Hospital, and Practice Administrator of the Griffin Faculty Practice Plan. Susan has also managed research teams at the Yale School of Public Health and the VA Alcohol Research Center. Her primary interest is building collaborative, equitable, and mutually beneficial community-academic partnerships that espouse a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the social drivers of health. Susan is a first-gen college graduate and received her BA in psychology from the State University of New York, Purchase, and her MPH from Yale University in chronic disease epidemiology. She is currently pursuing her DrPH in Public Health Leadership at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health.

Program Manager, Office of Public Health Practice:

Maurine Crouch, MPH

Partner’s special areas of expertise:

Environmental Health, Incident Command Systems, Performance Improvement, Train the Trainer Effective Training,
Infection Prevention

Collaborating partners’ website(s):

Office of Public Health Practice – On-Demand Trainings

Advisory Committee member(s):

Patrice Sulik – Director of Health, North Central District Health Department
Mario Garcia, MD, MSc, MPH – Public Health Systems Improvement, CT Department of Public Health

Mario Garcia is the manager of the Public Health Systems Improvement Section in the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Under Dr. Garcia’s leadership, the Department develops several planning efforts such as the State Health Improvement plan, a Public Health Workforce Development plan, Quality Improvement and Performance Management projects, and Health Equity initiatives.
Throughout the last two decades, Dr. Garcia has worked in the Connecticut’s public health sector, as a chronic disease programs manager, local health director and consultant on population health innovations. Early in his career, Dr. Garcia worked as consultant for health reform projects in Latin America, and delivered humanitarian medical relief in multiple countries for Doctors Without Borders. A trained physician, Dr. Garcia obtained a Master’s in Community Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and devoted his entire career to the practice of public health. Dr. Garcia is also a graduate from the Master’s program at the Yale School of Public Health where he concentrated in Health Policy and Administration.

Sample training/work with NEPHTC:

Maine

Snapshot of NEPHTC in Maine:

BRINGING MAINE PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGERS TOGETHER, SUPPORTING THEM WHEN THEY ARE APART

University of New England Center for Health Innovation worked together with BUSPH to customize a management curriculum for public health professionals in health departments and community based organizations across Maine. In Spring, 2019, the third cohort of managers will be taking the highly rated program. “The most popular part of the program are the live meetings, so people can share experience and get coaching from some terrific communications and organizational experts,” says Karen O’Rourke, PI for the NEPTHC in Maine.”This gives participants the knowledge that they are not alone, and helps encourage them to face some of the very challenging and complex problems faced in public health, particularly in rural areas.” UNE also works with BUSPH, University of Southern Maine, and the Maine CDC to distribute online public health training. “It’s important to have training that is accessible 24-7,” says Maine NEPHTC Advisory Committee Member Nancy Birkhimer, Manager of Accreditation and Performance Improvement, DHHS, “Turnover in public health, and lack of population density means that live training is not viable for busy professionals. Online training is an increasingly important complement to live training, especially for highly specific analytical or public health science skills.”