Positive Aging Resource Center: Directory
Neal B. Brown, M.P.A, M.A.
Neal B. Brown, M.P.A, M.A., is the chief of the Community Support Program Branch (CSPB) of the Division of Service and Systems Improvement (DSSI) at SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services. Since 1979, he has been associated with the federal Community Support Program (CSP) to promote community treatment and rehabilitation for persons with severe and persistent mental illness.
Karen Cheal, M.P.H.
Dissemination Specialist
Ms. Cheal is a biostatistician at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She coordinates consumer dissemination activities for the PARC. She has supervised and conducted data management and analysis activities for the PRISM-E study, and she has also developed analysis guidelines at the National Center for Health Statistics for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Ms. Cheal has worked as a business and computer consultant to develop web-based tools and novel technology applications for many industries, including biotechnology and public health.
Hongtu Chen, Ph.D.
Implementation Specialist
Dr. Chen is a senior research scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and instructor at the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. He coordinates program implementation and evaluation activities for the PARC. He is a psychologist trained in mental health and health service research. Dr. Chen has extensive experience with the delivery of mental health services to ethnic minorities, and he was the principal investigator at the New York Chinatown site for the PRISM-E study. His research interests focus on geriatric mental health and culture-bound syndromes of depression, particularly among ethnic populations.
Henry Chung, M.D.
Clinical Specialist
Dr. Chung is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine. He was previously the medical director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Disease Management Team at Pfizer Inc. in New York, NY. He also served as the medical director of the Chinatown Health Clinic and Flushing Primary Care Center; project director of the Asian American Primary Care and Mental Health Bridge Program; and site principal investigator of the PRISM-E study. Dr. Chung serves on the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health and is a member of the Surgeon General's Task Force for the Integration of Mental Health in Primary Care.
Marisue Cody, Ph.D., R.N.
Rural Health Specialist
Dr. Cody is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. She is also associate director at the Center for Mental Health and Outcomes Research at the Little Rock Veterans Administration Medical Center. She was co-principal investigator at the Little Rock site for the PRISM-E study, and she has served on the faculty at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include health care utilization and outcomes management for older adults with a mental health diagnosis; service delivery and quality of care for persons with dementia; and quality of training and education for nursing staff caring for dementia patients in nursing homes.
Giuseppe Costantino, Ph.D.
Cultural Competency Specialist
Dr. Costantino is the director of the Mental Health Program at the Sunset Park Mental Health Center, Sunset Park, NY. He was also the principle investigator of the PRISM-E study there. A pioneer in multicultural mental health services research, Dr. Costantino has developed Cuento Therapy (The Use of Folktales), a culturally sensitive treatment modality for Hispanic children and mothers; Hero/Heroine Modeling Therapy for Hispanic adolescents; and TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story), a multicultural assessment technique. He serves on the editorial board of the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Science and the Journal of Personality Assessment.
Dharma Cortés, Ph.D.
Cultural Competency Specialist
Dr. Cortés is a senior research associate at the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She is also a clinical instructor and research associate at the Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School's Department of Psychiatry. For the last fifteen years, she has conducted community-based research on the study of culture, acculturation, migration experience, and mental health among Puerto Ricans and other Latinos in New York City. Recently, she has expanded her research to include the study of general health and access to health care as well as health literacy among Latinos residing in Massachusetts and New York.
Noelle M. Downing, M.A., B.S.
Communication Specialist
Ms. Downing is a health educator and communications specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She is trained in health education, social marketing, and health behavior theory. As a representative of the Massachusetts Nursing Home Initiative, she has worked extensively with elderly nursing home residents with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and traumatic brain injuries. In this capacity, she has provided case management, counseling, health education, and training in independent living to residents.
U. Nalla Durai, M.D.
Clinical Specialist
Dr. Durai, a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist, is the coordinator of the geriatric psychiatry program at Veterans Administration Chicago Health Care System, Chicago, IL. He is also an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois School of Medicine. He was the principal investigator at the Chicago site for the PRISM-E study, and he has extensive experience in the mental health care of the inner-city indigent African-American population. His research interests include improved screening for mental illnesses in older adults and trauma and its sequelae among the elderly.
Risa S. Fox, M.S., L.C.S.W.
Risa S. Fox, M.S., L.C.S.W. , provides additional technical support to PARC by involving consumers and family members in the planning and implementation of programs. She also provides linkages and liaison support to other SAMHSA-funded consumer initiatives.
Gary Gottlieb, M.D., M.B.A.
Co-director
Dr. Gottlieb is president of Brigham and Women's Hospital, chairman of the Partners Psychiatry and Mental Health System, and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He ensures that resources from these institutions are provided to support the PARC.
Ibis Guinness
Consumer Advisor - Cultural Competence Support Team
Mary Harper, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N., D.Sc., L.L.D.
Chair, National Advisory Council
Dr. Harper is a pioneer, scholar, researcher, policy maker, editor and a geropsychiatric research consultant/clinician. Educated in clinical psychology, sociology, nursing, and home economics, Dr. Harper worked for the Federal Government for 60 years. She initiated, developed, and directed National Fellowship Programs in psychiatry, psychology, social work, sociology, and nursing, which enabled over 8,000 minorities to receive doctorate degrees. She initiated the first National Minority Health Research and Development Center for American Indians/Alaskan Native Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and Afro-Americans. She was advisor to four U.S. Presidents in the areas of Mental Health and Aging. Her current activities include consultation and geropsychiatric speaking, advising Alabama's Departments of Mental Health and Senior Services, conducting workshops, testifying before Congress, reviewing grant proposals, editing articles for national journals, and extensive lecturing.
Robert Hickey
Consumer Advisor- Provider Support Team
Robert Hickey, Ph.D. received a M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in Clinical Psychology. His appointments include Unit Chief at the VA Hospital in Salem, VA and Chief Psychologist at the VA Medical Center Highland Drive in Pittsburgh, PA. He worked with older adults providing group therapy, behavior modification, environmental design, and treatment planning. He also trained and supervised nurses in group therapy for older adults. He was also in private practice for 33 years. He was Editor of "Ask A Psychologist" in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette for 9 years.
Harvey Hoffenberg
Consumer Advisor- Evaluation Support Team
Harvey Hoffenberg attended the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and is an active volunteer in his community, serving among others, the Salvation Army, the AIDS Action Committee and the Boston Living Center. He is currently a research interviewer at John Snow, Inc. working on studies of health purchasing and insurance.
Sharon Cloud Hogan, M.A.
Communication s Specialist
Ms. Hogan is a writer and editor for the PARC. Her professional experience includes ghostwriting, developmental editing, critical reading, copyediting, and proofreading for publishers and authors.
Deborah Johnson, M.A.
Sustainability Specialist
Ms. Johnson is a faculty member and director of the Idealized Design of Clinical Office Practices at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston, MA. She is also executive director and research associate of the Dartmouth/Northern New England COOP Project. Her efforts have focused on significantly improving the performance of clinical office practices through dramatic and sustained system-level changes. At the Center for Aging at Dartmouth Medical School, she has coordinated quality improvement activities, the design of tools and instruments, and the development of the Dartmouth COOP functional health assessment charts.
Jann Keenan, Ed.S.
Health Literacy Specialist
As a health literacy specialist and public health educator since 1981, Ms. Keenan has used her expertise to create award-winning health education materials, design nationally and internationally recognized health promotion campaigns and offer lively workshops and keynotes on health literacy and cultural competency. Ms. Keenan is best known for her innovative multi-media health initiatives for people with limited reading skills and for diverse groups including older adults and ethnic populations. In 1995, she founded the Keenan Group, Inc--Experts in Health Literacy, a health communications firm of seasoned professionals with experience in public health, adult education, social marketing and media production. Ms. Keenan makes helping organizations communicate clearly and effectively her life's work.
JoAnn Kirchner, M.D.
Rural Health Specialist
Dr. Kirchner is a faculty member in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Psychiatry and has worked with the Center for Services Interventions Research organization for five years. She is the past associate director of Mental Health QUERI (MHQ) and a current member of the national MHQ executive committee. Through the Mental Illness Research Education Clinical Center, she established a research network of urban and community-based primary care clinics and advised policy makers on the treatment of depression in primary care. She was principal investigator at the Little Rock site for the PRISM-E study and co-principal investigator on the Partners in Behavioral Health Sciences study. Her research has also focused on the influence of organizational factors on access to and quality of mental health and substance abuse care in rural primary care settings.
Dean Krahn, M.D., M.S.
Sustainability Specialist
Dr. Krahn is the chief of mental health services at William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, WI. For the past 16 years, he has led clinical programs, psychiatry services, and integrated mental health services there. He is also interested and experienced in the art and science of treating patients in an evidence-based manner and implementing evidence-based practices in health systems. He was principal investigator of the Madison site in the PRISM-E study, and he has consulted with several Veterans Administration mental health programs and insurance companies that seek to create centers of excellence in mental health care.
Sue Levkoff, Sc.D., S.M., M.S.W.
Director
Dr. Levkoff provides the overall leadership for the Positive Aging Resource Center (PARC). She is an associate professor in psychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital and associate professor in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She has served as the director of the Primary Care Research in Substance Abuse and Mental Health for the Elderly (PRISM-E) Coordinating Center; president of the National Association of Geriatric Education Centers; and director of the Harvard Upper New England Geriatric Education Center. In 2000, she received a National Institute of Aging-funded leadership award to develop a Center of Excellence in Minority Aging Research at Harvard Medical School. For the last twelve years, she has worked closely with consumers and consumer groups in the Boston community to design research and interventions to reduce disparities in health services to older adults. She has also co-authored a book, Aging Well, to help older persons take charge of their health.
Maria D. Llorente, M.D.
Co-director
Dr. Llorente is an associate professor at the University of Miami Department of Psychiatry, Division of Geropsychiatry. She is board certified in psychiatry with additional qualifications in geriatric psychiatry. She was the Miami site principal investigator for the PRISM-E study and site director for the Unified Psychogeriatric Biopsychosocial Evaluation and Treatment program. Dr. Llorente has extensive experience working with ethnic minority elderly populations, and she is particularly interested in increasing their access to mental health services. She serves as a member of the Pan American Health Organization Task Force in the Treatment and Identification of Depression in Primary Care.
Violeta Maya
Consumer Advisor- Outreach Support Team
As an active member of the PRISM-E Consumer Committee where she has worked to develop strategies to recruit and retain elderly participants, improve consumer-provider relationships, and ensure the cultural competence of research instruments. As an active member of her community in Sunset Park, NY promotes issues related aging and mental health.
Jim Maxwell, Ph.D.
Co-director
Dr. Maxwell is the director of health care policy and management research at John Snow, Inc (JSI).
He has more than fifteen years of experience conducting research and consulting on health care policy and management issues, and he is nationally known for his work on health insurance and financing matters. During the last four years, he has served as co-director of the PRISM-E coordinating center. In this role, he has overseen all data management and coordination activities, and he has directly supervised staff responsible for data management, randomization, statistical analysis, and consumer activities. Dr. Maxwell has also been responsible for organizing and managing the cost study for the PRISM-E project. As lead policy analyst for the PARC, he oversees the health financing and systems organization aspects of the project.
Betsy McDonel Herr, Ph.D.
Betsy McDonel Herr, Ph.D., provides critical technical and administrative support, guidance, and resources for PARC and the service sites to develop evidence-based, culturally competent, and self-sustainable mental health service programs for older persons. Her involvement in planning and implementation efforts is focused on increasing the effectiveness and sustainability of PARC and TCE services sites.
John McIntyre, M.D.
Clinical Specialist
Dr. McIntyre is the vice president for behavioral health and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Unity Health System in Rochester, NY, and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester. He was the principal investigator of the Rochester site for the PRISM-E study, and he has served on the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI) National Advisory Council Stigma Campaign. He is the senior delegate from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to the American Medical Association and chair of the APA Steering Committee on Practice Guidelines. His clinical interests are in the development and use of practice guidelines, integration of psychiatry and primary care, and the involvement of patients and patient advocates in the planning and evaluation of clinical services.
Trudy Persky, M.S.W.
Consumer Advisor- Policy Support Team
Ms.Persky's experience in the field of social work spans four decades. She has worked as a clinical social worker in community mental health centers, was the Mental Health and Aging Project Director for the Philadelphia County Office of Mental Health, and co-founder of the Delaware Valley Mental Health-Aging Advocacy Committee, which advocates for improved mental health care for older residents in the Philadelphia area. In 1995, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging appointed her a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. In 1998, she was recognized with the Horizon House Award. In 2000, she received the Office of Mental Health Bernard Ferry award.. From 1998 to 2002, Ms. Persky was co-chair of the PRISM-E Consumer Committee.
Louise M. Quijano, M.S.W.
Outreach Specialist
Ms. Quijano is the coordinator of the Houston-based National Council on Aging (NCOA) Depression Model Program. She is also the training coordinator for the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work study, "Meeting the Needs of Under-served Texans; Hispanic Elders and Their Aging Families." She was a co-principal investigator on the PRISM-E study, and she has more than 15 years of experience in the delivery of clinical mental health services.
Reem Tabbarah, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., M.P.H.
Project Coordinator
Ms. Tabbarah is the project coordinator for the PARC. She has experience providing long-term therapy in a community health center for clients of all ages with diagnoses that include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and schizophrenia. She also has worked with homebound elders at risk, Alzheimer's patients and their families, and victims of elder abuse. Her other relevant experience includes health education, program development, grant writing, and project coordination. She has a certificate in intercultural communication training and she has presented papers at national conferences on cultural competency and training.
Ramón Valle, Ph.D.
Outreach Specialist
Dr. Valle is a professor emeritus at the School of Social Work, San Diego State University. He has served on the national board of the Alzheimer's Association and he currently serves on its ethics committee. He is active in national, state, and local policy development regarding dementia among multicultural populations. He has most recently been engaged in cross-cultural studies of Alzheimer's disease and dementing illness, with special emphasis on caregiving and bio-ethical decision-making concerns. He has developed print and website content about dementia for low-literacy audiences, and he has conducted research on depression and other mental health issues among Latino populations.
Rodolfo Vega, Ph.D.
Evaluation Specialist
Dr. Vega is a senior research scientist at John Snow, Inc. (JSI). He has extensive experience in working with communities of color across the nation in the areas of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse prevention. He has collaborated with many community-based organizations in translating research into practice, providing technical assistance, developing evaluation designs, and reporting findings to federal government officials.
Rosa Wims, L.P.N.
Consumer Advisor- Consumer Support Team
Ms. Wims is the chair of the PARC consumer advisory group and has been the on-going chair of the national consumer council for the PRISM-E study. She is an advocate for consumers both at the local and national levels. Ms. Wims serves on several boards and lobbies politicians to better seniors' lives. She has trained research assistants and has as a primary interest ensuring cultural competence with elders. Ms. Wims has received several awards for her contribution to promoting health care and community services.