AMPHS is Hiring!

AMPHS is expanding its programs and seeking new members like you to join its team! Become a part of a dedicated team of volunteers and staff working towards expanding healthcare access among our most vulnerable communities.

Part-Time Positions 

Program Coordinator
Program Assistant
Social Worker
Community Health Worker
Nurse Practitioner (Volunteer)
Chinese/Spanish Translator

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Program Coordinator

Position Description

AMPHS seeks a passionate and skilled professional to join the operations team. The Program Coordinator plays a key leadership role in integrating clinical and social services and ensuring the smooth coordination of all Community Health Project programming activities among AMPHS staff and partners. The ideal candidate is a seasoned program manager and exceptional communicator, relationship manager, trainer and coach. He or she will identify and contribute to the development and execution of innovative solutions to grow program capacity and expand outreach within vulnerable immigrant populations. The Program Coordinator reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer.

Primary Responsibilities:

Coordinate weekly program operations

• Oversee, train and coordinate schedules and responsibilities among program staff, including clinicians, social work staff, and Program Assistant.
• Coordinate client services with specialty service partner providers.
• Ensure EMR patient schedules and profiles are complete and accurate.
• Build an outreach system for maintaining a consistent client base of new and returning community members.

Build and maintain strong volunteer/staff and partner relationships

• Train clinic staff to screen for social determinants of health and refer patients to the social work team in a streamlined manner.
• Create strong and healthy relationships with clinical volunteers, nurse practitioners, case managers, referring providers, and other clinic staff in an effort to build a strong team of community advocates.
• Work with Social Worker to consolidate and maintain a local network of resource providers.
• Meet with primary community stakeholders and attend community events to spread awareness of AMPHS services.

Ensure and track high-quality service delivery

• Ensure the accuracy of programmatic outcomes as reported by the client management database, including data review for grant reporting.
• Report data outcomes to program team on a monthly basis.
• Use program data to manage program milestones, related metrics and improve AMPHS operations.
• Engage in group planning, evaluation and problem-solving, while contributing to highly collaborative projects, meetings and trainings.
• Work with senior management to analyze program design, strategy and program vision.

Ensure program sustainability

• Work with senior management to identify funding opportunities and submit funding proposals.
• Devise and implement strategies to continuously engage a return client base.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of experience in case management and/or client services with a vulnerable population required; advanced degree in management or health-related field desirable (e.g. MPH, MSW, MPA).
• At least two years of program management experience required and previous experience with program start-up preferred. Previous experience in a hospital or clinic setting a plus.
• Written and oral fluency in Spanish and/or Chinese desirable, but not required.
• Demonstrated experience successfully leading and managing a team of young staff or volunteers.
• Strong track-record working with community agencies and/or performing case management in clinic or other setting.
• Proven knowledge of landscape of public benefits and community resources and how to facilitate individuals’ access to those resources.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and work closely with a wide range of constituents including AMPHS clients, staff, volunteers, and partners.
• Strong organizational, time management and self-management skills, outstanding attention to detail, and high degree of flexibility and self-direction.
• Ability to excel in a highly dynamic, diverse and entrepreneurial environment.

Time Commitment:

• 10-15 hours per week. Position requires Saturday availability and occasional weekday mornings or evenings for community meetings. Remote weekday work permissible.
• The agreement for this position is effective until 06/30/2016 with the opportunity for renewal thereafter.

To Apply:

Please submit a copy of your cover letter, resume, 1-2 page writing sample, and most recent transcript (if still in school or recent graduate) to personnel.resources@amphsonline.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling first-come, first-serve basis until March 18, 2016.

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Program Assistant

Position Description

The Program Assistant is responsible for assisting in the implementation and administration of the health screening, education, and training programs at the Academy of Medical and Public Health Services. Responsibilities include event coordination, outreach, client communication, and basic reception and clerical duties. The candidate will work directly with Executive Management staff to ensure that the organization runs smoothly and efficiently.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Respond to client inquiries via phone and email, screen and direct calls, and relay messages
• Schedule appointments and appointment reminders for screenings, workshops, and trainings and maintain the organization’s events calendar
• Serve as program coordinator for quarterly Clinical Practice Training Program, responding to student inquiries, coordinating program logistics, and conducting university outreach
• Assist in the coordination of annual Sunset Park community health and wellness event
• Manage and maintain contacts database for volunteers, partners, and donors
• Assist in coordinating logistics for in-house health screenings, including event outreach (flyering) and pre-screening patient intake
• Assist in the preparation of outreach and educational materials
• Work with Executive Management to send program updates to clients and volunteers
• Prepare letters to stakeholders, including supporters and clients
• Conduct outreach to community-based organizations and businesses for partnerships and awareness-building
• Monitor the use of office equipment and supplies and maintain office inventory
• May be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Preference given to candidates with a bachelors degree or higher. College juniors and seniors also considered.
• Demonstrated knowledge of clerical and administrative procedures.
• Previous experience in an office environment.
• Knowledge and familiarity with basic computer programs, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, and email systems.
• Demonstrated competency in writing and communication.
• Bilingual fluency in Spanish and/or Chinese preferred.
• Knowledge in graphic design a plus.

Time Commitment:

15 hours per week; Saturday availability required.

To Apply:

Please submit a copy of your cover letter, resume, 1-2 page writing sample, and most recent transcript (if still in school or recent graduate) to personnel.resources@amphsonline.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling first-come, first-serve basis until March 18, 2016.

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Social Worker

Position Description

The Social Worker is responsible for providing high-level oversight over the organization’s culturally-sensitive social service counseling program and presiding over the organization’s weekly Saturday health screenings. AMPHS’ unique, integrated clinical-social service program enables community members to receive direct social service counseling to connect them to the needed care immediately following each clinical encounter. The Social Worker is responsible for managing client cases and assisting community members in navigating resources in coordination with recommendations from the clinical team. The Social Worker is also responsible for establishing and maintaining a community referral network, facilitating workshops and overseeing a team of community health workers.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Coordinate client navigation of the healthcare system, especially for patients moving among different health care levels.
• Provide culturally-appropriate direct services, such as social service counseling, social support, care coordination and case management, working closely with clinical staff to address health risk factors and other social determinants of health, including, but not exclusive to domestic violence and child abuse, housing, end-of-life issues, living conditions, etc.
• Provide ongoing follow-up, basic motivational interviewing, and goal-setting with community members and their families, especially those with complex conditions, while monitoring and evaluating clients’ progress and modifying treatment plans accordingly.
• Coach patients in effective management of their chronic health conditions and self-care.
• Develop literature for social service outreach and education.
• Facilitate education and support programming (e.g., health education, parenting classes, domestic violence support programs, self-care classes, health access workshops) for individual and groups.
• Conduct outreach and coordinate with other community resources and agencies to provide community-level advocacy on behalf of patients and families and refer clients to specialized services, such as drug and alcohol treatment, legal services, financial and employment counseling, and housing support.
• Assess and intervene in domestic violence and child abuse situations.
• Identify, assess and treat mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety (LCSWs only)
• Oversee and train team of Community Health Workers.
• Manage a regularly assigned caseload of community members at AMPHS open hours and record care management information in EMR system no later than 24 hours after contact.
• May be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited school; Master’s degree in social work; LMSW credential or higher is required. Proof of licensure is required at time of application.
• Oral and written fluency in Spanish and English and/or Chinese and English preferred.
• Prior experience serving as a social worker in a community-based setting for at least 1-2 years.
• Experience working in a multi-cultural setting.
• Knowledge of some medical terminology preferred, but not required.
• Basic computer skills and knowledge in Microsoft software.
• Good communication skills, such as listening well, and using language appropriately.
• Ability and willingness to provide emotional support, encouragement and motivation to patients.

Time Commitment:

• 7-10 hours per week; Saturday availability required.
• The agreement for this position is effective until June 30, 2016 with the opportunity for renewal thereafter.

To Apply:

Please submit your cover letter, resume, 1-2 page writing sample, and a copy of your social work license to personnel.resources@amphsonline.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling first-come, first-serve basis until March 18, 2016.

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Community Health Worker

Position Description

The community health worker (CHW) is responsible for providing culturally-sensitive health navigation services to help patients and their families navigate and access community services and resources within the healthcare system, while guiding them to adopt healthy behaviors. CHWs will work primarily with immigrant families in Sunset Park, many who have limited access to healthcare. The CHW supports clinicians, the supervising social worker and program coordinator by providing an integrated system of support services that promotes and maintains healthy behaviors and addresses the social determinants of health affecting the local community. Primary function areas include social service counseling, advocating for individuals and community health needs, and facilitating community outreach workshops.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide culturally-appropriate direct services, such as social service counseling, social support, care coordination and case management under the supervision of Social Worker and working closely with clinical staff.
• Provide ongoing follow-up, basic motivational interviewing, and goal-setting with community members and their families.
• Advocate for individual and community needs by locating support and needed services and articulating those needs to partner organizations.
• Coach patients in effective management of their chronic health conditions and self-care.
• Provide culturally-sensitive health education, information and outreach in community-based settings, including, but not exclusive to the AMPHS center, schools, community centers, senior centers, community board meetings, local businesses, shelters, etc.
• Organize community presentations and workshops on health access.
• Conduct outreach and presentations to spread awareness about AMPHS services.
• Research and develop multilingual materials on disease prevention, wellness, nutrition, and health access.
• Organize and/or facilitate peer support groups.
• Build organizational capacity to expand resource network and address social determinants of health.
• Manage a regularly assigned caseload of community members who attend AMPHS open clinic hours once per week and record patient care management information in EMR system no later than 24 hours after contact.
• May be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Preference given to candidates with a bachelors degree or higher.
• Successful completion of a Community Health Worker formal training program such as from a college or other education institution is preferred, but not required. AMPHS will provide initial training and CHW is also expected to participate in additional training during their tenure.
• Written and oral fluency in Spanish and English and/or Chinese and English required.
• Experience working in a multi-cultural setting.
• Experience working in a community-based setting for at least 1 to 2 years preferred.
• Knowledge of some medical terminology preferred, but not required.
• Basic computer skills and knowledge in Microsoft Office.
• Good communication skills, such as listening well, and using language appropriately.
• Ability and willingness to provide emotional support, encouragement and motivation to patients.

Time Commitment:

• 15-20 hours per week; Saturday availability required.
• The agreement for this position is effective until June 30, 2016 with the opportunity for renewal thereafter.

To Apply:

 Please submit a copy of your cover letter, resume, 1-2 page writing sample, and most recent transcript (if still in school or recent graduate) to personnel.resources@amphsonline.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling first-come, first-serve basis until March 18, 2016.

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Volunteer Nurse Practitioner

Position Description

The Academy of Medical & Public Health Services offers free weekly Saturday health clinics for low-income, uninsured community members in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Screening participants often lack health insurance or experience language barriers that prevent them from accessing available health resources; for many, it is their first time receiving a health assessment in many years. During the clinic, AMPHS clinicians perform health screenings while partner healthcare agencies offer free specialty services, such as HIV and Hepatitis C testing, mammograms, and flu shots. AMPHS may also offer specialty theme-based services each month. At the beginning of the screening, AMPHS volunteers distribute health surveys through which it collects health data used to analyze community health trends and develop education programs.

The Nurse Practitioner will be responsible for presiding over AMPHS screenings to conduct basic and specialty screenings, provide long-term medical counseling, and facilitate health education workshops. The NP will identify risk factors and lifestyle changes that the community member should pursue, as well as follow-up treatment. He or she will then work collaboratively with the Social Assistance team to connect community members to the relevant services based on treatment recommendations from the clinical encounter. The ideal candidate is passionate about working with immigrant communities and has significant experience working with low-income populations who have had little or no access to care.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Obtain and record client health history; perform comprehensive medical evaluations for biological, social and psychological needs, including screenings for BMI, blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, oxygen saturation, visual acuity, macular degeneration, oculomotor function, pupillary reflex, dementia, glucose and cholesterol, and mental health.
• Educate and guide patients on disease prevention and healthy lifestyle habits.
• Provide group, individual and community education classes on disease prevention and management, wellness and nutrition.
• Design curricula and education materials for public health education workshops.
• Manage a regularly assigned caseload of community members at AMPHS open clinic hours and record care management information in EMR system no later than 24 hours after contact.
• May be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited school of nursing; Master’s degree in nursing; completion of a state acceptable Nurse Practitioner’s program; a minimum of one year’s experience is desirable. National certification in specialty is preferred. Proof of licensure is required at time of application.
• Thorough knowledge in nursing techniques and procedures, medical and lab equipment, testing procedures, medications, and interviewing and counseling techniques.
• Proficiency in a foreign language (in particular, Spanish and Chinese) a plus.
• Previous experience working in a community-based, multi-cultural public health setting.
• Ability to work independently; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; deal tactfully and patiently with clients and other social work case managers.
• Basic computer skills required.

Time Commitment:

• At least one shift per month; Saturday availability required.  However, we are flexible with volunteer scheduling.

To Apply:

Please submit your cover letter, resume, and copy of your nursing license to personnel.resources@amphsonline.org. Candidates will serve independently; that is, providing a broad range of clinical services based on their own scope of practice, comfort, and level of licensure as an independent clinician volunteering at AMPHS sites and events. Candidates will be asked to submit proof of current professional liability coverage prior to commencing the position.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling first-come, first-serve basis.

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Chinese/Spanish Translator

Position Description

The Academy of Medical & Public Health Services (AMPHS) works with a predominantly Latino and Chinese community in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, bringing them accessible healthcare through free health screenings and education workshops. At the beginning of each screening, AMPHS staff collects demographic data from each participating community member to conduct analytical research on predominant health trends in the local community. AMPHS also holds public health workshops that educate community members in health access, disease management and prevention, nutrition and wellness. We are seeking fluent or highly proficient Spanish, Cantonese and/or Mandarin speakers to interpret for AMPHS constituents during open clinics and events.

Translators will also have the opportunity to engage in other community fieldwork projects that include conducting interviews and focus groups and community outreach alongside our community engagement team. Additionally, they will be responsible for assisting with other administrative projects, such as recording Chinese/Spanish segments for educational videos, translating educational literature, brochures, flyers, and other outreach material, and writing Chinese/Spanish blog posts for our online news portal.

AMPHS screenings take place Saturdays on a weekly basis; workshops take place on weekends and select weekdays. Translators will receive training in medical terminology, patient history-taking, and HIPAA prior to engaging in a service role.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Interpret communication between AMPHS staff and non-English speaking AMPHS clients.
• Translate written educational materials and documents in accordance with readability guidelines.
• Work with social service team to follow up with non-English speaking population to inquire about individuals’ status and answer questions.
• Assist non-English speaking population in completing documentation and forms.
• Translate for facilitators in 3-4 community public health education workshops per month.
• Assist Program Coordinator and senior managers in design of culturally-sensitive health services.
• May be required to perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Native Chinese or Spanish speaker and/or advanced degree or training in the Chinese/Spanish language. Strong oral and written proficiency required. Applicants will be asked to submit a bilingual writing sample to demonstrate written and oral competency.
• Prior knowledge of medical terminology preferred, but not required.
• Ability to accurately interpret and communicate information in an unbiased, clear and concise manner with clients, families, and providers.
• Ability to work independently in an efficient, productive manner while maintaining composure and sensitivity in accordance with the environment of health care services.
• Basic computer skills and competency with Word processing systems required.

Time Commitment:

• 7-10 hours per week; Saturday availability required.
• The agreement for this position is effective until June 30, 2016 with the opportunity for renewal thereafter.

To Apply: 

Please submit your cover letter, resume, 1-2 page writing sample in English and Spanish or Chinese, and transcript (if current student or recent graduate) to personnel.resources@amphsonline.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling first-come, first-serve basis until March 18, 2016.

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Interested in Volunteering?

Would you like to make a direct difference in the lives of underserved community members?

Would you like to work directly to improve immigrant health outcomes?

Are you interested contributing your skills to a young, entrepreneurial organization?

As a grassroots community-based organization, AMPHS fills in gaps where the health care system leaves off. Right now, we are seeking new volunteers! Apply online and submit your resume and supplementary materials to personnel.resources@amphsonline.org.

The following positions are now open :

Board Member – The Board Member will be expected to provide not only organizational governance, but also take an active role in fundraising, fiscal stewardship, networking, public relations, long-range strategic development, event planning, and Board recruitment.

Chief Medical Officer The Senior Vice President, Clinical Services & Chief Medical Officer will be responsible for overseeing clinical activities, clinical staff, faculty and medical programs at AMPHS. This may include approving and developing screening procedures, overlooking screening events, and organizing/directing clinical trainings for staff and educational programs for the community.

Chief Financial Officer The Chief Financial Officer will be the primary financial manager responsible for assessing the financial health of organization. The CFO will define the process and implement the infrastructure/systems needed to support substantial long-term growth of AMPHS.

Development Associate The Development Associate will be responsible for managing the organization’s fund raising campaigns. The candidate must become familiar with AMPHS programs and events, and seek for funding sources that will support them.

Spanish Translator The candidate should be a native Spanish speaker and/or have an advanced degree or training in the Spanish language and strong written and oral proficiency. Applicants will be asked to submit a writing sample in English and Spanish to demonstrate written and oral competency.

Clinical Volunteer AMPHS holds free in-house health screenings the third Saturday of every month, as well as community health fairs with partner organizations throughout the year, where our the clinical volunteer will help underprivileged community members in the New York City (and in particular, the Brooklyn Sunset Park area) undergo regular disease screenings.

Welcome Aboard, New AMPHS Volunteers!

Four new volunteers have recently joined the organization to dedicate their time in advancing the health and wellness of the Sunset Park community. Please join us in welcoming them aboard!

Peter Suib, Data Systems and Management Advisor

Peter Suib is joining AMPHS as an advisor in research and data collection. In this role, Peter will provide recommended practices and consistent methods to define, collect and analyze information to better understand the clients AMPHS serves. The analysis will aid in the development of additional client programs and serve as means to secure funding.

Suib has acted as consultant and program manager on many technology and business process improvement projects for over 30 years.  During the course of his career, he has designed, developed and implemented custom software applications for various world class organizations, and was instrumental in leading content integration for KPMG – a U.S. audit, tax and advisory services firm.  He later developed his own company Interactive Valley, providing consulting services focused on Business Process and Knowledge Management.

Guided by his passion for cooking, Suib then ventured into pursuing an alternative career path, where he became a restaurateur overseeing both catering and fine dining at two City Island Yacht clubs.  His journey then shifted back to process and methodology, where he currently leads process improvement projects for Best Buy’s Geek Squad Services, utilizing a Lean Six Sigma framework.

Suib joined AMPHS to gain a better understanding of the needs of the communities at Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and hopes to use the information to expand services and program. His inspiration for joining AMPHS comes from his wife’s lifelong work as a Nurse Practitioner, where she provides health care to the underserved, “making a difference” one client at a time.    

Andreas Tedjasukmana, M.D.,  Clinical Volunteer

Andreas Tedjasukmana, M.D. will be joining AMPHS as a clinical volunteer. Dr. Tedjasukmana grew up in Indonesia, the home of Courage and Purity. He encountered many challenges, yet acquired valuable experiences away from home; not only earning his Bachelor of Science Degree in Otago University in New Zealand, but furthermore embarked a new journey to Europe in 2005 to pursue his Medical Degree in Poznan University of Medical Science in Poland.  While in medical school, Dr. Tedjasukmana was the founder of the Student Health Clinic and a dedicated member of the Teddy Bear Clinic, both hospital-funded organizations, designed to provide basic medical care to the homeless and underserved families and children.

Granted with his medical diploma in 2009, Dr. Tedjasukmana decided to pursue further education in United States. Since 2010, he has spent considerable time and dedication working for research at the OB/GYN and Anesthesia division in S.U.N.Y Downstate and Lutheran Medical Center. In 2013, Dr. Tedjasukmana completed his observation training at the E.R at S.U.N.Y Downstate Hospital. Having completed USMLE certifications exam, Dr. Tedjasukmana is currently pursuing his residency in the United States.

In the meantime, he is involved extensively with AMPHS’ clinical events with the intent of providing basic health care to the underserved and uninsured communities throughout Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He is also training to be an advocate for the Domestic Abuse and Rape Victims of Beth Israel hospital. His ambitions further him to continue actively as a member of The Coalition for Asian Mental Health while beginning his rotation at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Stan Kogan, Community Research & Outreach Associate

Stan Kogan will be interning with AMPHS for the spring term as Community Research and Outreach Associate, where he will provide assistance and support in data entry and analysis, community health research, social media communications, and event planning. Kogan’s parents emigrated from the small European country of Moldova in 1996, when he was only 6 years old. He started first grade only months after they arrived to America with no knowledge of English, but quickly learned the culture and language. Kogan has lived the immigrant experience and he feels grateful for the opportunities his family has had in this country.

Kogan began his college career in Baruch College, as an expected Finance major. However, this was around the year 2008, when the housing crash and financial woes were in full swing. It was in this environment that he began to study economics and policy while simultaneously observing the damage that these very institutions had wrought on the country, especially on the poor and middle-class. As a result, despite excellent grades and an acceptance to the Baruch Honors Program, he quickly became disillusioned with his chosen major. Hence, he decided to take a semester off to travel and learn more about himself and what his true interests were.

Over that semester he realized that he had always been deeply passionate about health. Whether it was physical health, nutrition, or socioeconomic disparities, he had always been fascinated and engaged in those subjects. However, he was always told that other than being an M.D., there was little to pursue in health. This is perhaps a common myth amongst immigrant families. Nevertheless, he began to research the possibility of a career in public health and became exceedingly excited at the possibility of working in that field. As a result, he applied to the University at Buffalo (UB) Exercise and Nutrition Science program at their School of Public Health as a way of learning as much about public health and medicine as he could in a bachelor program. After several semesters at UB, he finally discovered that the specific profession he was interested in is Epidemiology, and he has been pursuing that career ever since. Currently, he is in the process of applying to MPH programs and intends to begin shortly.

Kogan is very excited to learn about the role AMPHS plays in disease prevention within the Sunset Park community and believes that the experience he gains with AMPHS will be exceedingly useful in his chosen field.

Olivia MengMeng Zhao, MBA, Chinese Translator

Olivia (MengMeng) Zhao will be joining AMPHS as a Chinese translator and Mandarin interpreter. Zhao is originally from China, and graduated from Texas A&M University-Commerce in January of 2014 with a MBA. She obtained her Shanghai Foreign Language Interpretation Certification in 2010. Zhao joined AMPHS because of her love for translation. She is excited that AMPHS will give her an opportunity to serve underserved communities in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

We heartily welcome our new volunteers to the AMPHS family!

AMPHS Welcomes New Chief Operating Officer

We would like to welcome Ravi Joshi, MS as the Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at AMPHS. Previously, Ravi worked with Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless Program (ACHCHP); a federally-funded 330(h) Health Care for the Homeless program in Northern California for over ten years.  Ravi was a vital leader in the provision of primary care health, mental health and social services in the ACHCHP mobile clinics and with subcontracting agencies.

Ravi’s true particular strength lies in the fusion of public health policy/advocacy and the provision of individual direct services. She has used her analytic skills and fused them with her deep sense of ethics to create outcomes steeped in social justice, righting disparities and working with dispossessed persons at their level, working to bring them to their feet as she transformed systems around her.

In 2000, Ravi became an Alameda County Public Health Department Leadership Fellow, a prestigious Program for training and developing future Leaders of the Alameda County Public Health Department to tackle health inequality using a social justice framework.  Ravi also became a Public Health 101Trainer, carrying out countywide trainings on health inequity and social justice frameworks for public health.

Ms. Joshi has also been the key in the ACHCHP Interim Care Clinic (ICC).  She singlehandedly created a functioning stable site clinic at a location frequented by hard-to-reach, service resistant homeless individuals, excluded from primary care services. This clinic bridged the gulf between traditional primary care and ACHCHP street-based medical and social services, a space where clinicians and social workers could work with “service resistant” persons to teach “patienting” skills that clients needed when referred on to primary care clinics for their ongoing chronic care.

Ravi completed her Master’s in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Management. During this time she led projects in Boston, San Francisco as well as global health studies in which she advised programs in process and operations improvement strategies as well as projects in which she advocated for expansion and research in public mental health services to underserved populations.

We are thrilled to have Ravi on the team!

New Volunteer Announcements

We are extremely excited to welcome 8 new volunteers to the AMPHS team: Amy Handlin, Sloka Iyengar, Sheil Raj, Kaylan Sobel, Amelia Starr, Kathleen Tam, George-Hyuung Winer, and Dennis Zheng. Each of these new volunteers will be contributing to various aspects of the organization, including marketing/outreach, research, interpretation, social work, and legal compliance. Welcome aboard!

AMY HANDLIN  |  SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGY

Amy Handlin, Ph.D., MBA is joining AMPHS as SVP, Strategy. In this role, Amy will be responsible for managing strategies around increasing funding, enhancing organizational visibility, and developing AMPHS’ public image.

Amy is Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing and International Business at Monmouth University. A former Senior Fellow at Monmouth’s Center for the Study of Public Issues and current Chair of the University Review Board, she served for six years on the executive committee of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. Handlin holds a BA from Harvard, an MBA from Columbia and a PhD from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Elected to the state legislature in 2005, she is a member of the Assembly Committee on Health and Senior Services and the Joint Legislative Task Force on Health Insurance Exchange Implementation.

Handlin is the author of Be Your Own Lobbyist (Praeger 2010), Government Grief (Praeger 2011), and the forthcoming Dirty Deals: An Encyclopedia of Lobbying, Political Influence and Corruption (ABC-Clio 2014), among other books. Crain’s New York Business described Be Your Own Lobbyist as “a must-read for anyone who wants to make his or her voice heard in the halls of political power,” and New York Journal of Books called it “a toolkit for repairing and renovating democracy.” Choice recommended Government Grief as “unique, insightful, and practical.”

Handlin serves AMPHS as Senior Vice President for Strategy, becoming involved in the organization “to be part of an innovative local solution to a nationwide problem – inadequate public health resources, education, and research among underserved populations.” Using her expertise in  research, education, advocacy, and public policy, she looks forward to helping develop, refine, and build awareness of AMPHS’s unique model so it can be replicated around the country.

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SLOKA IYENGAR  |  NEWSLETTER WRITER & EDITOR

Sloka Iyengar, Ph.D. is joining AMPHS as Newsletter Writer & Editor. In this role, Sloka will be writing and editing articles for the organization’s electronic newsletter, interviewing staff and clients, and crafting creative calls to action.

Sloka has been involved in neuroscience research for the last 8 years. She grew up in Ahmedabad, India; after finishing her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, she went to South Carolina to pursue her graduate work in neuroscience. Currently, Sloka is working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Nathan Kline Institute, New York, where she is investigating research in mechanisms of epilepsy. She is involved in designing and conducting experiments, training junior lab members and disseminating her work in the form of papers, posters and talks.

Although Sloka loves the intellectual challenge that basic research offers, she would like to be involved in the community in a more direct way. Her goal is to use the scientific knowledge for societal benefit. Working on scientific projects invariably requires the cultivation of a number of skills such as writing, presentation and organization that she hopes will be transferable to her community service work. Over the years, Sloka has been routinely involved in community service. While in India, she volunteered at the Missionaries of Charities. She also volunteered, and later on, worked at an animal shelter for stray animals called the Animal Help Foundation. In New York, Sloka works to offer healthy brunch alternatives every weekend at a homeless shelter in Harlem and has also established a creative writing group for the clients called ‘Exercise Your Write’.

Sloka is eager to be involved in the hands-on work of providing healthcare to underserved communities. She is interested in learning how a non-profit organization functions and would like to contribute directly to its mission. As she performs a substantial amount of writing for her work, Sloka hopes to effectively utilize those skills in her role as Newsletter Writer and Editor at AMPHS.

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SHEILA RAJ  |  SOCIAL WORKER

Sheila Raj, MSW is joining AMPHS as the organization’s first in-house Social Worker. In her role, she will not only provide social services such as assistance with health insurance enrollment, prescription, and vision to the community, but will also be working with the clinical team to develop new social services and group counseling.

Sheila is a licensed Social Worker and SIFI instructor. Her experience includes working in residential family and psychiatric settings where she connected many individuals to quality mental health services. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Stony Brook in Political Science and a Masters in Social Work degree from Columbia University. Currently, she is pursuing further education in health care.

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KAYLAN SOBEL  |  LEGAL ADVISOR

Kaylan Sobel, J.D. is joining AMPHS as a Legal Advisor. In this role, she will work with AMPHS staff to provide legal advice on a number of projects and assist in evaluating AMPHS programs and operations for adherence to laws, guidelines, and professional standards of practice. She will also be counseling the senior leadership team on the legal compliance of new and current programs.

After earning her M.A. in Political Science from New York University, Kaylan Sobel spent five years providing project management and policy research for a statewide non-profit organization. During that time, she completed her Juris Doctorate at Brooklyn Law School, focusing on public interest law, before gaining admission to the New York State Bar Association. Recently, she has accepted a position as Policy Analyst for Health and Education with the Eastern Regional Council of the Council of State Governments. In addition to her academic and professional experience, she has been an active volunteer and leader with organizations throughout New York City, including the Elderlaw and Cancer Advocacy project of the New York City Bar Association. She has joined the Academy of Medical and Public Health Services to bring her experience and knowledge of both health law and non-profit project management to support the mission of AMPHS to expand healthcare access and quality to underserved communities.

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AMELIA STARR  |  COMMUNITY RESEARCH & OUTREACH ASSOCIATE

Amelia Starr is joining AMPHS as Community Research & Outreach Associate. In this role, Amelia will be directly involved in assisting with AMPHS’ social media, conducting outreach and setting up health events within the Latino community, while also engaging as a volunteer in AMPHS’ humanitarian events.

Amelia graduated from Fordham University in 2012 with a major in French studies and minor in history and biology. With hopes to go into the medical field, Amelia has worked with organizations such as Clinicas Mi Doctor to assist with outreach operations and interactions with the Mexican community in her Texan hometown. She currently works with City MD as a medical scribe and aspires to contribute more to the underprivileged immigrant community in Sunset Park through her work at AMPHS.

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KATHLEEN TAM  |  COMMUNITY RESEARCH & OUTREACH ASSOCIATE

Kathleen Tam, MPH is joining AMHS as Community Research & Outreach Associate. In this role, Kathleen will be directly involved in mapping the Sunset Park Asian community, conducting outreach and setting up health events, and compiling data for statistical research,  while also engaging as a volunteer and translator in AMPHS’ humanitarian events.

Kathleen is a recent graduate from the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College, having completed her Masters degree in Public Health with an emphasis on Community Health Education this past May. She has interned with several non-profit organizations in Manhattan in the past, including the Chinese Progressive Association and Charles B. Wang Community Center. She is excited to serve a community in Brooklyn for the first time. Currently she also volunteers at the Greenmarket Youth Education program at GrowNYC and EATS at the Bubble Foundation. As a foreign-born Chinese, her personal history with immigrant health aligns with the goals of AMPHS. Kathleen hopes that AMPHS will help her gain more hands-on experience in health education and public health research to better equip her to work in the field of global health in the future.

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GEORGE-HYUUNG WINER  |  COMMUNITY RESEARCH & OUTREACH INTERN

George-Hyuung Winer, B.S. is joining AMPHS as Community Research & Outreach Intern in summer 2014 and working as an event volunteer beginning this fall. In this role, George will be assisting with event logistics and client interactions during AMPHS’ health events; in the summer, he will pursue an independent public health research project to help further the AMPHS mission.

George first realized his passion in delivering healthcare to the medically underserved in 2008.  Before this, he had followed the path of his father and siblings, working in jobs related to the real estate industry, general contracting, and consulting. In 2012, George graduated from New York Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Life Science and the intention of attending medical school in Fall 2014.  He is the first in his family to pursue a medical degree and was inspired to do so due to health problems that riddled his father for the majority of his life.  George’s multi-ethnic background–Caucasian and Native Taiwanese–has also exposed him to family members that are geographically isolated from medical care.  After losing an indigenous family member due to this issue, it opened his eyes to how medically underserved communities are in need of support. He hopes that by volunteering with AMPHS, he will be able to learn how public health is applied in a clinical setting and assist similarly medically underserved communities in New York.

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DENNIS ZHENG  |  CHINESE TRANSLATOR

Dennis Zheng, B.A. is joining AMPHS as a Chinese Translator/Interpreter for the Cantonese, Mandarin, and Fujianese dialects. In this role, he will engage as an interpreter in AMPHS’ humanitarian programs, including health screenings, workshops, and other social services. He will also assist in the translation of AMPHS’ outreach and education materials and in conducting outreach among the Asian community.

Currently working as a field translator/interpreter with HealthFirst, he aspires to pursue a profession as a linguist. Prior to joining Healthfirst, Dennis was a paralegal for a real estate law firm. He received his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice, BA, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2011.

Embracing AMPHS’ mission and vision, Dennis is excited to be part of AMPHS’ team to achieve the noteworthy goals of increasing health care accessibility among underserved communities. He hopes to be able to assist in translating medical resources to benefit and educate the Chinese population and to build strong rapport with the underprivileged and undocumented immigrant population.

AMPHS Welcomes New Volunteers to the Team

AMPHS is elated to welcome two new volunteers to its team, Laura Brereton and Pensri Ho.

Laura Brereton, M.S. joined AMPHS this summer as a policy research advisor. In her role at AMPHS, she will be in charge of managing the policy research and analysis initiatives to better inform the work of the organization in relations to the current changes in health care policy. She is excited to be back in New York City after spending six years in the United Kingdom working as a healthcare policy analyst and qualitative researcher with such organizations as RAND Corporation and The Health Foundation. Brereton has an MSc in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a BSc from Boston University. Her research interests focus on international health system comparison and variations in healthcare access.

Pensri Ho, Ph.D. has joined the AMPHS team as Project Coordinator of Community Health Research. As a cultural anthropologist, she specializes in healthcare, immigration, race and education. A former academic, she has consulted for non-profit community and social service agencies on healthcare access and cultural sensitivity, ESL training for adult learners, head start programs, urban revitalization and commercial interests, and cultural history learning. Joining AMPHS continues her combined interests in healthcare, immigration, and non-profit social service organizations. Pensri is excited to work with AMPHS to reach its community impact mission and goals through more clearly defined research measures and outcomes.

Both amazing women will be managing crucial organizational projects that will be transforming the way that the organization interacts with its constituents. Look out for more project updates from them!

New Volunteer Announcement – March 2013

March 11, 2013

Academy of Medical and Public Health is pleased to announce that the following volunteers have joined the organization:

Gary Clarke, Senior Vice President, Human Capital & CPO

Gary Clarke brings over a quarter-century of experience in human resource management to the Academy of Medical and Public Health Services. He has led human resource management teams and made an impact in human resource business partner roles at all levels for former and current FORTUNE 500 member companies Teradyne, Colgate-Palmolive, Allergan, Nabisco, Lucent Technologies, Avaya, American Water and Terex.

His exposure to a diversity of companies, business cultures and geographic markets across multiple business sectors: technology, drug and hospital supply, snack foods, and infrastructure has allowed him to build an innovative people solutions toolkit and practical sense for managing growth, transformation and change in a variety of situations.

His local, divisional, headquarter and global site operations experience in both union and non-union environments across a broad spectrum of enterprise functions and industries provides Gary with a highly qualified perspective relative to business process change, its impact on talent and careers. His own career odyssey has also given him a hands-on understanding of both organizational and individual transformation within the world of work. Throughout his career, he has coached, developed and helped to promote and move numerous executives and professionals along their chosen career path around the globe. In addition to his generalist experience, his specialist experiences include dedicated recruiting, compensation, employee and labor-management relations assignments. He has moved across the U.S. and expatriated to the UK for key executive development assignments and has built management teams in almost every region of the US and most world regions including zones encompassing China, Australia and South Africa.

In keeping with his passion for effecting positive change and empowering people, he is attracted to the AMPHS mission–especially with regard to meeting the needs of underserved or over-looked stakeholder communities, he also gives time to Taproot-NYC as a pro bono Account Director and Project Manager, facilitates human resource management discussion groups for Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO-NYC); serves as a career management course facilitator/adjunct for Norwalk Community College. He is also an active alumni club member for Cornell University lending a hand with undergraduate recruiting efforts and takes part in the Cornell Clubs of NYC and Fairfield County where he serves as a Board Member.

Amina-Louise Asabigi, Clinical Volunteer

Amina currently works as a Pharmacist at a busy 24- hour CVS Pharmacy in Flatlands, Brooklyn. She enjoys counseling patients on a daily basis and believes through patient education, patients are empowered to take control of their health thereby increasing medication compliance and control of their chronic disease states. She also believes in supporting the community and have volunteered in both clinical and non-clinical settings. As a clinical volunteer, she would to contribute to the education, awareness and disease prevention that all members of a community need. Amina enjoys traveling around the world, eating interesting foods and spending time with friends and family.

Please join us in welcoming Gary and Amina to the AMPHS family!

New AMPHS Volunteer Announcement

February 4, 2013

We are pleased to announce the following volunteer(s) have joined Academy of Medical and Public Health Services (AMPHS):

Richard Owusu Manu

Richard has joined AMPHS as Executive Management Associate. Richard will be working directly with the President & CEO, Hewett Chiu, and will be responsible for the implementation, development, and administration of the various programs at the Academy of Medical and Public Health Services. Richard will also be involved in drafting memos and administrative protocols, event coordination, and public outreach, among other administrative business responsibilities. Richard has an extensive background in the area of pharmacy and hospital administration and management. He brings experience handling patient records and administration at Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital in New York City. Prior to that, Richard has over eight years of experience managing the administrative and operational side of a pharmacy in Ghana, his native country. He is currently pursuing a degree in Healthcare Administration at St. Joseph’s College in New York, NY, and very enthusiastic about contributing his experience and skills to help forward the mission of the organization.

Please join us in welcoming Richard to the AMPHS team!

– Academy of Medical and Public Health Services

New Volunteers Join the AMPHS team!

The Academy of Medical and Public Health Services is truly happy to announce that the following volunteers have recently joined our team.

Alice Bonner has joined AMPHS as a Clinical Volunteer to offer accessible healthcare to those who need it the most. Alice is an RN currently enrolled in a master’s of nursing program at Columbia University to become a Nurse Practitioner. She was born in Alabama and has been living in New York City for the past 7 years.

Jaime Alvarez has joined AMPHS as a Spanish Interpreter. He is an engineer and architect with a green building background. Jaime is originally from Dallas, Texas and is fluent in Spanish. His commitment to help Latino Communities brought him to our team!

Welcome aboard, Alice and Jaime. We are excited about their commitment to the community and their desire to give of their time and talents to AMPHS’ mission.

New Volunteers Join AMPHS

September 29, 2012

Academy of Medical and Public Health Services is happy to announce that the following volunteers have recently joined the team:

Shashank Agarwal has joined AMPHS as a Clinical Volunteer. Shashank is a doctor from India and is currently working as a Research Associate Intern in the Emergency Department at Bellevue Hospital. During medical school, he organized blood donations and polio immunizations. He planned to continue the same work when he decided to migrate to the U.S.. He discovered the work that AMPHS was doing, and wanted to contribute his clinical skills to improve health care for the underprivileged. Apart from work, he is passionate about sports. He plays volleyball and enjoys kayaking on the weekends.

Dewakie Guptar has joined AMPHS as Medical and Public Health Services Associate. She recently completed a term of service with Americorps where she was part of the second graduating class of the NYC Civic Corps. She completed her term of service at the Community Service Society’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) where she worked on program development. Prior to her work with RSVP, Dewakie was a recruiter for the 2010 Census, focusing her work in West Brooklyn. Given her background in science, passion for public health and community work, she believes AMPHS offers the perfect junction between her interests and aspirations of becoming a public health professional. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Public Health at the CUNY School of Public Health.

Leah Ratner has joined AMPHS as a Clinical Volunteer. She joined AMPHS to make access to health services and preventive health easier for the underprivileged community. Leah is currently a third year medical student rotating at Lutheran Medical Center.