Meet the Team

Linda Sprague Martinez, Ph.D. (she, her, hers), is Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Public Health Sciences, at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Director of the Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health. Dr. Sprague Martinez has expertise in health equity and the social determinants of health; community based participatory research (CBPR) and youth led participatory action research (YPAR); photovoice; community assessment and mobilization; and qualitative research methods and analyses. Having formerly worked in municipal and state governance, and as an adolescent mental health provider, Dr. Sprague Martinez brings practical expertise in cross sector collaborations and resident engagement. She was a 2017 Boston Housing Authority, Center for Community Engagement and Civil Rights, Resident Empowerment Coalition, Resident Empowerment Honoree. In 2023, Dr. Sprague Martinez received the NIH HEAL Director’s Award for Community Partnerships, for her work with the HEALing Communities Study. Her research has been funded by NIH, OBSSR and PCORI, as well as by local foundations.

Faculty

Linda K. Barry

M.D., M.P.H., FACS

Associate Director of the Health Disparities Institute, Associate Dean of Multicultural and Community Affairs, and Associate Professor of Surgery and Public Health Sciences

lbarry@uchc.edu

Rocio Chang

M.A., Psy.D.

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

chang@uchc.edu

Emil Coman

Ph.D.

Assistant Professor (in residence) and (Bio)Statistician

coman@uchc.edu

Wizdom Powell

Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S.

Associate Professor

wpowell@uchc.edu

Staff

Gillian Betz

M.P.H, CHSE

Research Associate 1

gbetz@uchc.edu

Valen R. Diaz

M.P.H., MCHES

Projects Director

vdiaz@uchc.edu

Emy Flores

Business Service Manager

eflores@uchc.edu

Denise Patterson-Moss Solomon

B.S.

Admin Program Coordinator - Grants and Contracts

msolomon@uchc.edu

Trisha Pitter

M.S.

Director of Community Learning, Engagement, and Instructional Design

tpitter@uchc.edu

Melanie Rocco

M.S.W., M.P.H.

Administrative Director

mrocco@uchc.edu

Peter Zapata

M.P.H, CHES

Research Assistant 2

pzapata@uchc.edu