HEAR Program CAB Members

 

 

Kenneth A. Barela 

CEO

Hispanic Health Council & Foundation  

What does health equity and advocacy mean to you? “To me, health equity means ensuring everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their best possible health, regardless of who they are or where they come from. It is about removing barriers and addressing systemic inequities so that access, resources, and outcomes are not determined by anything other than need.” 

Biography: Kenneth A. Barela is an accomplished nonprofit executive, civic leader, and author with more than two decades of experience advancing health equity, civic engagement, and community development. Since 2020, he has served as CEO of the National Hispanic Health Research Institute and the Hispanic Health Council, nationally recognized organizations based in Hartford, CT, dedicated to improving the health and social well-being of Latino and diverse communities through research, direct services, training, and policy advocacy. Previously, Kenneth was Executive Director of the National Hispanic Voter Education Foundation (Avanza Latino), where he built the organization from concept into a national digital platform reaching tens of thousands within its first year. He also co-owned and led Charlie Foxtrot Non-Profit Consulting/A&E Management, raising more than $10 million in grants, contracts, and gifts for healthcare, education, and community organizations. Earlier in his career, he served as Regional Vice President at the American Heart Association, where he generated over $5 million in revenue, Director of Strategic Alignment at Catholic Health Initiatives Foundation, where he helped secure more than $10 million in federal funding, Executive Director of Aspen Diversified Industries, a state-wide social enterprise, and Senior Vice-President of Diversus Behavioral Health Group. Kenneth also served as the Chair of Coca-Cola North America’s national Latino Equity Committee. Beyond his nonprofit and corporate work, Kenneth served as Mayor of Fountain, Colorado, leading city governance, economic development, and community engagement initiatives. He is also a proud U.S. Army veteran (Desert Storm and several real-world missions), bringing forward the discipline, leadership, and service mindset shaped during his military career. Kenneth holds a master’s degree in business from the University of Denver and is the co-author of several books, including Parables on Leadership Values and The Community Power Model – A Pathway to Equity. His leadership has helped strengthen mission-driven organizations, expand community impact, and secure critical resources to advance health and social equity nationwide. 

David Hopkins  

President & CEO  

Urban League of Greater Hartford  

What does health equity and advocacy mean to you?  Health equity and advocacy to me mean access to and a voice in attaining quality affordable primary care, as well as a  place for diverse representation among caregivers.” 

Biography: David Hopkins is President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Hartford, a not-profit 501(c)3 whose mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment. Since joining the agency in 2019, Hopkins has grown the budget from $1MM to $2.5MM through aggressive fundraising and cost management, strategic partnerships, and expanded programming. Passionate about culture, systems, and resources aligning, he previously served as CEO of a $12MM community health center, ran an independent consultancy, and was SVP at PNC Bank in Public Finance and Community Development Banking. Hopkins earned a BA in Economics from Guilford College, an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, and has a certificate in Non-profit Leadership from Boston College. 

Ellen Carter 

Vice President of Program 

Connecticut Health Foundation  

Linkden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecarter/ 

What does health equity and advocacy mean to you? It means that people who are most affected by the policies and practices that comprise our health systems are engaged and advocating for improvements to these systems. We have a long way to go to ensure equitable access to high-quality care, and engaging with advocates is an essential part of the process. 

Biography: Ellen Carter is vice president of program at the Connecticut Health Foundation. She oversees the foundation’s programmatic strategy, which includes grantmaking, policy, leadership, and evaluation. She enjoys working with grantees and partners to creatively address and reduce health disparities. Previously, Ellen was a vice president of program and strategy at Connecticut Community Foundation, where she guided grantmaking efforts and community engagement work. Before joining philanthropy, she was the director of programs for the Connecticut Association for Human Services. In this role, she led efforts to build economic and food security for low-income families. Ellen is a graduate of College of the Holy Cross and has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Connecticut. 

 

Dr. Kristen Ek, MD, FACP 

Hospitalist and Assistant Professor 

UConn School of Medicine  

What does health equity and advocacy mean to you? The opportunity to be our healthiest selves belongs in everyone’s hands. Advocacy is the work we do to promote that goal for each other-  and take down any unfair barriers that stand in its way. 

Biography: Dr. Kirsten Ek, MD, FACP, is a hospitalist physician. She completed her medical degree and residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Connecticut, and holds a public health certificate on Climate Change & Health from Yale University.  She is involved in both undergraduate and graduate medical education, including community-informed health and environmental topics in the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry curriculum, and directs the Internal Medicine Residency’s Community Health Alliance Track. She is a member of UCONN Health’s Sustainability Committee. She is on the board of directors for Connecticut Health Professionals for Climate Action, and on the steering committee of the Connecticut Coalition for Climate Action 

Khadija Poitras-Rhea, LCSW 

Associate Vice President

Population Health UConn Health 

Organization Website:  https://www.uconnhealth.org/ 

What does healthy equity and advocacy mean to you? “Health equity means ensuring every individual has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their highest level of health, regardless of systemic barriers that have negatively impacted marginalized communities. Advocacy is our opportunity to connect voices to action and empower communities to shape the systems that serve them.” 

Biography: Khadija Poitras- Rhea, LCSW received her graduate degree from Smith College in Northampton, MA. She previously held an Executive Director position at Trinity Health of New England, building their population health programs and regionalizing their care management structure. Khadija started at UConn Health in 2018 as the Assistant Vice President of Population Health. In that role, she has developed numerous care management programs, quality improvement programs, and data analytics to support value-based care initiatives. She has built an interdisciplinary team including nurses, social workers, community health specialists, a pharmacist and management structure to operationalize programs and improve health outcomes for UConn Health patients. Khadija has expanded UConn Health’s involvement in value-based agreements, significantly increased revenue associated with incentive programs and championed the development of our Accountable Care Organization (ACO). Her efforts have positioned UConn Health as a major player in the Population Health space and support our continued success in value-based care. 

 

Dr. Tricia Leahey 

Professor and Director 

University of Connecticut

Organization Website: https://chip.uconn.edu/  

What does healthy equity and advocacy mean to you? Ensuring every individual has an equal opportunity to be healthy and leveraging my positionality and voice to achieve this goal. 

Biography: Dr. Tricia Leahey is Director of UConn’s Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention and Policy, Co-Director of the UConn Weight Management Research Group, and Professor of Allied Health Sciences. She completed her clinical psychology internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Brown Medical School with specializations in behavioral medicine and lifestyle interventions for obesity treatment. Dr. Leahey is a leader in the field of lifestyle interventions for weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Dr. Leahey is currently PI or Co-I on several NIH-funded trials that examine the efficacy of mHealth technology, peer support, partner support, and behavioral economics strategies for weight loss or weight loss maintenance in diverse populations. Her research also examines the effectiveness of methodological aspects of clinical trials, including behavioral run-ins and best practices for increasing accessibility to clinical trial participation, including remote trial procedures. Dr. Leahey’s research has been continuously funded by the NIH throughout her career. She was a standing member of the NIH’s Psychosocial Risk and Disease Prevention Study Section, has served as Chair or Co-Chair of NIH grant review panels, has numerous publications, and served on the editorial board for several journals. Dr. Leahey has received several awards for her research from international and national scientific communities such as The Obesity Society and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. She has also been recognized for teaching and mentorship, receiving UConn’s Teaching Excellence Award and Brown University’s Psychology Research Mentor Award. Her research findings have been published in top journals (e.g., JAMA Internal Medicine) and featured in major media outlets, including NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, ABC News, Forbes, and The Huffington Post. 

 

Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin 

Executive Director

Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health

Organization website: https://wp.cga.ct.gov/creph/ 

What does healthy equity and advocacy mean to you? Health equity means everyone, regardless of wealth, race, and any other factor used to divide people and consolidate power, has the opportunity and resources to attain their best health. The only chance we have at making this a reality is if people advocate for it. 

Biography: Pareesa Charmchi Goodwin is the inaugural executive director of the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health for the Connecticut General Assembly. She is a public health and public policy professional, focused on the systems that shape our health options and outcomes. Prior to her current role, she served as the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative’s executive director, where she advocated for oral health access and equity through advancements in coverage and financing, workforce development, and medical-dental integration. Pareesa has also worked in state-level policy analysis and advocacy at Community Catalyst, in municipal policy and practices to support recovery from substance use disorders for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and in health policy research focused on financing strategies for children and youth with special health care needs on public and private insurance. She holds a master’s in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from Boston University School of Public Health.