Three new staff members and two interns join CHRT and the Washtenaw Health Initiative to support active work groups. Please join us in welcoming them to the work.
Staff members
Matthew Hill will support the WHI’s Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders (MHSUD) Work Group, Washtenaw SUD System Transformation initiative, and Opioid Project. Hill is a certified peer recovery coach through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and comes to the WHI from Home of New Vision where he served as program manager for the Washtenaw Recovery Advocacy Project, a county-wide recovery community organization that works to eliminate the stigma surrounding SUD, to educate the community about SUD, and to help build a recovery-oriented community. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience, with a minor in medical anthropology.
Samantha Iovan is a senior health and human services analyst at CHRT and will be supporting the Washtenaw Health Initiative UNITE Group and Medicaid and Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment (MMOE) Work Group. Prior to joining CHRT, Iovan worked as a project manager in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan. There, she oversaw health services research projects focused on addressing cardiac arrest outcomes in the state of Michigan and improving care coordination and patient-centered care. Before joining Michigan Medicine, Iovan managed multiple population health policy projects at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy. She led data collection and analysis efforts to understand Pay for Success (PFS) financing models and interventions to address superutilizers of acute care. Iovan holds a master’s degree in public health from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Michigan.
Myra M. Tetteh will support the WHI’s Vital Seniors work. Tetteh is a senior healthcare analyst at CHRT. For Vital Seniors, a cohort of multiple organizations in Washtenaw County creating actionable solutions to problems faced by seniors and their caregivers, Tetteh will provide project management support. She comes to CHRT and the WHI from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, where she developed program evaluation measures for grantees, wrote and reviewed requests for proposals, and revamped multiple award programs. She also worked as a program coordinator on the translation of physical science to urban community audiences at two federally-funded research centers: the Michigan Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities (CIAHD) and the Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease (M-LEEaD). Tetteh formerly served as a public health policy analyst at the Detroit Health Department where she coordinated multiple projects, including work on food systems and the built environment. She holds a doctorate in public health, a master’s degree in public policy, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of Michigan.
Interns
Lovella Calica is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. At CHRT, Lovella will be supporting the Washtenaw Health Initiative and working with Resilience Washtenaw Collaborative to assist in organizing activities and, potentially, trauma-informed care trainings. In addition, Lovella will support efforts related to connecting public safety and mental health. Before joining the CHRT team, Lovella started a creativity and wellness non-profit for veterans called Warrior Writers. She is the founder and current director of this Philadelphia-based national organization and has experience in community organizing, facilitation, training, leadership development, grant-writing, editing, relationship management, project planning, and development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in child development from Central Michigan University.
Fatu Kamara is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with a concentration in management and human services and a specialization in mental health. Her minor is social policy. At CHRT, Fatu is the student volunteer coordinator for the Medicaid and Marketplace Outreach and Enrollment (MMOE) Group. Fatu earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in women and gender studies from Eastern Michigan University. Before joining the CHRT team, she worked for an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit, Community Alliance for Southeastern Michigan, which served people with developmental disabilities. She also volunteered as a research assistant at the Parenting Project at Eastern Michigan University, which explored the attachment between parents and infants. She has a passion for outreach and increasing community involvement.