Amplifying Community Partnerships to Advance Health Equity and Research

Scott Rhodes, PhD, is Chair of the Department of Social Science and Health Policy and directs the Program in Community Engagement within the Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute. He has published more than 250 articles and book chapters on the health of vulnerable populations, including immigrants, Latinx persons, and sexual and gender minorities, harnessing community-engaged research approaches such as community-based participatory research (CBPR).  Dr. Rhode’s has developed, implemented and evaluated more than 10 evidence-based behavioral and community-level interventions designed to reduce HIV risk among Latinx and African American/Black populations. Several are included in the CDC Compendium of Evidence-based Interventions and Best Practices for HIV Prevention. 

Lavondia has spent more than 23 years in the healthcare arena, propelling organizations forward through practice transformation. Her experience in the healthcare setting spans from clinical, managerial, data, analytics and quality improvement to executive leadership in the private, public, non-profit, and government sector. 

Through value-based care and patient centered approaches, she has assisted organizations in understanding how quality improvement practices and data analytics can create revenue making opportunities by leveraging existing and implementing new practices. 

Lavondia has a passion in serving the underserved population. As the Chief Quality Officer at a large Federally Qualified Health Center, she has created programs to reduce healthcare disparities, lower the cost of care, and promote quality care while satisfying patients and healthcare workers. 

Keeping pace with the dynamics of the healthcare delivery system and transforming data into actionable strategies for improving health, Lavondia has been able to achieve national quality awards for her organizations, develop strategic relationships with varying healthcare entities to reduce barriers to care, and achieve patient centered medical home for multiple practice sites. 

Lavondia is a Registered Nurse from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, with a Masters in Nursing Informatics and Business Administration. 

Lavondia is a trained Community and Patient Advocate for Research and serves as Co-Chair of the NCI designated Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Community Advisory Board.

Scott began his journey with HOPE of Winston-Salem in November 2017 after relocating from Chicago. Formerly in the private sector, Scott made a career change back in 2008 and dedicated himself to ensuring all children and families have access to nutritious food supplies. He lives in Winston-Salem with his wife and daughter.

Board-certified general pediatrician and NIH-funded clinical researcher with expertise in obesity prevention and treatment in early childhood, specifically related to picky eating, parental concern about their child’s growth, and social determinants of health such as food insecurity. My research focuses on evaluating how parental feeding practices are associated with child stress and a child’s later risk of obesity. Lead researcher on the Winston Salem Weaver fire research study

Daniel Sostaita was born in Argentina (01-02-1964), married with Irene Sostaita 34 years ago, as a result of our marriage we have three daughters: Barbara, Daniela and Victoria and a beautiful dog Bobby.

We immigrated to this generous country in December 1998, from then until today our life has been developed in our community of Forsyth County.

I am a graduate of Grace Seminary in Pastoral Studies 2004-2008. 

Master in Divinity at the Baptist Telogical Institute of Cali Colombia 2010-2012

Professional Coach graduated in Metodo CC 2019

Life Coach graduate Emory University 2018-2019
 

Doctorate Honor and Cause awarded by International Theological University NC 2022 T.I.U.

Pastor and Founder of the Iglesia Cristiana Sin Fronteras Church since 2007 until today.

I function as a life coach for the Health Department for the minority program for people with pre-diabetes. Since 2019 until today

I am a community organizer for the Congreso de Organizaciones Latinas NC.

This year we finalized all the paperwork for a new non-profit organization Nuestra Comunidad, Inc. with the purpose of building a healthy, socially just and equitable society.

Pastor Tembila Christine Covington is an esteemed and knowledgeable leader, embodying the role of a servant leader to make the audience feel valued and respected. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Shaw University and a Master of Science in Agricultural Education from NC Agricultural & Technical State University. As the Pastor of Exodus United Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC, she applies her academic background to her pastoral duties and community leadership. Raised in Burkina Faso, West Africa, she is a bi-vocational pastor and Community Engagement and Impact Director at Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods. Pastor Covington’s influence on various boards in Winston-Salem and her unwavering commitment to community transformation is a testament to her dedication. She is unafraid to challenge mindsets and belief systems that affect our people, reflecting her values and deep care for the community. Her work is not just a job but a reflection of her values and deep care for the community. She is a servant leader dedicated to serving all people, driven by a vision of a brighter tomorrow for everyone. The boards she serves on in Winston-Salem are Atkins, CDC, Happy Hill Neighborhood Association Advisory Council to the board, the first female Pastor in a leadership position with the Rowan Baptist Association as 2nd Vice Moderator, Community Police Review Board, first woman Pastor At Exodus UBC, board member at Trellis Supportive Care Foundation, and Board Chair at Smart Start of Forsyth County, Additionally, she has recently launched her consulting business, The Little Village Circle LLC, aiming to create a brighter tomorrow for everyone.

Dr. Ana Sucaldito is a social and behavioral scientist passionate about addressing health inequities impacting marginalized Asian and Asian American refugees, immigrants, and diaspora members through evidence-based interventions and research. She earned her PhD and MPH from The Ohio State University, where she worked in the community through local and statewide nonprofits and health coalitions. She later completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Wake Forest’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute where she received further training in community-based participatory research (CBPR). With experience across her many positionalities as a community member, community partner, and academic, Ana knows the importance of working with communities, not “to” or “for” them. She uses CBPR and mixed methods to create partnerships which prioritize equitable power-sharing between community and academic partners. Some of her research focuses include mental health promotion with the Karenni Community of Winston-Salem and language access advocacy for limited English proficient Asian Americans with NC Asian Americans Together.

Ucheoma Nwaozuru is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Implementation Science. 

Her training and research experience have involved qualitative research methodology, community-based participatory research, crowdsourcing, and social innovations for health and the use of these principles to promote health equity, intervention adoption, and sustainability. Her work promotes the adoption, dissemination, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions, particularly in resource-limited Settings. Nwaozuru has led and collaborated on a wide range of community-engaged projects to improve health outcomes, particularly cancer prevention, HIV self-testing, and HPV vaccine uptake. She has played a key role in co-designing and implementing interventions that directly involve communities in identifying and overcoming barriers to healthcare access. In addition to her research, Dr. Nwaozuru is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of researchers and public health professionals. She actively supports students, young people, and researchers, guiding them in the implementation of science and community engagement with a focus on real-world applications of research to promote health equity.

John Chaffin serves as the Community Navigation Coordinator at the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP), where he leads a team of five peer navigators dedicated to supporting individuals living with HIV. As the community partner collaborating with Wake Forest School of Medicine on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative, John is committed to advancing health equity and improving outcomes for underserved populations, particularly those living with HIV and those in the queer community in Western North Carolina. Drawing on his background in public health and community engagement, he brings expertise in navigating complex healthcare systems and building meaningful partnerships to address critical public health challenges in the rural region.”