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Research & Evaluation Department
BIOGRAPHIES
Miriam Vega, Ph.D. - Director of Research and Evaluation
Dr. Vega is the head of the Research and Evaluation department and is also the principal investigator on numerous research projects at the Commission. Dr. Vega has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA from Vassar College in Psychology. Immediately after her Ph.D, she completed a two-year Prevention Fellowship at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, sponsored by the Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A majority of her Social Psychological research has focused on the issues of interpersonal communications, stigma, the self-report methodology, culture, social marketing, and health. Some specific research programs include: assessing the impact of stigma on STD transmissions and prevention, assessing the impact of stigma on adherence to medication regimen, identifying disclosure scripts, understanding changes in self-identity after testing positive for an HIV or other STD, and improving social marketing techniques.
Andrew Spieldenner, Ph.D. - Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation
Dr. Spieldenner is Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation and serves as co-investigator with Dr. Vega on various research and evaluation initiatives. Dr. Spieldenner has a Ph.D. in Health Communication from Howard University, MA from University of California, Los Angeles in Theater, and BA in Ethnic Studies from University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Spieldenner has held senior staff positions at the National Association of People with AIDS, the New York City Department of Health, and the Black AIDS Institute. He possesses over fifteen years of program implementation and capacity building experience. His research focuses on HIV-related stigma and disclosure, intercultural communication, health media, and sexuality. He was the primary author on the NYC DOH report, Assessing the HIV Prevention Needs of Immigrant Men who have Sex with Men, and third author on the Institute for Gay Men's Health assessment of HIV prevention for gay and bisexual men of color. He has produced and evaluated health media for HIV prevention, STI awareness, tobacco cessation, and West Nile Virus. Dr. Spieldenner was the PI on three cooperative agreements: two with the CDC, and one for the Office of Minority Health. All three projects built capacity in organizations and communities for people living with HIV/AIDS, especially around stigma reduction and increased HIV testing in high-risk communities.
Bertha Ramos - Data Manager
Bertha has been with the Latino Commission on AIDS since 2004, she obtained a Bachelors of Arts with a focus in Psychology from the City College of the City University of NY. Bertha has gained thorough knowledge of the programs offered at the Latino Commission on AIDS as she has transitioned from volunteer and to program coordinator of the Capacity Building Assistance program Manos Unidas. As program coordinator she filled many roles, but most importantly assisted with the program evaluation efforts, in which she worked passionately and diligently on managing data. In her new role as Data Manager she will focus on providing quality assurance of internal programmatic datasets and teach others about the importance of data collection.
Nilda Casiano, MSW - Program Coordinator
Nilda was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn New York. Her interest in social service and research fields came from her desire to work in a field where she could be of service to needed populations and facilitate positive change. Nilda has an extensive history working in direct services in various capacities such as Substance Abuse Counseling, HIV Counseling and Testing, Research Assistant, and Mental Health Consultant. Nilda graduated from Long Island University with a Master’s degree in Social Work and her direct practicum was Non-for-profit Management and Clinical Social Work. Nilda is also a CASAC – T and a Certified Phlebotomist. Her role as the Program Coordinator will involve all aspects of program administration and coordination of the department. Nilda enjoys growing professionally, dancing, traveling and exploring amazing life experiences.
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