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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.
Yadira Perez, PH.D candidate - INSIGHTS Program Director
Born and raised in the South Bronx. Yadira Perez. She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Anthropology and a concentration in Latino Studies and International Relations and received an Anthropology Masters' degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently writing her dissertation on Race, Immigration and the Dominican Nation in pursuit of a Doctorate in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Virginia. Yadira's position as Senior Research Associate at the Latino Commission on AIDS brings together both her academic and personal passions for research and social activism.
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.
Erika Morillo, MA - Capacity Building Assistance Specialist
Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Erika Morillo has a very interdisciplinary background encompassing experience in Psychology, Social Work, Fine Arts, and Sociology. For the past five years Erika has worked with the Latino community in the nonprofit sector. She has worked as a Case Manager at the Hispanic Counseling Center in Long Island, and as an Art Therapist at the Mental Health Association of Nassau County, where she coordinated extensive services for Latino individuals suffering from mental illness. She coordinated the Prevention and Education Component at Alianza Dominicana's HOPE Program, working mainly with at risk LGBT youth of color.
She has a strong interest in qualitative research, specifically on the topics of cultural heritage, Caribbean gay culture, and urban studies. She has performed different ethnographic studies both in the Dominican Republic and New York City, covering issues of gay culture and socioeconomic status of Latino populations. She has a Bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology from Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), and a Master's degree in Sociology from The New School for Social Research. She is also a substitute teacher at the Pan American International High School, teaching evening ESL classes to the diverse Latino students.
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