The Community Health Worker Research & Resource Center (CHW-RRC) brings together faculty and staff across NYU Langone Health and partner organizations who are dedicated to strengthening the skills, visibility, and sustainability of community health workers (CHWs), patient navigators, lay health workers, and people in similar roles. Through training, information-sharing, convenings, research, and advocacy, the CHW-RRC advances opportunities for CHWs within the NYU Langone system and contributes to broader efforts across New York City and beyond. A core team of faculty and staff leads CHW-RRC operations and collaborative initiatives.

Faculty and Staff

Amy Freeman, PhD, MPH
Co-Director, Community Health Worker Research & Resource Center
Research Associate Professor, Department of Population Health

Denise Navarrete
Project Coordinator, Department of Population Health

Dina Pimenova, MPH
Project Manager, Department of Population Health

Jennifer Zanowiak, MA
Senior Program Manager, Department of Population Health

Kayla Fennelly, MPH
Senior Research Coordinator, Department of Population Health

Laura Wyatt, MPH
Research Data Manager, Department of Population Health

Meghan Armocida, MPH
Research Coordinator, Department of Population Health

Nadia S. Islam, PhD
Professor, Department of Population Health

Sahnah Lim, PhD, MPH, MIA
Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health

Sue A. Kaplan, JD
Director, NYU Langone Community Service Plan
Research Professor, Department of Population Health

Advisory Group

The CHW-RRC Advisory Group convenes experts across NYU Langone Health who have developed, implemented, and evaluated models of care and community outreach that employ CHWs and care navigators. Members represent programs including the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, the Department of Population Health, and Perlmutter Cancer Center. The group meets twice a year to discuss CHW-RRC programming, priorities, and activities.

Anita McFarlane, MPH
Senior Program Manager, Beatrice W. Welters Breast Health Outreach and Navigation Program, Perlmutter Cancer Center

Antoinette Schoenthaler, EdD
Professor, Department of Population Health and Department of Medicine

Jason Hyde, LMSW, MEd, C-ASWCM
Director, Patient Navigation Center, NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn

Nadia S. Islam, PhD
Professor, Department of Population Health

Rebecca Gallager, LMSW
Senior Director, Youth and Adolescent Services, Family Health Centers at NYU Langone

Our internal partners who collaborate with the CHW-RRC include the NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center, the Clinical & Translational Science Institute , and the Lerner Health Promotion Program. We also partner with CHW programs at organizations across New York City.