Welcome New SPH Faculty and Staff, Fall 2020

George L. Askew, MD, FAAP is the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Health, Human Services and Education for Prince George’s County, Maryland. He is responsible for oversight of the county’s Health Department, Department of Family Services, Department of Social Services, and the liaison relationships to the public schools, library system, and community college. Dr. Askew is former Deputy Commissioner of Health in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where he was responsible for overseeing and managing the Division of Family and Child Health. Prior to that, he was appointed by the Obama Administration to serve as the first Chief Medical Officer for the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Askew was born and raised in inner-city Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a BA in Psychology and Social Relations at Harvard University, is a graduate of the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Class of 1992 Epidemic Intelligence Service, also known as the “Disease Detectives.”

Dr. Morgan received her PhD in Human Development and Family Science: Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech. Dr. Morgan is engaged in family science research focusing on the health, well-being, and resilience of families experiencing parental incarceration. Dr. Morgan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an AAMFT approved supervisor. Dr. Morgan is also heavily involved in policy work, advancing research that explores mental healthcare policy and serving as a statewide legislative policy leader for organizations including AAMFT and the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Dahai Yue is a health economist whose research focuses on deploying medicine, economic theories, and rigorous methods to understand better how social factors shape health and healthcare-seeking behaviors. The overarching goal of his research is to integrate social determinants of health into the study of healthcare delivery systems to improve care efficiency and reduce health disparities. His work has been featured in top journals, including Health Affairs and Health Services Research. He received his Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management (Economics Cognate) from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Garcia Cosavalente, PhD is a communication specialist with experience in Latin America and the USA. She brings a background in health communication and strategic planning and organizational, research and analytical skills. Her research interests are related to health information-seeking behaviors and women’s health in Latin America.

Ms. Spann is a Certified Community Health Working in Prince George's County Maryland and a passionate team member in public health. She has been working in public health and health literacy since 2012. Monica was one of the speakers for the 2018 Health Literacy in Action Conference at the University of Maryland, College Park. She contributed to Prince George's County Health Department's Health Enterprise Zone initiative which was responsible for erecting five new medical practices in area code 20743. Monica now serves on the Maryland Department of Health's Community Health Worker Training Program Accreditation Committee and facilitates health and self-management courses for Stanford University's Living Well Program. In addition, she is a Certified Insurance Navigator for the state of Maryland and a Certified Soar Case Worker where she helps people experiencing the challenges of homelessness to access resources and benefits available to them. Monica is the mother of two and would love to travel the world to see how health literacy is handled in all countries.

Dr. Rosenberg Goldstein is a water quality specialist, analyzing the microbial quality of a variety of water types and produce grown with that water, the most effective ways to communicate about these issues, and the perceptions and behaviors related to water use. She is the co-project director for extension and outreach with CONSERVE, a USDA-funded Center of Excellence at the Nexus of Sustainable Water Reuse, Food and Health. Dr. Goldstein is currently working on projects evaluating the safety of harvested rainwater for produce irrigation, measuring neural responses to water reuse videos, and determining the use of gardening as a stress management technique. She previously worked as an environmental communications specialist, consulting with the US Environmental Protection Agency. She received a PhD in Toxicology and Environmental Health and an MPH in Environmental Health Sciences from the University of Maryland, and a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Hannah Tralka is a Faculty Research Assistant for the UMD Prevention Research Center, assisting with research tasks and communications around LGBTQ+ mental health. She graduated from University of Maryland with a BS in psychology, certificate in LGBT Studies, and minor in neuroscience. As an undergraduate, she was a sexual health peer at the Health Center, a research assistant in the Global Mental Health and Addiction Program and the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Health Lab, and a leader of multiple student organizations. Her research interests intersect around public health, psychology, and activism, including culturally competent and trauma-informed training for mental and sexual healthcare providers and peer-delivered interventions for substance use.

Danielle M. Barnard is a nationally certified victim advocate, CA, serving as a Case Manager at the SAFE Center. In addition to her experience in victim advocacy, Danielle has a background in social justice, community development, international development, and diversity and inclusion. Before coming to the SAFE Center, Ms. Barnard worked as a legal advocate for survivors of sexual assault in Southwest Michigan for the Cora Lamping Center in Benton Harbor, MI. 

Amelia Rubenstein, MSW, LCSW-C is the Director of Research and Programs at the SAFE Center where she oversees direct services, program evaluation, research, and policy initiatives. Ms. Rubenstein has advocated for trafficking survivors for over eight years in both clinical and macro capacities. Ms. Rubenstein is dedicated to assisting youth-serving agencies and organizations to address the issue of human trafficking, particularly among system-involved youth. As an experienced forensic social worker, Ms. Rubenstein has been qualified as an expert witness and provides testimony on sexual violence, trauma, and victimization. Ms. Rubenstein previously oversaw the Anti-Trafficking Program at TurnAround, Inc., a victim services non-profit in Baltimore where managed a program providing clinical services to survivors of human trafficking. 

Jannina Santana is the Paralegal for the Legal Services Team at the UMD SAFE Center. She has over 7 years of experience as a Paralegal in various firm settings. During her five years at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP, she assisted in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) pro-bono cases. She is fluent in both Spanish and English. She is currently attending Prince George’s Community College to earn her Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies.

Karina Velasco is a bilingual licensed bachelor level social worker. Karina has extensive outreach, recruitment, and advocacy experience working with Latino youth and families. Karina has worked with the immigrant community in different capacities over the past decade, beginning with her work as a youth leader with CASA de Maryland helping bring change and educational opportunities for undocumented students through the passage of the Maryland Dream Act. She also served as the Outreach Specialist and later Case Manager for the Adelante youth program at the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers (MMYC) in Langley Park, MD.