Fellows Profiles Listed by Partners

As mandated by the Affordable Care Act and as part of the 2022 St. Luke's University Health Network’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), Marilyn is tasked with building a new template for the network's 11-campus CHNAs. Combining epidemiological data analysis with user-friendly design, her template will ensure a public health resource for both hospital professionals and community members. At the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley (HCLV), Marilyn supports grant writing and development where she was instrumental to securing $60,000+ in grant funds within the first 60 days of her fellowship. Joint HCLV-SLUHN projects focus on Marilyn's passion for health equity, including conducting background research for SLUHN diversity models, and program evaluation of SLUHN healthcare pipeline programs. Marilyn is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.

Chris did research on the social determinants of health affecting communities throughout the Lehigh Valley. He helped author five sections of St. Luke’s 2016-2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), covering topics ranging from housing and blight, to food access, air and water quality. In addition to research and writing for the CHNA, Chris also assisted in the implementation of St. Luke’s pilot summer feeding program.

Reilly also assisted with the Affordable Care Act-mandated Community Health Needs Assessments, helping build the foundation of the report by gathering and organizing secondary data. Reilly also created integrated medicine resource maps for the St. Luke’s Cancer Center, conducted elder health focus groups, and worked on a dental planning and development grant.

Samantha worked on data collection, analysis, and writing for the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) reports for each of St. Luke's hospital campuses. She integrated primary data from focus group interviews and community surveys, and conducted secondary data analyses in order to create seven cohesive reports outlining the health needs faced by the communities each hospital serves. Samantha even developed a CHNA implementation guide, designed to streamline the assessment process in the next cycle.

Sara worked closely with the Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley on promoting health equity in the local community. Her work included assisting with strategic planning, capacity building, and data analysis. She also helped develop a new program aimed at increasing the engagement of fathers in their children’s lives, and with the St. Luke’s Community Health Needs Assessment.

Marissa worked on collecting and analyzing data for the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) required under the Affordable Care Act. She gathered primary and secondary data for the study, led community focus groups, and developed surveys. She assisted in writing the final report, creating trend diagrams and tracking and summarizing demographic and health disparity statistics for the six hospitals in the St. Luke’s network.

Christina is a Community Fellow with St. Luke’s Community Health Department, working in the Fowler Family Center at Bethlehem’s Donegan Elementary School. She assists with the “Youth Succeeding in Schools” program funded by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. Christina works with the Fowler Center’s family development specialists to collect information concerning the students enrolled in the program, and maintains and updates a database for the enrolled students regarding their academic progress and social service needs. She also contributes to the Family Center’s bi‐monthly board meetings to discuss activities, programs and progress, and is assisting with the Family Center’s community needs assessment. Christina is able to connect with Donegan students in school, as well, through programs such as “Reading Rocks!” This spring she is working on developing other academically‐connected programs or initiatives with Donegan and the Fowler Family Center. Christina is a M.A. candidate in Sociology.

Rachel is a Community Fellow with St. Luke’s Community Health Department, working in the Fowler Family Center at Bethlehem’s Donegan Elementary School. She assists with the “Youth Succeeding in Schools” program funded by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, working with the Fowler Center’s family development specialists to collect information concerning the students enrolled in the program, maintaining and updating a database for the enrolled students to track their academic progress and social service needs, and analyzing data for the YSS annual report. Rachel connects with Donegan students in school as a program coordinator for “Reading Rocks!” and "Reach Out and Read" and will develop other academically-connected programs or initiatives with Donegan and the Fowler Family Center this year. Rachel is an M.A. candidate in Sociology.

Will is a Community Fellow with the AIDS Services Center (ASC), part of St. Luke's Community Health Department. Will works to fight both the spread of HIV and the spread of stigma and misinformation about the virus. His specific tasks include giving HIV information presentations at local high schools; establishing stronger links between the ASC and local LGBT community groups and college student groups; and utilizing social media to disseminate information about HIV and safe sex. His primary objective has been to facilitate the creation of a Peer Program for ASC clients and tofoster two-directional relationships between providers and clients. Will is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.