People at HSRI
Julie Bershadsky
Research Associate
Dr. Bershadsky is the primary statistician and data analyst on several projects at HSRI. She works on the National Core Indicators (NCI) project, an effort to develop indicators and benchmarks of performance across 30 states developmental disabilities service systems. She also works on Sage Resources, an effort to use assessment to develop the best match of waiver dollars to the support needs of participants. She holds a BA in Statistics and a PhD in Health Services Research from the University of Minnesota.
Teresita Camacho-Gonsalves
Senior Research Specialist
Dr. Camacho-Gonsalves is a Senior Research Specialist at HSRI currently involved in the SAMHSA-funded National Evaluation of SAMHSA’s Homeless Programs. Past projects included involvement in the evaluations of the: SAMHSA-funded HIV/AIDS Related Mental Health Services in Minority Communities project in the Cambridge Health Alliance; SAMHSA-funded Services in Supportive Housing Program; SAMHSA-funded Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant; SAMHSA-funded Minority Fellowship Program; SAMHSA-funded Co-Occurring State Incentive Grants; Hogg Foundation for Mental Health Seclusion and Restraint Reduction Project; SAMHSA-funded eight-site project on alternative interventions for the reduction and elimination of the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health facilities; and the SAMHSA-funded Consumer and Consumer Supported Technical Assistance Centers. Dr. Camacho-Gonsalves served as the Assistant Director of the SAMHSA-funded Technical Assistance Center for the Evaluation of Adult Mental Health Systems Change for eight years and headed the Multicultural Issues in Evaluation Program. Prior to joining HSRI, she served as Special Assistant for Multicultural Projects at the Department of Mental Health in Boston, Massachusetts. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of New Hampshire.
Leanne Candura
Research Associate/Project Manager
Ms. Candura is Research Associate at HSRI. She is currently involved with business development. Prior to this role, Ms. Candura was the assistant project director for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She has also worked at HSRI as a Research Analyst for CSAP’s Data Consolidation and Coordination Center (DCCC). Before joining HSRI, Ms. Candura worked as a Research Associate at OMNI Research and Training in Denver, Colo. At OMNI, she honed her research and management skills working on a variety of prevention research and evaluation projects funded through SAMHSA and the Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. She holds a master's degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Stonehill College in Easton, Mass.
Clifton Chow
Research Associate
Mr. Chow is a Project Manager and Analyst at Human Services Research Institute who has been with the institute for over 10 years. Mr. Chow currently serves as the manager and analyst of the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant Evaluation project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). He is also one of the analysts of the SAMHSA mental health Block Grant Cost-Efficiency simulation modeling project and the Cambridge Health Alliance HIV-AIDS mental health evaluation project. Mr. Chow also coordinates on-site training and data collection and implemented analysis using HSRIs computer simulation resource allocation modeling for doing needs assessment of adult mental health and substance abuse systems. Since joining HSRI, he has also managed the Evaluation Center’s Evidence-based Practices and Toolkits and Materials Program, also funded formerly by SAMHSA to deliver evaluation technical assistance to adult public mental health service agencies, served as project manager and analyst for gap analysis projects in the District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Mexico and Colorado, and managed SAMHSA’s Managed Care for Vulnerable Populations Project. Additionally, he has worked on the Employment Intervention and Demonstration Program. His primary areas of interest are quantitative synthesis and econometric analysis for evaluation using techniques such as meta-analysis, cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit analysis and duration model techniques (survival analysis). He is currently completing his dissertation on assessing policies to improve employment outcomes for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
Ben Cichocki
Policy Analyst
Mr. Cichocki is currently working on the MHT SIG cross-site evaluation and other projects. He has over 11 years experience in the field of mental health, including 7 years as a service provider. Prior to joining HSRI, Ben worked on an ACT program, at the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, and at Maine Medical Center, where he was involved with their PIER (EDIPPP) program. He has been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) since 2003, and is also a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP). Ben has a M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling with a specialty in Psychiatric Rehabilitation from Boston University, and is currently pursuing his doctorate (Sc.D.) in Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University, specializing in Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
Bevin Croft
Research Assistant
Ms. Croft assists with several projects related to mental health systems and program evaluation, including the Milwaukee County Mental Health System Redesign and the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant Evaluation. Prior to her work at HSRI, Ms. Croft was the Quality Management Coordinator at Cascap, Inc., a psychiatric rehabilitation provider in Cambridge, MA. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Policy at the Heller School at Brandeis as a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Fellow.
Anna Edwards
Financial Manager
Ms. Edwards has been with HSRI since 1997, she manages all financial components of the organization. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore School of Business and Economics and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University.
Joshua Engler
Policy Associate
Mr. Engler is the Project Coordinator for the National Core Indicators (NCI), an effort that began in 1997 to develop indicators and benchmarks of performance across state developmental disabilities service systems. He is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who, prior to HSRI, worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for 8 years in the public and private sectors. He holds a Master's degree in Evidence-Based Social Work from Oxford University, as well as a Master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Texas at Austin.
Rachel Fink
Software Developer
Ms. Fink joined HSRI in 2010 and has worked with several of HSRI’s survey and data collection applications. Prior to this, she worked as a Programmer/Analyst Lead at New England Research Institutes, where she developed systems for public health studies as well as clinical trials. Ms. Fink received a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Oberlin College and has done graduate-level work in Computer Science, Web Development, and Media Production.
Jon Fortune
Senior Research Specialist
Dr. Fortune is primarily responsible for managing and working on projects related to assessment informed resource allocation. Dr. Fortune also works to provide technical assistance to state leadership regarding system redesign and Medicaid services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 1990, Dr. Fortune joined the Wyoming Department of Health Developmental Disabilities Division where he held senior management positions. He was instrumental in designing and implementing Wyoming’s system of community services for persons with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury, including developing Medicaid HCBS waivers for both populations. Dr. Fortune also was the chief architect of the precedent- setting Wyoming DOORS model through which people with disabilities are assigned individual budgets based on their assessed needs and other factors. He has published extensively and made numerous presentations at national conferences concerning individual budgeting and community services.
Stephanie Giordano
Research Assistant
Ms. Giordano is a Project Coordinator with the National Core Indicators (NCI), an effort that began in 1997 to develop indicators and benchmarks of performance across state developmental disabilities service systems. She holds a Master's Degree from Suffolk University.
Dorothy Hiersteiner
Research Analyst
Dorothy Hiersteiner is a Research Analyst for the National Core Indicators (NCI), an effort that began in 1997 to develop indicators and benchmarks of performance across state developmental disabilities service systems. Prior to joining the developmental disabilities team, Dorothy worked as a contract research assistant with the mental health team at HSRI. Dorothy holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from Williams College in Williamstown, MA.
Katie Howard
Senior Research Analyst
Katie Howard, MPH., is a Senior Research Analyst on projects related to resource allocation and community support for individuals with disabilities. Her work primarily focuses on helping states reform developmental disability service systems. Prior projects at HSRI include working as Research Analyst on federal projects related to HIV, hepatitis and substance abuse prevention in minority communities. She is a certified health education specialist and holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in sociology with honors from the University of Oregon. She has worked on resource allocation projects in Alberta, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, and New Mexico.
Nilufer Isvan
Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Isvan is a senior research fellow at HSRI, and currently serves as the data analysis team lead for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She has previously conducted research and published in the areas of economic sociology, gender, work, and the family. She holds a doctorate degree in sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, a master’s degree in computer science and systems analysis from Bogazici University in Istanbul, and a bachelor’s degree in statistics and computer science from the University of London.
Sebrina Johniken
Office Manager - HSRI East
Ms. Johniken is an Office Manager at HSRI and handles office administration duties, including benefits and Human Resource Management. Ms. Johniken's background is in childcare and she has attended the Katharine Gibbs certificate program for Legal Administration and UMass Boston certificate program for Human Resource Management.
Yoshiko Kardell
Policy Analyst
Ms. Kardell is a policy analyst with HSRI and helps coordinate projects related to self-advocacy. She has several years of experience working for people with disabilities including providing direct support and state level advocacy. She has a graduate degree in Social Work from Portland State University and an undergraduate degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska – Omaha.
Madeleine Kimmich
Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Kimmich is a senior research fellow in HSRI's Oregon office, where she also co-directs the office. She leads HSRI’s Child & Family Services Team, with oversight responsibility for multiple projects in child welfare and children’s services. She currently directs a multi-year evaluation of Ohio's Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project, and guides multi-site research on the impact of Differential Response to reports of child abuse and neglect. She has previously done research and published in the areas of quality assurance, performance measurement, systems reform, and program effectiveness related to low-income populations of children and families, adolescents, the elderly, and people with developmental disabilities. She holds a Master's and a Doctorate in social welfare policy from the University of California-Berkeley.
Allie Kurlanski
Office Manager - East
Ms. Kurlanski manages the daily operations at the Massachusetts Ave Office. She provides HR support in multiple areas, including drafting policies and procedures, and assisting employees with benefits. Ms. Kurlanski is also the Administrator of the Institutional Review Board at HSRI. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Northeastern University.
Kate Mullins
Assistant Project Manager
Ms. Mullins currently assists with project management for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Northeastern University, where she is also currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration.
Julie Murphy
Project Manager
Ms. Murphy is the Project Manager for several multi-site child welfare evaluations in Ohio, including the IV-E Waiver, Kinship Navigator and Differential Response evaluations. She has been involved in coordinating numerous projects exploring issues in the field of child and family services and developmental disabilities, including alcohol and drug services, youth transition programs, family resource centers, early intervention programs, and performance and outcome measurement. She holds a Master's of Social Work from the University of Michigan, with a specialization in Administration and Evaluation.
Jennifer Negus
Policy Assistant
Ms. Negus is a Policy Assistant that works with HSRI's Developmental Disabilities team in Oregon. She supports multiple self-advocacy projects and works directly with self-advocates on a variety of day-to-day tasks including off-site coordination in multiple states, event planning, production of user-friendly materials for self-advocates, tracks project budgets and coordinates both the production of The Riot! e-newsletter and it’s National Conversation Series. She has worked for HSRI since 2002.
Linda Newton-Curtis
Research Associate
Ms. Newton-Curtis is a Research Associate at HSRI. She is currently involved in the evaluation of the Title IV-E Waiver Project in Ohio as well as an evaluation of Differential Response in Child Protective Services in six Ohio counties. Linda has been involved for several years in child welfare research and evaluation and has experience in both qualitative and quantitative methodology. She holds a Master’s degree in psychology from Portland State University.
Steven Noyes
Software Architect
Mr. Noyes manages the design, development, deployment and ongoing maintenance of web and database applications for numerous federal- and state-level projects including SAMHSA’s evaluation of the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant, National Core Indicators, the Minority Fellowship Program, and the Block Grant Cost-Efficiency Simulation Model. He is also responsible for data analysis and data processing tasks used in various statistical modeling and systems planning projects. Mr. Noyes joined HSRI in 2003 and worked previously as a senior programmer/analyst for the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership. He holds a Master's Degree in computer science from Boston University.
Laysha Ostrow
Consultant
Ms. Ostrow is a mental health consumer in recovery and a family member of person with mental illness, which informs her involvement in research and evaluation and approaches to technical assistance. She was Project Coordinator at HSRI on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded research study that looked at consumer perceptions of mental health treatment, quality of treatment care processes, and cultural competency for diverse racial/ethnic groups. Ms. Ostrow is writing educational guides for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations’ Office of Consumer Affairs on person-centered planning in mental health treatment, and provides technical assistance to mental health consumer advocacy groups on peer-run services. Ms. Ostrow assists on mental health system redesign projects using HSRI’s system planning simulation model. She has a B.S. in Psychology from Lesley University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Elizabeth Pell
Policy Analyst
Ms. Pell has worked in the advocacy field on behalf of persons with mental and physical disabilities for over twenty years. At HSRI, she has coordinated evaluation projects such as the National Evaluation of the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program and worked on numerous quality improvement projects involving individuals and families with developmental disabilities. Prior to HSRI, Ms. Pell worked as a Legal Advocate for persons with developmental and psychiatric disabilities with the federal Protection and Advocacy systems in Alabama and Massachusetts, as Director of an Elder Abuse and Protection department in Massachusetts, and as Director of Social Services with a hospice agency in Oregon.
Deborah Peterson
Research Analyst
Ms. Peterson is currently a Data Analyst on the SAMHSA-funded National Evaluation of SAMHSA’s Homeless Programs. Past projects included data analysis for SAMHSA-funded Services in Supportive Housing Program; SAMHSA-funded Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant; SAMHSA-funded Minority Fellowship Program; and the Data Analysis Consolidation and Coordination Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). She started work as research assistant for New Haven City Plan after which she moved on to a twenty year career in developing and monitoring community mental health and substance abuse treatment services while earning an MBA in Health Care Administration from Boston University. Subsequently, she earned an M.Ed and taught Middle School for many years . Before coming to HSRI, she was an analyst on an NIH funded study to determine the effectiveness of a high school based social norms campaign.
Deborah Potter
Senior Research Specialist
Dr. Potter is responsible for directing HSRI’s Evaluation of SAMHSA’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence. She has thirty years of research experience (in evaluation, survey, and public health research) including recent senior positions on HSRI’s Evaluation of SAMHSA’s Minority Fellowship Program; Evaluation of the National Child Stress and Trauma Network; and various state evaluations in child mental health. She has a joint Ph.D. (Sociology and Social Policy) from Brandeis University where she was awarded a 3-year Fellowship from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Helena Qvicklund
Policy Analyst
Ms. Qvicklund currently serves as the Policy Analyst (PA) on the Mental Health Team at HSRI. In her capacity as PA, Ms. Qvicklund provides direct support to the mental health team including extensive research support, assisting with project management and producing and editing project reports. Ms. Qvicklund has assisted with a number of projects at HSRI including serving on the local evaluation team for a SAMHSA grantee, producing data analysis tables for a behavioral health system needs assessment, crafting data collection instruments for a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) national evaluation and analyzing data and producing reports for a local evaluation of a peer-run crisis respite program. In her capacity of serving as administrative and project management support to the Mental Health Team, Ms. Qvicklund manages logistical support such as organizing team meetings, producing agendas and serving as the point of contact for meeting and project materials and/or information. During her pursuit of her Master’s degree, Ms. Qvicklund became familiar with SAMHSA programs and grantees while working at the Center for Social Innovation (C4SI). At C4SI, she provided administrative and research support to both the SAMHSA Services in Supportive Housing (SSH) Technical Assistance Center and the Substance SAMHSA’s Homelessness Resource Center. As a result, she expanded her knowledge on topics such as housing, homelessness, mental health and co-occurring disorders. Ms. Qvicklund also has considerable experience in the field of affordable housing.
Kevin Rogers
Research Associate/Application Developer
Mr. Rogers is a senior member of the Data Analysis Team for the Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center (DACCC) for SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). He develops, maintains and provides training for a variety of applications to support the team’s analytic and reporting needs. He is also the technical liaison to CSAP’s Data Information Technology Infrastructure Contract. Mr. Rogers previously worked for the Channing Bete Company developing analytic and report production software to support the company’s Communities That Care Youth Survey and other prevention science-related initiatives.
June Elizabeth Rowe
Senior Project Director
Since coming to the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) in 2001 Ms. Rowe has provided technical assistance and training in over 30 states and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the development of quality management and improvement systems that meet state and federal requirements for home and community based waiver services. As well she has provided assistance and training in such related areas as risk assessment, planning and management and incident reporting and investigation systems. She has worked extensively with states to develop monitoring instruments and review protocols (e.g., sampling, interview and record review guides), designed and conducted inter-rater reliability studies and provided training to state survey staff. Ms. Rowe received her C.A.G.S in Rehabilitation Counseling from Northeastern University.
Cheryl Sartori
Project Manager
Ms. Sartori works with the HSRI Developmental Disabilities team on a variety of projects, including the National Quality Enterprise (NQE) project, National Core Indicators (NCI), the Florida DD Council Organizational Functional Analysis, and the Georgia Delmarva projects. Ms. Sartori is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services at Northeastern University and is expected to complete her degree in June 2014.
Pat Shelton
Office Manager - HSRI West
Ms. Shelton has been managing the Oregon (Tualatin and Salem) offices since 2001. She handles all the day to day operations for these offices; including HR, Network Administration and Bookkeeping. Her background includes various Inventory, Customer Service and Office Management positions, as well as experience in HR and various staff training programs.
Drew Smith
Policy Analyst
Mr. Smith works on several projects related to developing person-centered funding strategies, assessing the impacts of service changes and reductions, and state-wide strategic planning and gap analyses for developmental disabilities services. While at HSRI, Mr. Smith has worked on resource allocation projects in Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Rhode Island, North Dakota, North Carolina and Virginia, as well as strategic planning projects in Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, North Carolina and Washington. Mr. Smith currently also works with the University of Minnesota on the Residential Information Systems Project (RISP) and the Family Information Systems Project (FISP). He is a graduate of Portland State University in Business Administration.
Amy Stuczynski
Research Associate
As part of the Child and Family Services Team at HSRI, Ms. Stuczynski has been involved in the evaluation of Ohio’s Title IV-E Child Welfare Demonstration Waiver since 2005. In particular, she has led the process and outcomes evaluations of the Waiver counties’ Family Team Meetings intervention, and played key roles in the evaluation of the counties’ use and support of kinship caregivers. Her other work includes conducting program reviews of the 20 Independent Living Programs contracted out to private agencies in Oregon which assist youth in foster care as they transition to adulthood. She has researched and published on the topics of implementation fidelity, cultural responsiveness, and family engagement. Before joining HSRI, she worked at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory where she conducted evaluation research and provided technical assistance to K-12 schools. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Sarah Taub
Senior Policy Specialist
Ms. Taub currently oversees HSRI’s work on the National Core Indicators (NCI) Program, an effort to measure indicators and benchmarks of performance across state developmental disabilities service systems, and is the lead for the California Quality Assessment Services project. She also provides technical assistance to states in the areas of quality assurance and improvement strategies and has worked with the SAGE Resources team on the development of individual resource allocation methods. Prior to joining HSRI, she worked for the NWW Committee for Community Living providing direct support to adults with intellectual disabilities. She holds a Master’s Degree in Management of Human Services from the Heller School at Brandeis University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Cornell University.
Lilia Teninty
Senior Policy Specialist
Ms. Teninty's work focuses on a variety of HSRI priorities including system re-design, resource allocation, self-directed services, family support, and quality improvement. She works with others at HSRI to generate policy solutions to promote community integration and self-direction. Ms. Teninty served for four years as the Director of the Illinois Division of Developmental Disabilities within the Department of Human Services. In that position she was responsible for all aspects of the state service delivery system that served 30,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities and had an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Most notably, she managed to make progress in Illinois to promote community centered responses to the needs of people with developmental disabilities, even in times of significant budget stress. Previously, she served as the Chief of Staff for the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, and has held a number of other management positions requiring expertise pertaining to state systems and Medicaid financing. Ms. Teninty earned a Masters in Public Affairs from Indiana University in Bloomington in 2000.
Lee Vorderer
Senior Project Director
Ms. Vorderer is primarily responsible for the Route to Success project, a systems change model that assists Developmental Disabilities Councils and other funders in thinking more systemically about their impact on supports and services. She is involved in a number of other evaluation projects, and has taught in special education and at the undergraduate and graduate levels for more than 40 years. She has a Master's Degree in Education from Vanderbilt University.
Cailin Wheeler
Research Assistant
Ms. Wheeler is a Research Assistant for the Child and Family Services Team at HSRI. She is currently working on the Evaluation of Ohio’s Title IV-E Waiver project. Cailin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Oregon and worked previously as a Research Assistant studying brain plasticity in young children at the Brain Development Lab at the University of Oregon.
Dow Wieman
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Wieman currently serves as Senior Research Associate at HSRI, where he has worked on a variety of projects involving evaluation of mental health care programs and systems at the federal, state and local level. He also serves as Research Coordinator at the Cambridge Health Alliance Department of Psychiatry in Cambridge, MA.