2022 NMACTion Annual Conference

April 27th from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

April 28th from 9:00 am - 2:30 pm

Free to attend!

Rejuvenation: Shame-Free Nicotine Prevention in Our Communities

Join us for two days of meaningful and relevant workshops and activities, and for the networking that will be facilitated – our field doesn’t often have this opportunity to come together for this degree of diverse education topics and discussion. The 3 tracks this year include:

◊ Hispanic/Latino Priority Population

◊ Health Equity in Commercial Tobacco Prevention/Control

◊ Policy and Advocacy in Public Health

6 CEU hours for Community Health Workers
6 CEU hours for Social Workers (NASW-NM)

REGISTRATION

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

The goals of the 2022 NMACTion Conference are:

Increase understanding and awareness about commercial tobacco & nicotine disparities specific to priority populations by deepening our understanding of prevention and cessation in Latino/Latinx communities.
Learn more about innovative ways to apply practice-informed policies and initiatives through a public health equity lens for a healthier New Mexico.

AGENDA

TRACK PRESENTERS

The New Mexico Allied Council on Tobacco is pleased to announce our presenters for the 2022 NMACTion Conference:

Amy Barkley has been with the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids for more than 21 years. She currently serves as the Director of Federal Field Operations. She works with partner organizations and a team of grassroots organizers and consultants in select states and congressional districts across the country to build constituent support for ending the sale of flavored tobacco products and other tobacco control policy priorities. Prior to joining the CTFK Federal Team in October of 2020, she served on the State Team as a Regional Advocacy Director. In that role, she provided technical assistance and strategic advice on tobacco control policy to advocates in some of the historically tobacco producing states - Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee – as well as Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and D.C. Amy has worked in tobacco control for nearly 30 years at the local, state and national level. Prior to that she served as legislative aide to a KY State legislator and as a television and radio reporter for several news outlets in Virginia.

Jill Bednarek is the State and Communities Tobacco Policy Manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment where she directs the youth tobacco prevention and secondhand smoke initiatives. She has worked in tobacco control since 2005 and has contributed to policy efforts to reduce illegal sales of tobacco to underage youth and tobacco retailer regulations and to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke among multiunit housing residents, workers and the public. She created a youth advisory committee for the state department of health that provides a youth voice and advises the department on a range of topics including youth sexual health, alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention and health promotion. She received her Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Denver. She has served as a member of the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations.

Born in Bogota, Colombia, Dr. Ruth Bernal encompassed her medical education at La Universidad Javeriana. As an international student in the United States, Dr. Bernal obtained and completed her pediatric residency at Tulane University School of Medicine. Her passion for best patient care took her to St Jude's Medical Research Hospital, completing a fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Dr. Bernal encompasses over 45 years as a pediatrician working with marginalized, displaced, and immigrant communities in Colombia and the United States. While in the U.S., Dr. Bernal has worked with migrant farmworkers on the east coast; and with immigrant, transient and LGBTQ+ communities in the American Southwest. In addition, Dr. Bernal has delivered care to children brought to the U.S. by Chernobyl Children International and worked with various refugee resettling programs. Her work is deeply informed through a health equity lens, and it is through this lens that Dr. Bernal has developed community-led best practices in Adolescent Care.

Ursala Bowe is the Otero County Community Health Council Coordinator and has served in this capacity for just over 2 years. She is very active as a military spouse of 14 years and involved community member. Ursala has a background in nonprofit and community development over the past 10 years. Her passion for social services work and advocacy created a desire for her to pursue further education. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Psychology and a Master of Science in Family and Community Services. She continues to gain valuable trainings and education regarding Public Health and Social Services to enhance her overall knowledge to better serve her community.

Dr. Canaca serves as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico Prevention Research Center. She has over 20 years of experience working with culturally diverse and underserved communities in New Mexico and Central America, where she is originally from. For the past 13 years, she has worked with Hispanic and Native American populations as part of the Prevention Research Center, first with the NIH-funded CHILE study and leading the social marketing team for the last 10 years. She trained in social marketing at the University of South Florida. Dr. Canaca serves as the Principal Investigator for the SNAP-Ed funded Eat Smart to Play Hard social marketing initiative for Hispanic/recent immigrant children and their families. She also serves as the Principal Investigator for the CDC funded, Vaccinate with Confidence project, to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence in Latino, Spanish speaking rural and urban communities in New Mexico. She is committed to social justice in her community-engaged work. MD (he/him/él), is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).

Francisco Cartujano is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). He is also the Assistant Director of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at Wilmot Cancer Institute, part of URMC. Dr. Cartujano received his medical degree from Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Mexico and completed his research fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He has been trained in participatory research to address tobacco-related disparities. Specifically, Dr. Cartujano has worked in the development and implementation of culturally and linguistically appropriate mobile interventions for smoking cessation among Latinos.

Molly Dinardo graduated from Saint Michael's College in 2015 with a dual degree in Anthropology & Sociology. She has spent the past six years supporting public health programming and research related to maternal and child health, breast and gynecologic cancers, health systems strengthening, and transportation. She is currently a second-year MPH student at the University of Washington in the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program (COPHP). As part of her second year, she’s been working on a year-long health policy Capstone project with Representative Gerry Pollet and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids WA. Her project broadly focuses on research, advocacy, and education efforts to support legislation related to youth e-cigarette prevention, with specific attention to flavors, and providing sustainable funding for community-based prevention, cessation, and education programs in Washington. While her interests are broad, she is most passionate about developing the knowledge and tools needed to challenge U.S. policymakers and organizations to eliminate structural inequities in the U.S. healthcare system.

Mordecai Cohen Ettinger is the Founder of Health Justice Commons has nearly 30 years experience as a multi-sector social justice activist and organizer, holistic healer, radical scholar, and educator. Mordecai co-founded the TGI Justice Project, served as an Interim Co-Director at Justice Now, and as Interim Executive Director at Caduceus Outreach Services, a radical mental health organization. He is adjunct faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Sharon Finarelli has over 20 years of advocacy work in the area of community health. She began her work in New Mexico in 2001 as the first Health Council Coordinator in Sierra County. Sharon continues her service on multiple boards and councils in her community and throughout the state. Advocacy and community building are her passion. Sharon has a long history of community service. She has been on multiple community and statewide boards and committees. Her progressive experience in the health and nonprofit sectors allows her to draw on a range of skills and experiences to support the advancement of New Mexico Alliance of Health Councils (NMAHC)’s work. Sharon received Board Certification in Healthcare Management from the American College of Healthcare Executives. She earned her Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma. Sharon has also done graduate work in the Masters of Business Administration program at University of Phoenix and Masters of Curriculum and Instruction program at New Mexico State University.

Jaimee Heffner, PhD, is the Director of the Tobacco-Related Health Disparities (TREHD) Research Group and an Associate Professor in the Cancer Prevention Program, Division of Public Health Sciences at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Heffner is a clinical psychologist who researches tobacco-cessation interventions for populations that experience tobacco-related health disparities, including people with mental health conditions, low-income Veterans, and sexual and gender minorities. Much of her work focuses on new behavioral treatments such as acceptance and commitment therapy and behavioral activation. She develops methods to deliver these interventions — such as websites, smartphone apps and other forms of technology — to improve the accessibility of treatment for all tobacco users. Her research interests also include implementation of tobacco-cessation interventions in the novel setting of lung cancer screening.

Mandy Ivanov is the Policy and Partnerships Manager at Eagle County Public Health and Environment. In her position, she supports a team whose work addresses policies, systems change, and community power and voice-building to counter injustices and improve health and wellness outcomes. Mandy administered the State Tobacco Education and Prevention Program for Eagle, Garfield, and Pitkin counties in Colorado from 2014-2018 when local policy work to address access to tobacco and nicotine products was gaining momentum around age increase and comprehensive licensing. She continues to oversee tobacco control efforts in Eagle County.

Bill Jordan, M.A. is the Senior Policy Advisor and Government Relations Officer for New Mexico Voices for Children, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children and families. Bill has been with VOICES since 1998 and leads their legislative advocacy efforts in Santa Fe and Washington D.C. Bill was appointed in 2008 by then candidate Barack Obama to serve on his campaign’s Tax Policy Advisory Committee. Bill received the 1998 Larry Peck Memorial Award for contributions to New Mexicans Living with HIV, and in 2016 he was a recipient of the Health Advocate Award from Health Action New Mexico. Prior to joining VOICES, he served for eight years as the Executive Director of the HIV Coordinating Council of New Mexico

Shelley Mann-Lev, MPH, has served public health in New Mexico since arriving in Santa Fe in 1993, first as the NMDOH Child Injury Prevention Specialist and then as the Prevention Coordinator of the Santa Fe Public Schools. Shelley coordinated the Santa Fe Tobacco-Free Coalition for many years and directed the 24/7 New Mexico Tobacco Free Schools policy project focused on improving school policies. Shelley co-founded and directed the Santa Fe Prevention Alliance from 2008 to 2018. Shelley is passionate about participating in multi-sector collaborations supporting evidence-based and promising policies, practices and programs the improve health equity, justice and the well-being of all New Mexicans. Shelley currently serves as the President of the New Mexico Public Health Association and works as a Prevention Consultant for the Opioid Response Network.

Diana Mendoza has over 15 years of work experience including health education, worker’s rights, and bedside support as a lactation counselor and doula. She is a queer parent of two living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Kristian Price has 2.5 years of experience in the prevention field and community health. She was introduced to prevention work in 2019 when she was hired as the Community Programs Coordinator for Teen Court and Prevention with Curry County. Kristian received her Certified Prevention Specialist Certification in October 2021. She serves on multiple committees throughout Curry County and the State to increase the knowledge and support surrounding substance use prevention and mental health.

Chelsea Pritchard is currently a first-year Master's student at New Mexico State University studying public health. She hopes to be employed in healthcare management and policy in the future. Previously Chelsea attended Portland State University and earned her Bachelor's in Health Science. This is Chelsea's first year volunteering with No Minor Sale, and she has found the work to be rewarding and fun. She initially became interested in volunteering because people she knows have battled tobacco addiction, and she has seen the toll it takes on both their physical and mental health. Recently, Chelsea participated in No Minor Sale's second annual Take a Stand Day virtually, a day dedicated to raising awareness among state legislators, such as senators and representatives, about preventing youth access to tobacco products and educating about the dangers of flavored tobacco products. She knows that tobacco addiction can have lifelong impacts and wants to help avoid this problem for future generations.

Jodi L. Radke is the Regional Advocacy Director for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Jodi manages tobacco control policy for eleven states, promoting and supporting legislation that prevents kids from starting tobacco use and assisting adults that wish to quit. Prior to Jodi’s work with CFTFK, she was a Regional Prevention Specialist, working for six years statewide in Colorado with SAMSHA grantees. She completed a fellowship with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation working nationally and internationally on tobacco control. Jodi was awarded The Distinguished Graduate Award in 2007 from Alpena Community College. She is an alumni of the Americorps VISTA program, and a former candidate for the State House of Representatives within the State of Colorado.

Claudia Rodas has over 20-years of professional experience in political and legislative matters. She currently serves as the Director, Southern Region for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Her work entails a focus on tobacco control policies in the southern part of the nation. She has lobbied the Texas State Legislature and advocated in several southern states to pass strong tobacco control laws such as smoke-free policies, raising the tobacco tax, advocating for state program funding, raising the sale age of tobacco products to 21 and restrictions to the sale of flavored tobacco products. Claudia has worked in the non-profit arena for over 18 years, including holding government affairs positions at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and the American Heart Association. She has extensive experience in lobbying and working in statewide and local political and issue-based campaigns. Claudia is a native Houstonian and received her bachelor’s in business administration, with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Spanish, from the University of Houston.

Ahana Singh has obtained a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) degree in Community Health Education and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Neuroscience. Professionally, Ahana has served in various roles and sectors in public health, including clinical research, pandemic response, bio/neurofeedback therapy, advocating for people with disabilities, and youth health education. Ahana has facilitated important conversations surrounding mental health, sexual health, and substance use/misuse with high school aged youth. Furthermore, Ahana has engaged various communities in Los Angeles County to promote the adoption of healthy behaviors. Currently, Ahana conducts project management leading initiatives to transform the healthcare system and coordinates school-located vaccine infrastructure in the State of California. Ahana is passionate about her work spearheading health equity, promoting wellness, and advocating for an enhanced quality of life.

Mahesh Sita is the Government Relations Director for the American Heart Association in New Mexico. In the past three years he has worked on several tobacco-related legislative issues, including tobacco licensing, tobacco taxes, tobacco cessation coverage for Medicaid recipients, and smoke-free laws. At the American Heart Association, Mahesh also works on a variety of health equity and Medicaid expansion issues.

Tamara Stimatze (she/they), MS, PhD, is an assistant professor in Public Health Sciences at New Mexico State University and the lead of the NMSU Cancer Outreach Core. Dr. Stimatze is an experimental psychologist researching LGBTQIA+ individuals' access to care and experiences receiving care within the health care system. She has a particular interest in cancer screening and prevention for LGBTQIA+ individuals. Her goal is to identify and target barriers to health and wellbeing for LGBTQIA+ communities through culturally adapted, inclusive, and representative programming.

Monica Toquinto is the Director of Programs at the New Mexico Community Health Worker Association and Nuestra Salud, a community-based organization whose mission is to reduce health disparities in the Hispanic Community. Ms. Toquinto began her community engagement career as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer coordinator in 2008 by providing civic engagement opportunities to community members for the reduction of poverty. In 2008 Ms. Toquinto served as the first leading Ventanilla de Salud (VDS) Program Coordinator at the University of NM Cancer Center and the Mexican Consulate where she provided on-site assessment, referral, and clinical-linkages to available health services to vulnerable communities. Ms. Toquinto supported in the development and implementation of Spanish-language focus groups for the Dejelo Ya tobacco quitline media campaign for the NMDOH NUPAC program. Ms. Toquinto’s community engagement includes the development and implementation of culturally tailored health education programs on asthma, cancer control, diabetes education, tobacco control and including tobacco brief interventions training to Community Health Workers in NM. Ms. Toquinto has conducted more than 7,000 tobacco brief interventions directly to the Spanish-speaking population across NM.

Tearza Valencia is a senior at Grants High School. She plans to pursue a Bachelor of Social Work at New Mexico State University this upcoming fall.

Taslim Van Hattum is a public health social work professional with more than 15 years of experience in program design and implementation, training and technical assistance design and delivery, and facilitation & interactive meeting design with public health departments, public health agencies, schools, community based organizations and community health organizations (community behavioral health organizations, addiction treatment organizations, school based health centers, community health centers & federally qualified health centers).

Renaldo Wilson is new to New Mexico, only now living in Albuquerque for two months. He is the Program Director for NUPAC (Nicotine Use Prevention and Control) for New Mexico Department of Health, and just moved from Los Angeles, CA. While there, he was formerly a Health Educator, Cessation Specialist and Clinical Exercise Physiologist for Kaiser Permanente, and later a Health Education Manager for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. He is also still an Adjunct Professor with Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California, teaching virtual courses on Human Nutrition and Metabolism, Exercise Physiology and World Music and Culture.

Renaldo has degrees in Jazz Performance, Exercise Physiology, Nutrition and Comparative Near Eastern Religions and Philosophies. He is also certified in 24 different specialties, including Functional Nutrition, Diabetes Education, Prenatal/Postpartum Exercise, Peri/Post Menopause, and Corrective Exercise Techniques, among many others. And finally, he continues to lecture on many topics, but focuses mainly on Trauma-Informed Care, Toxic Masculinity, and Culturally Competent Cessation.

Samantha Winter is the Coordinator for the SCOPE Health Council in Socorro County and is the Director of their Drug Free Communities Programming. She received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee in 2012 and moved to New Mexico with her husband in the fall of 2016. Being an avid hiker and hobby farmer, she fell in love with the scenery and people of New Mexico and decided to engrain herself in the community. She joined the Socorro Farmers’ Market and later became the Health Council Coordinator in Spring of 2019. Prior to this, she had a background in Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry; working with animal sanctuaries, clinics, research, and animal shelters, which provides a unique approach and outlook to the health council’s public health approach. Samantha has always had a heart for community service and has previous experience working in the fields of Domestic Violence.

PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS

NETWORKING RECEPTION

2022 NMACTion Conference KEYNOTES!

Hershel W. Clark, MPH

Hershel Walker Clark, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, received his Bachelor of Science degree in American Indian Studies from Arizona State University and earned his Master of Public Health degree from University of Arizona. For the past eight years, Mr. Clark has worked in tobacco control and prevention as a public health researcher, advocate, and advisor. Mr. Clark’s professional experience has allowed him to understand the needs, challenges, and triumphs that American Indians face, specifically when it comes to tobacco control concerns.

Mr. Clark help led the passing of the “Navajo Niłch' Éí Bee Ííná — Air is Life Act of 2021”, a comprehensive commercial tobacco smoke-free policy for the Navajo Nation. Mr. Clark believes the use of tobacco is sacred for many Indigenous tribes and must be reclaim through western and traditional approaches that include comprehensive commercial tobacco policies throughout Indian Country. Mr. Clark currently is the Program Manager for the Southwest Navajo Tobacco Education and Prevention Project, a non-profit organization to address commercial tobacco and prevention in the Navajo Nation.

Paula Cupertino, Ph.D., is a University of Rochester Medical Center Professor of Public Health Sciences and Oncology, and the first Associate Director of Community Outreach, Engagement and Disparities at Wilmot Cancer Institute. Cupertino leads efforts to strengthen and expand Wilmot’s reach across its 27-county catchment area in upstate New York. A social behavioral scientist, Cupertino has focused her research on health disparities in underserved and minority communities, primarily among Latinos and immigrants. Much of her work has been in tobacco control, improving smoking cessation and access to cessation treatments using a community-based approach.

Personally, Paula shares her life with her husband, Dr. Marc Rosenthal, her three children and two bonus-children. She loves to entertain, cook and bake, and ensure that her family has what they need to keep growing together toward their shared family ways of life. They love animals, especially exotic animals, and have four dogs (including a Bull Mastiff, a Newfoundland, and two tiny Chihuahuas), along with four cats, three snakes and a tarantula.