April-June 2021
IFH Newsletter
QUARTERLY NEWS FROM RUTGERS INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, HEALTH CARE POLICY AND AGING RESEARCH
TAMMY CHUNG TO LEAD NEW CENTER FOR POPULATION BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
This month IFH announced the
creation of a new Center for Population
Behavioral Health (CPBH) and its inaugural
director Dr. Tammy Chung.
The CPBH’s mission is to advance
theory-driven and interdisciplinary and
translational research in four key thematic
areas: healthy aging, health equity, health
policy, and health technology with the
central aim of improving population health.
To achieve this mission, the Center
will actively collaborate with other IFH
Centers/Programs, develop strategic links
with Rutgers Schools and Departments,
andfoster mutually beneficial partnerships
with Rutgers Health Systems, regional care
@RutgersIFH
IFH RELEASES FY2021 ANNUAL REPORT
After months of work, IFH released
its Annual Report for FY21 detailing the
Institute’s progress towards its 5-year
strategic goals and other successes.
Titled “Building on a Legacy”, this
report provided metrics on the growth in
recruitment, publications, and various
initiatives such as the Practice-based
Research Network (PBRN), NJ Cohort
Study and community engagement. This
report had a specific focus on faculty’s
work within COVID-19 related topics,
highlighting the variety of disciplines
represented within IFH research.
Find the complete annual report at:
https://ifh.rutgers.edu/annual-
report-2021/
networks, and community partners and
stakeholders to translate results into clinical
practice that have population-level impact.
The Center will continue to build on
existing partnerships with UBHC/UCHC,
Psychiatry, GSAPP, SAS, RWJ Barnabas
Health and others to ensure collaboration
between campuses and systems within
Rutgers.
Dr. Tammy Chung is Member in
Residence at IFH and Professor of
Psychiatry at RWJMS and received her
PhD in clinical psychology from Rutgers
University.
IN THIS ISSUE
• NEW GRANTS PAGE 2 • NEW FACES PAGE 3
• FACULTY NEWS PAGE 2 • EVENTS PAGE 4
Projects, Awards & Faculty News
EDITORIAL BOARD OF
NEUROGENOMICS
Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed, a core member
of IFH and an Assistant Professor of
Medicine at Rutgers RWJ Medical
School, joined the Editorial Board of
Frontiers’ Neurogenomics, in June 2021.
Dr. Ahmed’s work at the intersection
of precision medicine and AI is well-
positioned in the innovative and ever-
evolving field of high-tech health data
analysis. His valuable experience as an
investigator and insights as an Assistant
Editor will be a boon to Frontiers’
Neurogenomics, a peer-reviewed open
access platform that works to make
innovative research readily available to
empower the academic community.
Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed
ELECTED PRESIDENT OF
THE ISPE
Dr. Tobias Gerhard, Founding
Director of the Rutgers Center for
Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment
Science (PETS) and IFH Research
Associate, was elected President
of the International Society for
Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) for a
3-year term (president-elect/president/
immediate past-president) starting in
August 2021. Pharmacoepidemiology
applies epidemiologic principles to study
the use, effectiveness, value, and safety
of pharmaceuticals and ISPE serves to
provide a scientific forum for all parties with
interests in drug development, delivery,
use, costs and effects. Dr. Gerhard’s work
on the development and evaluation of
modern pharmacoepidemiologic methods
with applications in mental health and
geriatric pharmacotherapy will lend a
valuable perspective to his role at the
helm of ISPE for the upcoming years.
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RECENT GRANT AWARDS
JOEL CANTOR, CSHP, “FACILITATION AND STAFF SUPPORT FOR THE NJ
SUSTAINABLE HEALTH CARE COST BENCHMARK INITIATIVE,” DEPARTMENT OF
HUMAN SERVICES.
CHINTAN DAVE, PETS, “NEUROCOGNITIVE MARKERS OF SHORT-TERM RISK FOR
SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR IN HIGH-RISK VETERANS,” VA NEW JERSEY HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM.
OLGA JARRIN MONTANER, SON, “ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT AND UTILIZATION OF
ASSESMBLED AGING TRAJECTORY FILES FROM MULTIPLE DATASETS,” NATIONAL
INSTITUTE ON AGING.
NAA OYO KWATE, IFH, “THE CORNER LIQUOR STORE: RACE, RETAIL, AND HEALTH
RISK IN URBAN AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES,” NATIONAL LIBRARY OF
MEDICINE.
RICHARD MARLINK, RGHI, “EQUITABLE RECOVERY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND
NONPROFITS IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES: A COVID-19 RESILIENCE CAMPAIGN
IN NEWARD, NEW JERSEY,” SPH - CENTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT.
JOEL CANTOR, CSHP, “CANCER INCIDENCE & PATTERNS OF CARE AMONG
MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES BY AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY (K AWARD),”
SUBAWARD FROM UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
SOKO SETOGUCHI, PETS, “PEER REVIEW OF PCORI’S FUNDED RESEARCH,”
SUBAWARD FROM OHSU, PCORI.
JOEL CANTOR, CSHP, “THE ROLE OF HOMELESSNESS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
IN HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES AMONG ADULTS IN MEDICAID,” NATIONAL INSTITUTE
ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES.
WELCOME MARIELY
IFH would like to welcome Mariely
Moronta-Sanchez as our new Director
of Community Outreach. Mariely is a
community advocate that has spent the
last decade working on community impact
projects through a racial equity lens. Most
recently, she has worked as the Chief of Staff
ot a New York State Legislator developing
solutions that centered community,
specifically divested communities in NYS.
Before this role, Mariely developed and
managed community partnerships for the
Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. She adolescent mother and first-generation
has worked on a variety of community immigrant of Dominican descent, she
partnerships that focused on empowering brings a passion for serving diverse
the voices of people living in public housing, communities and great enthusiasm to join
addressing the needs of youth impacted by the IFH team to execute the mission to
violence, and connecting disenfranchised improve the health and well-being of New
communities to resources. As a former Jeseyans.

Isamarie Ramos
Research Assistant
IFH
Licelot E. Gonzalez Etphane D. Barthelus
Program Coordinator
Rutgers Global Health Institute Rutgers Global Health Institute
Introduce yourself and
explore
opportunities for
collaboration!
Join the “Get to Know New
Faces”
discussion in the IFH Forum on
Canvas: go.rutgers.edu/
IFHForum
New Faces at IFH
Mariely Moronta-
Isabelle Maloy Sanchez Darina Petrovsky
Research Assistant Director of Community Outreach Assistant Professor
IFH IFH School of Nursing/IFH
Not pictured
Edmund Liu, Data Analyst,
Center for State Health Policy
Siying Li, Research Assistant,
IFH
Alice Dawson
Program Coordinator Research Teaching Specialist
Rutgers-RWJ Medical School
RECOGNITION AS A GURU
Dr. Ayse Akincigil, a core member
of IFH and an Associate Professor at
the Rutgers School of Social Work, was
honored at the first annual Guru Vandana
on April 1st, 2021. Dr. Akincigil was one
of 38 professors and administrators who
were recognized for their mentorship roles.
The Guru Vandana, Sanskrit for Teacher
Praise, event was hosted by Rutgers
Hindu Youth for Unity Virtues, and Action
(YUVA).
Rutgers University President
Jonathan Holloway, New Brunswick
Chancellor Christopher J. Mollow, and
Dr. Ved Prakash Nanda of University of
Denver were featured speakers. A full
recording of the event is available on the
Rutgers Hindu YUVA YouTube channel.
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Events & Community
AAPI MONTH EVENTS TOWN HALL APRIL 2021

In honor of Asian-Pacific American During this quarter’s Town Hall,

Heritage Month in May, and in light of the this year’s accomplishments along with
recent rise of hate crimes agains Asian the “Vision 2025: Implementation of the
Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), a Strategic Plan” were discussed. IFH’s goal
webinar “Stop Anti-Asian Racism: Real Talk one is to build strong core infrastructure
from RWJBH - Rutgers Healtcare Leaders” and identity as an institute founded on
was held on May 11th. The discussion was excellence, collaboration, and innovation.
on efforts to end racism targeting AAPI with In addition, new faculty and staff were
a focus on elimination of health disparities highlighted.
in the AAPI community.
IFH also had a roundtable discussion
focusing on anti-Asian discrimination
and violence during COVID-19 and the
impacts on mental health across Asian
Communities. The speakers included
Xinqi Dong, Director, Institute for Health,
Health Care Policy and Aging Research
& Rutgers Asian Resource Center for
Minority Aging Research, Bethany Ao,
Philadelphia Inquirer, Thomas Yu, Co-
Executive Director, Asian Americans for
Equality, Maggie Lui, Associate Director of
Development and Communications, NAMI
NJ, Varsha Singh, DNP, APN, CT-CP from
Advisory Committee, South Asian Total
Health Initiative and Neuroscience/Stroke
Program Manager, St. Joseph’s University
Hospital and Vasudev N. Makhija, MD,
DLFAPA: Founder & President, South
Asian Mental Health Initiative & Network
Finally, IFH was also able to attend the
Jersey City Anti-Asian Hate rally held on
Memorial Day by The Chinese American
Heritage Foundation and OCAdvocates
Top: Mental Health Series for Older
New Jersey Chapter. American Month, Melissa Farsang, ADHD
Clinic Program Coordinator, GSAPP
Middle: NJ Acts Special Populations
Seminar, Peter Treitler, MSW and Rusty
Reeves speaking on “Medications for Opioid
Use Disorder and Peer Health Navigation
for Persons Leaving NJ State Prisons
and Returning to the Community - Early
Findings”
Bottom: NJ Practice Based Research
Network, Panelist: Ann Nguyen, Mary
O’Dowd, Kemi Alli, and Yannai Kranzler.

Above: At Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Community Field at Kossuth Park
upporting a great local project that promotes health and wellness in the New Brunswick Rutgers University–New Brunswick
community.The President of Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Stephen P. Zieniewics, President 112 Paterson Street
of Robert Wood, Mayor Cahill, Player Development Association) and community members New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
were present.  ifh.rutgers.edu
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