Karla Armenta, MPH
Tag: Bios
Kristen “Kristi” Wells, MPH, PhD
Kristen “Kristi” Wells, MPH, MPI, PhD
Co-Director, SDSU HealthLINK Center Leader, Research Infrastructure Team Co-Leader, Measurement Methods Group
Dr. Kristen “Kristi” Wells is a Professor of Psychology at SDSU. She is also Director of the Cancer Disparities and Cancer Communication Lab. Her graduate training was in clinical psychology and public health, followed by post-doctoral training in behavioral oncology. Her research focuses on improving the quality of healthcare delivered to various populations, with a specific specialty in patient navigation. Since 2006, Dr. Wells has led or contributed to five studies which have developed and evaluated patient navigation interventions to improve quality of care. She also leads studies developing technological solutions to improve adherence to recommended cancer care and oral medications for cancer. In addition to her leadership as a Co-Director, Dr. Wells oversees the operations of the SDSU HealthLINK Center’s Research Infrastructure Team including five specialized research groups concentrating on measurement methods, health sensor methods, intervention methods, biomedical methods, and health data analytics. See Dr. Wells’ profile for details on publications and projects.Fernando Sing
Fernando Sing
Computer Systems Administrator
Mr. Fernando Sing is the Computer Systems Administrator at the SDSU HealthLINK Center and Institute for Behavioral and Community Health. He plans, implements, directs and maintains applications and the use of technology. He also evaluates and provides recommendations regarding complementing research activities with software applications and computer technology. See Mr. Sing’s profile for details on publications and projects.María Luisa Zúñiga, PhD
María Luisa Zúñiga, PhD
Evaluation Lead
Dr. María Luisa Zúñiga is a Professor in the School of Social Work at SDSU and Associate Adjunct Professor in the Division of Global Public Health and Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego (UCSD). She serves as the Campus Director of the SDSU-UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use.
Dr. Zúñiga is an epidemiologist who conducts transnational and Community-Based Participatory Research to study the intersection of alcohol and drug use, mental health, TB/HIV and sexual risk behaviors in order to reduce problems that contribute to poor health. She has worked extensively with communities in the U.S.-Mexico border region as well as Mexican transnational and domestic migrants and their families in Mexico. Her ongoing research is designed to understand and improve health care engagement, patient and clinician communication, and care continuity among Latinos, including persons living with HIV and/or Tuberculosis, and persons impacted by substance abuse. Dr. Zúñiga is currently developing new interdisciplinary collaborations in HIV/TB/Substance use research with colleagues in the US and Brazil.
See Dr. Zúñiga’s profile for details on publications and projects.
Lucy Cunningham, MS, MPH
Lucy Cunningham, MS, MPH
Grant Writing Consultant
Lucy Cunningham is a Grant Writing Consultant at SDSU HealthLINK Center. She has a Masters of Science degree from the University of Glasgow and an MPH from University of Northumbria at Newcastle. She has over 10 years of experience preparing grant applications for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other federal and state organizations. She was among the individuals responsible for the submission of the U54 application to fund the SDSU HealthLINK Center. Ms Cunningham now assists researchers in preparing grant applications linked to the parent grant (e.g., diversity supplements) and other health disparities research grants consistent with the goals of the SDSU HealthLINK Center. Specifically, she offers individual, tailored support for researchers, including in-depth reviews of draft proposals, guidance on project management, and budgetary advice.
Mariaelena “Elena” Concha
Mariaelena “Elena” Concha
Administrative Director
In her role as Administrative Director for the SDSU HealthLINK Center, Ms. Mariaelena (Elena) Concha, conducts a full range of executive responsibilities performing high level managerial, fiscal, and administrative functions. Some activities include engaging SDSU and SDSU Research Foundation departments to leverage resources and identifying synergies; overseeing facilities planning including alterations and renovations of the Center’s physical locations; contributing to infrastructure development; analyzing current processes, and recommending and implementing procedural or policy changes to improve day-to-day operations. Ms. Concha is bilingual and bicultural with over 12 years of work experience in contract/fiscal management. Over the last nine years, she has worked in various administrative roles for SDSU Research Foundation supporting public health research work and service in conjunction with a number of Principal Investigators, Co-Investigators and Managers. Previous to her current role, Ms. Concha was the Administrative Coordinator of the SDSU HealthLINK Endowment, also funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, which was awarded to help build a more technologically and computationally advanced approach to population health research at SDSU. She was also the Institute Manager for the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health (IBACH) at SDSU Research Foundation. See Ms. Concha’s profile for details on publications and projects.Guadalupe X. “Suchi” Ayala, PhD, MPH
