Yale University

Community Advisory Board

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) includes persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, representatives from the private sector, local and state health departments, community-based organizations (CBOs), AIDS service organizations, educational institutions, and others working or volunteering in the HIV/AIDS field. The CAB serves as one of four advisory bodies to the Center, providing community perspectives on all of its activities.

CAB Responsibilities
CAB members are expected to meet with CIRA's Director to provide a community perspective on various activities and functions of the Center. Examples of issues on which the CAB is likely to advise the CIRA Director include:

  • Activities of the Center's Cores-to ensure that they remain attentive to community concerns, needs, and priorities.
  • Relevance to the community of the social/ behavioral prevention and intervention research supported by the Center.
  • Efforts to identify opportunities at CIRA for researchers and staff from race/ethnic minority groups. Center's impact on the "practice" activities of CBOs and its overall relationship with the local community.

CAB Guidelines

Community Advisory Board Members

  • Samuel Bowens, Section Chief, Prevention Department, Waterbury Health Department
  • Alberto Cifuentes, Doctoral Candidate, Social Work, University of Connecticut
  • Christopher Cole, Executive Director, APNH: A Place to Nourish your Health
  • Brian Datcher, Community Specialist
  • A.C. Demidont, Principal Medical Scientist, Gilead Sciences, Inc.
  • Dante Gennaro, Health Communications Coordinator & Social Media Specialist, Connecticut Department of Public Health
  • Venesha Heron, Contract Manager, HIV Prevention Program, CT Department of Public Health
  • Claude Louis, Licensed Professional Counselor
  • Kelly Thompson, President & CEO, Alliance for Living
  • LaToya Tyson
  • Idiana Velez, PrEP Navigator and HIV Education Coordinator for the Center for Key Populations, CHC, Inc.
  • Danielle Warren-Dias, Program Coordinator, CT Children's Medical Center/UCONN