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Grace Alfonsi, MD is a member of the Clinical Faculty for the Denver PTC and an attending physician at the Denver Metro Health (STD) Clinic. She is also Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Alfonsi received her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and completed her residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago.
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Katie Amaya is a Senior Training Specialist with the Denver PTC. She coordinates training and technical assistance efforts that assist healthcare providers in reducing their clients’ risk for the transmission and acquisition of HIV/STDs. In addition, she co-leads the development of the STD clinical toolbox mobile application as part of the Denver PTC’s National Technologic Innovation Center. Katie received her Master’s degree in Public Health in Community Health Education from the University of Minnesota. She has coordinated community-based family planning and HIV programs both domestically with the Somali community in Minnesota and internationally in central Uganda. She has also worked on the development of CDC guidance for incorporating at-risk populations into emergency preparedness efforts and written a community-based, family planning best practices manual for USAID.
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Teri Anderson, MT (ASCP) is the Associate Clinical Training Coordinator for the Denver PTC. After graduating from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center with a degree in Medical Technology in 1981, she landed her first and only professional job with Denver Public Health in the STD Control Program. She worked for 10 years as both a clinician and laboratorian in the Denver Metro Health (STD) Clinic before assuming the position of PTC Clinical Coordinator for 8 years. After the birth of her second child, Teri now works part-time and accepted an associate position with the program. She received her 25 years of service award in June 2006.
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Helen Burnside is the coordinator of the National Coordination Center (NCC) for National Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers (NNPTC) and works with the Denver PTC STD and CBA Programs. As the coordinator of the NCC, Helen coordinates NNPTC marketing activities, maintains the NNPTC website (www.nnptc.org), facilitates collaboration and resource sharing among NNPTC members, and collaborates with internal and external partners to responds to emerging issues in HIV prevention and STD prevention and clinical care. Helen acquired a Master’s Degree in Community Health from the University of Montana in Missoula and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She has a background in social marketing and has worked on the development and delivery of international curricula and an array of community health promotion programs.
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John Fitch is the Acting Capacity Building Manager for the Denver PTC where he helps to manage the PTC's STD Regional, Technological Innovation and HIV Capacity Building Assistance (CBA) programs. John came to Denver in 1993 -- moving down the road from Boulder -- to coordinate Denver Public Health's Confidential and Anonymous HIV Testing Sites. In 1997, he became the Director of HIV/AIDS Education and in 2000 he joined the Denver PTC. With an interest in health technology and innovation, John has helped facilitate the development of the STD Clinical Consultation Warm Line and the NNPTC's STD Clinical Toolbox mobile application.
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Ed Gardner, MD is an Infectious Diseases/HIV physician at Denver Public Health and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver. His main areas of research interest are engagement in HIV care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. He is NIH funded in both of these areas through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, R34) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, K01). His other areas of research interest include cost-effectiveness analysis, the impact of symptoms and adverse events on health outcomes in HIV infected patients, and the diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection. His clinical interests include diagnosis, treatment, and management of HIV infection and its complications with a special interest in the care of persons in correctional facilities.
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Jason Haukoos, MD is the Director of Research for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Denver Health Medical Center. He is a co-founder of the National Emergency Department HIV Testing Consortium and the principal investigator of a large controlled clinical trial, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to evaluate rapid HIV screening in the emergency department (ED). He is also recipient of an Independent Scientist Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to further study unique approaches to HIV prevention in the ED.
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Katie Langland is a Training Coordinator, focusing on public health trainings, including Maternal Child Health and Patient Navigation. Her career has been based in diverse teaching and training environments. She has developed and delivered numerous health education programs, professional trainings, counseling sessions, and community-based programs focusing on health promotion and disease prevention. Ms. Langland obtained degrees in Spanish and International Studies from Miami University, an Elementary Education licensure at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and is currently pursuing an Anthropology degree at the University of Colorado Denver. She is a dedicated volunteer at Washington Bilingual School, a Health Promoter for Clinica Tepayac, and as a Character Education Literacy Volunteer at Community Resources.
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Michael McLeod delivers training on facilitation skills for health promotion interventions, social determinants of health, and evidence-based interventions. He also designs and delivers customized workshops to help public health practitioners build skills and confidence to improve their work. He earned his undergraduate degree in government at the College of William and Mary, his law degree at the University of Michigan, and his master’s degree in public health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a member of the faculty of the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for three years. While working at CU, his research and volunteer work focused on faith-based responses to HIV/AIDS. After leaving CU, he directed a health program for same-gender loving African American men in metropolitan Denver for two years. While there, he implemented the Many Men, Many Voices intervention, serving as lead facilitator while developing a pool of peer-facilitators from the target community. His community engagement has included serving as Urban Co-chair of Coloradans Working Together: Preventing HIV/AIDS. He has also served on the advisory board of a Denver health program for gay, bisexual, and other men and as a committee chairperson and member of the board of directors of the Colorado Black Health Collaborative.
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Victoria Myers is the Staff Assistant to the Denver PTC. The Colorado native earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Health from the University of Colorado at Denver. She is the point of contact for all clerical and support needs and handles all payments and customer service on the Denver PTC website. Prior to working at the Denver PTC, Victoria worked as an Administrative Assistant at a Methadone Clinic, working with clients that have alcohol and/ or drug addictions. She has also worked as Office Support at a Physician’s Office that did house calls for homebound patients. Victoria’s studies and prior experience have given her a background in public health while working with diverse populations.
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T. Scott Pegues is the Training Coordinator for the Denver PTC Behavioral Intervention Training Program. He is responsible for coordinating curriculum and faculty development, the delivery of courses, and staff supervision. He is the key coordinator with external project partners to assure appropriate region-wide coverage of courses, and collaborates in ongoing need assessment activities. He also provides support to the Denver Metro Health (STD) clinic as an on-call clinician. Mr. Pegues has a special interest in the social and cultural impact of HIV disease, and its influence on the identities of young men. He is recognized as a leader in the national gay men’s health movement, and dedicates himself to the development of a new generation of community leaders. Mr. Pegues comes to the Denver PTC with over a decade of interdisciplinary experience in HIV prevention, community mobilization, strategic planning, adult education, and group facilitation. He is a Langevin Certified Master Trainer, Performance Consultant, and Instructional Designer/Developer.
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Karen Peterson, MD is a member of the Clinical Faculty for the Denver PTC, and is an attending physician at the Denver Metro Health (STD) Clinic and the Denver Public Health Infection Disease Clinic. Dr. Peterson received her medical degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and completed her residency at Cambridge Hospital in Massachusetts. She has been a physician at Denver Public Health for the past 12 years.
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Cornelis ‘Kees’ Rietmeijer, MD, PhD is medical director of the Denver Clinical PTC. He is also a professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. His current research interests include the epidemiology and prevention of chlamydia infections, the resurgence of STDs and HIV among men who have sex with men, the Internet as a risk and prevention environment, expanding testing to non-traditional venues using new technologies, and STD clinic operations. Dr. Rietmeijer received his medical degree and PhD from the University of Amsterdam Department of Medicine, and a Master of Science in Public Health degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
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Deryk Sanchez Standring is a Capacity Building Specialist with the Denver Prevention Training Center Behavioral Intervention Training Program. Deryk has extensive experience in the field of public health capacity building and training with an emphasis in sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, tobacco prevention and control, and patient navigation. Additionally, Deryk has expertise in strategic planning, program and intervention development, design and implementation, and program evaluation with community based organizations, health departments, and healthcare organizations. Deryk holds a Masters of Psychology degree with an emphasis in Leadership and Organizational Development from Naropa University, Boulder CO and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Regis University, Denver CO. Deryk is a Langevin Certified Instructor and was certified by the National Multi-Cultural Institute as a Cultural Competency and Diversity Facilitator.
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Terry Stewart is the Director of the Denver PTC. He is responsible for the fulfillment of the overall mission of our existing and developing programs. He also oversees fiscal management and quality assurance of curricula and course delivery. Mr. Stewart has been in STD/HIV prevention for 17 years. Prior to joining the training center, he served as Director of Education at the Colorado AIDS Project for nine years. His experience also includes work with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center’s Project Safe, a research and education program targeting the injection drug using community in the Denver area. He also served on Colorado’s HIV Prevention Community Planning group for 10 years. Mr. Stewart's expertise includes training and facilitation, fundraising, leadership development, program management, as well as the design, implementation and evaluation of behavioral interventions. He especially enjoys working with staff from community-based organizations to assist with the translation of research into real world settings.
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Mark Thrun, MD is medical director of the Denver Behavioral PTC, and director of HIV Prevention and STD Control for Denver Public Health. He is also Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. His primary research interests include acute and early HIV infection, the immunology of HIV, and the prevention and diagnosis of HIV infection. He is also actively involved in community planning for HIV services and policy development. Dr. Thrun has recently developed a prevention curriculum for HIV care providers designed to increase the frequency and efficacy of their risk-reduction discussion with patients. He received his doctorate in medicine at the University of Cincinnati and completed an infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Colorado. Dr. Thrun has previously served as co-chair of the National Network of STD/HIV Prevention Training Centers and remains active on its steering committee.
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Dustin Wagner is a Training Specialist for the Denver PTC Behavioral Intervention Training Program. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The University of Iowa. Dustin comes to Denver PTC after working in both the local government and non-profit worlds implementing HIV Counseling and Testing and Community, Group, and Individual level interventions with a focus on young MSM, African American MSM, people living with HIV/AIDS, and IDU populations since 2004. He has created and delivered workshops that address sexual health for LGBT youth. In his current role Dustin delivers numerous HIV prevention behavioral intervention trainings, which include, but are not limited to Healthy Relationships, Couples HIV Testing and Counseling, Community PROMISE, and ARTAS.
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