HEAT Staff:
Jeffrey Birnbaum, MD, MPH—HEAT and FACES Executive Director
phone is 718-282-1199 Jeffrey.Birnbaum@Downstate.edu Dr. Birnbaum is HEAT’s Founder, Director and Physician. He is an Adolescent HIV Specialist for the treatment of HIV+ youth. He provides medical care for HIV+ and at-risk youth, including LGBT youth. He provides sexual and reproductive health services for young women. He provides hormone therapy for transgender youth and sexual health services for young gay men of color.
Jennifer Irwin-Deputy Executive Director
phone is 718-282-1176 Jennifer.Irwin@Downstate.edu
Jennifer directs the administrative functions of the Program. She prepares grant submissions and manages the programmatic and fiscal aspects of all existing grants. She supervises HEAT’s administrative, outreach and testing staff and handles all personnel issues. She acts as a community liaison for the program and coordinates and directs HEAT’s large-scale events. She is also the co-founder of the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition.
Holly Ammons-Administrative Assistant
phone 718-282-1192 Holly.Ammons@Downstate.edu Holly provides administrative support to the Program Director and Program Administrator. She manages all of HEAT’s purchase orders and invoices and she maintains HEAT’s extensive database which tracks client services. She is responsible for maintaining all the consultant contracts, directing phone calls and assisting with grant submissions.
Richelyne Nemorin-HIV Test Counselor/Young Women's Project Coordinator
phone 718-282-1338 Richelyne.Nemorin@Downstate.edu
Richelyne conducts HEAT’s on-site and off-site HIV counseling and testing. She manages all of HEAT’s consultant HIV testers and organizes all of the testing at HEAT’s large-scale testing events. She conducts off-site testing at youth-serving organizations and assists positive youth in navigating HEAT’s services. She creates and maintains community testing linkages and also supervises HEAT’s volunteers and interns.
Tiffanie Patterson-Outreach Coordinator
phone 718-282-1366 Tiffanie.Patterson@Downstate.edu
Tiffanie goes into high schools and middle schools, as well as youth programs, and conducts workshops for youth about HIV/AIDS, STIs, sexual and reproductive health and healthy relationships. She conducts street outreach and tables and youth events providing youth with safe sex supplies, sexual health brochures and information about HEAT’s services. She acts as a community liaison in an attempt to identify HIV+ youth and link them to care at HEAT. She is a member of the NYCDOH Prevention Planning Group and is a Steering Committee member of the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition.
Tina Jones-LGBT Outreach Coordinator
phone 718-282-1880 Tina.Jones@downstate.edu
Tina conducts targeted outreach to LGBT youth and conducts street outreach and tabling at LGBT youth events, including Ballroom events. She participates in LGBT youth conferences and provides workshops on homophobia, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS and LGBT sexual health. She oversees HEAT’s LGBT programming and supervises the LGBT peer youth outreach workers.
Jovonte Foster-LGBT Peer Outreach Worker
phone 718-282-1771 Jovonte.Foster@Downstate.edu
Jovonte works with Tina to outreach to LGBT youth and bring them into HEAT for services. He maintains HEAT’s Face Book, My Space and Twitter pages and conducts internet and texting outreach to LGBT youth. He also provides tabling at LGBT events, including Ballroom events.
Sukele Lewis-Case Manager
phone 718-282-1477
Sukele.Lewis@downstate.edu
Sukele provides services to HIV+ and LGBT youth, including assistance with obtaining health insurance, Medicaid/ADAP, housing, job/career, education and services for the babies and small children of our positive youth. The case managers refer HEAT youth to appropriate agencies to obtain these services. He provides services for transgender youth such as name and gender change on Medicaid and at the DMV. He refers youth for medical and mental health services at HEAT.
Charles Shepherd-Case Manager
phone 718-282-1440 Charles.Shepherd@Downstate.edu
Charles provides services to HIV+ and LGBT youth, including assistance with obtaining health insurance, Medicaid/ADAP, housing, job/career, education and services for the babies and small children of our positive youth. The case managers refer HEAT youth to appropriate agencies to obtain these services. He provides services for transgender youth such as name and gender change on Medicaid and at the DMV. He refers youth for medical and mental health services at HEAT.
Andrew Cohen, PHD -Clinical Psychologist
phone 718-270-3903 Andrew.Cohen@Downstate.edu
Dr. Cohen provides mental health services for HIV+ and LGBT youth at HEAT. Dr. Cohen provides individual, family, couples and group therapy and conducts routine developmental and neuropsychological testing to develop and implement treatment plans. He provides crisis intervention, psychological assessments, referrals and follow-up. He co-facilitates HEAT's HIV+ youth support group.
Tom Panzella, R-PAC-Physician Assistant
phone 718-282-1722 Tom.panzella@Downstate.edu
Tom provides medical services to HIV+ youth, young women and LGBT youth at HEAT. He provides primary care and treatment adherence services for HIV+ youth. He provides gynecological and reproductive and sexual health services for young women and sexual health services for young gay men and transgender youth.
Katherine Marx, FNP-Nurse Practitioner
phone 718-270-2330 Katherine.Marx@downstate.edu
Katherine provides medical services to HIV+ youth, young women and LGBT youth at HEAT. She provides primary care and treatment adherence services for HIV+ youth. She provides gynecological and reproductive and sexual health services for young women and sexual health services for young gay men and transgender youth.
Richard Weinstein, MSW-Transition Specialist/Treatment Adherence Coordinator
phone 718-282-1722 Richard.Weinstein@downstate.edu
Richard assists HEAT youth in identifying and developing transition life skills to prepare for them for independence. He also provides health education and treatment adherence services for HIV+ youth and helps them their treatment regimes and provides them with assistance in taking their medications. He also co-facilitates the HIV+ support group.
Lotus Blackman, Peer Youth Outreach Worker
phone 718-600-7716 Lotus.Blackman@Downstate.edu
Lotus conducts outreach to HIV+ young women to help engage and retain them in their medical care. Lotus works closely with the case managers to guide newly diagnosed young women through the linkage process. She provides mentorship to women transitioning from adolescent to adult care, facilitates support groups, and seeks out and re-engages young women who have been lost to care.
Hope York,Young Women of Color Peer Youth Outreach Worker
phone 718-467-4446 Hope.York@Downstate.eduHope conducts outreach to young women of color and co-facilitates sexual health workshops on HIV and STIs. She helps youth to navigate the services at HEAT and escorts youth to HEAT for HIV testing, STI screening and treatment and other medical, mental health or case management appointments. She also conducts outreach to young women using social media and social networking.
Mickey Ramos, HIV Test Counselor
phone 718-467-4446 Mickey.Ramos@Downstate.edu
Bryan Murphy, FNP-Nurse Practitioner
phone 718-467-4446 Bryan.Murphy@Downstate.edu
Jeffrey Birnbaum, MD, MPH—HEAT and FACES Executive Directorphone is 718-282-1199 Jeffrey.Birnbaum@Downstate.edu Dr. Birnbaum is HEAT’s Founder, Director and Physician. He is an Adolescent HIV Specialist for the treatment of HIV+ youth. He provides medical care for HIV+ and at-risk youth, including LGBT youth. He provides sexual and reproductive health services for young women. He provides hormone therapy for transgender youth and sexual health services for young gay men of color.
Jennifer Irwin-Deputy Executive Directorphone is 718-282-1176 Jennifer.Irwin@Downstate.edu
Jennifer directs the administrative functions of the Program. She prepares grant submissions and manages the programmatic and fiscal aspects of all existing grants. She supervises HEAT’s administrative, outreach and testing staff and handles all personnel issues. She acts as a community liaison for the program and coordinates and directs HEAT’s large-scale events. She is also the co-founder of the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition.
Holly Ammons-Administrative Assistantphone 718-282-1192 Holly.Ammons@Downstate.edu Holly provides administrative support to the Program Director and Program Administrator. She manages all of HEAT’s purchase orders and invoices and she maintains HEAT’s extensive database which tracks client services. She is responsible for maintaining all the consultant contracts, directing phone calls and assisting with grant submissions.
Richelyne Nemorin-HIV Test Counselor/Young Women's Project Coordinatorphone 718-282-1338 Richelyne.Nemorin@Downstate.edu
Richelyne conducts HEAT’s on-site and off-site HIV counseling and testing. She manages all of HEAT’s consultant HIV testers and organizes all of the testing at HEAT’s large-scale testing events. She conducts off-site testing at youth-serving organizations and assists positive youth in navigating HEAT’s services. She creates and maintains community testing linkages and also supervises HEAT’s volunteers and interns.
Tiffanie Patterson-Outreach Coordinatorphone 718-282-1366 Tiffanie.Patterson@Downstate.edu
Tiffanie goes into high schools and middle schools, as well as youth programs, and conducts workshops for youth about HIV/AIDS, STIs, sexual and reproductive health and healthy relationships. She conducts street outreach and tables and youth events providing youth with safe sex supplies, sexual health brochures and information about HEAT’s services. She acts as a community liaison in an attempt to identify HIV+ youth and link them to care at HEAT. She is a member of the NYCDOH Prevention Planning Group and is a Steering Committee member of the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition.
Tina Jones-LGBT Outreach Coordinatorphone 718-282-1880 Tina.Jones@downstate.edu
Tina conducts targeted outreach to LGBT youth and conducts street outreach and tabling at LGBT youth events, including Ballroom events. She participates in LGBT youth conferences and provides workshops on homophobia, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS and LGBT sexual health. She oversees HEAT’s LGBT programming and supervises the LGBT peer youth outreach workers.
Jovonte Foster-LGBT Peer Outreach Workerphone 718-282-1771 Jovonte.Foster@Downstate.edu
Jovonte works with Tina to outreach to LGBT youth and bring them into HEAT for services. He maintains HEAT’s Face Book, My Space and Twitter pages and conducts internet and texting outreach to LGBT youth. He also provides tabling at LGBT events, including Ballroom events.
Sukele Lewis-Case Managerphone 718-282-1477
Sukele.Lewis@downstate.edu
Sukele provides services to HIV+ and LGBT youth, including assistance with obtaining health insurance, Medicaid/ADAP, housing, job/career, education and services for the babies and small children of our positive youth. The case managers refer HEAT youth to appropriate agencies to obtain these services. He provides services for transgender youth such as name and gender change on Medicaid and at the DMV. He refers youth for medical and mental health services at HEAT.
Charles Shepherd-Case Managerphone 718-282-1440 Charles.Shepherd@Downstate.edu
Charles provides services to HIV+ and LGBT youth, including assistance with obtaining health insurance, Medicaid/ADAP, housing, job/career, education and services for the babies and small children of our positive youth. The case managers refer HEAT youth to appropriate agencies to obtain these services. He provides services for transgender youth such as name and gender change on Medicaid and at the DMV. He refers youth for medical and mental health services at HEAT.
Andrew Cohen, PHD -Clinical Psychologistphone 718-270-3903 Andrew.Cohen@Downstate.edu
Dr. Cohen provides mental health services for HIV+ and LGBT youth at HEAT. Dr. Cohen provides individual, family, couples and group therapy and conducts routine developmental and neuropsychological testing to develop and implement treatment plans. He provides crisis intervention, psychological assessments, referrals and follow-up. He co-facilitates HEAT's HIV+ youth support group.
Tom Panzella, R-PAC-Physician Assistantphone 718-282-1722 Tom.panzella@Downstate.edu
Tom provides medical services to HIV+ youth, young women and LGBT youth at HEAT. He provides primary care and treatment adherence services for HIV+ youth. He provides gynecological and reproductive and sexual health services for young women and sexual health services for young gay men and transgender youth.
Katherine Marx, FNP-Nurse Practitionerphone 718-270-2330 Katherine.Marx@downstate.edu
Katherine provides medical services to HIV+ youth, young women and LGBT youth at HEAT. She provides primary care and treatment adherence services for HIV+ youth. She provides gynecological and reproductive and sexual health services for young women and sexual health services for young gay men and transgender youth.
Richard Weinstein, MSW-Transition Specialist/Treatment Adherence Coordinatorphone 718-282-1722 Richard.Weinstein@downstate.edu
Richard assists HEAT youth in identifying and developing transition life skills to prepare for them for independence. He also provides health education and treatment adherence services for HIV+ youth and helps them their treatment regimes and provides them with assistance in taking their medications. He also co-facilitates the HIV+ support group.
Lotus Blackman, Peer Youth Outreach Workerphone 718-600-7716 Lotus.Blackman@Downstate.edu
Lotus conducts outreach to HIV+ young women to help engage and retain them in their medical care. Lotus works closely with the case managers to guide newly diagnosed young women through the linkage process. She provides mentorship to women transitioning from adolescent to adult care, facilitates support groups, and seeks out and re-engages young women who have been lost to care.
Hope York,Young Women of Color Peer Youth Outreach Workerphone 718-467-4446 Hope.York@Downstate.eduHope conducts outreach to young women of color and co-facilitates sexual health workshops on HIV and STIs. She helps youth to navigate the services at HEAT and escorts youth to HEAT for HIV testing, STI screening and treatment and other medical, mental health or case management appointments. She also conducts outreach to young women using social media and social networking.
Mickey Ramos, HIV Test Counselor phone 718-467-4446 Mickey.Ramos@Downstate.edu
Mickey conducts off-site HIV testing at the Hetrick Martin Institute on behalf of HEAT and provides sexual health prevention information to LGBT youth at HMI. He escorts HIV+ and HIV- youth to HEAT for medical, mental health and case management services. Mickey assists with HIV testing at HEAT’s large-scale youth events, such as balls, pride events and safer sex parties.
Bryan Murphy, FNP-Nurse Practitionerphone 718-467-4446 Bryan.Murphy@Downstate.edu
Bryan provides medical services to HIV- and HIV+ LGBT youth at HEAT. He provides primary care and treatment adherence services for HIV+ LGBT youth. He provides sexual health services for young gay men and transgender youth.
