MEET Our team

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Ankit Sanghavi, BDS, MPH
​EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Ankit currently serves as the Executive Director of Texas Health Institute. Previously, he served as the Director of Community and Oral Health Program at THI.  Ankit provides leadership and direction on all Texas Health Institute initiatives and develops collaborative efforts with its local, state, and national partners.  Ankit earned a Master of Public Health from Texas A&M University in 2014 and Bachelor of Dental Surgery from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences India in 2011. 
His professional interests are research, innovation, and data in public health and healthcare.

Sherry Wilkie-Conway
​CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Sherry joined Texas Health Institute in 1996 and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer.  Sherry is responsible for the organization’s operating activities, logistics, purchases, equipment, maintenance, personnel, contract management and human resources.  Prior to joining Texas Health Institute, Sherry worked for Texas Hospital Association as Assistant to the Medicaid Director.  She spent 20 years serving as staff to several Texas State Senators and two Lieutenant Governors. Sherry also worked as a legal assistant for four years prior to her work at the legislature.​

KARA HAMANN, CPA, CMA
​CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER

​Kara brings sound operational and strategic planning skills to nonprofits and small businesses. Her experience in the accounting department of a public company and as a Controller for several local nonprofits formed a solid background in financial analysis and business management. Kara’s experience leading the accounting teams at Rodeo Austin, Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas Tribune developed her interest for establishing accounting policies, procedures and internal controls. Kara earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh.

RACHELLE JOHNSSON CHIANG, DRPH, MPH
​CHIEF RESEARCH AND EVALUATION OFFICER

Rachelle joined Texas Health Institute in 2020 as the inaugural Chief Research and Evaluation Officer. Previously, she served as Senior Evaluation Advisor to the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse of Mental Health and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She brings 20 years of experience in public health at the national, state and community level, with expertise in program evaluation, health policy, chronic disease prevention, social determinants of health, school health and substance abuse and mental health. Her experience includes serving as Director of a national school health initiative at the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and positions at the National Association of State Boards of Education, Prevent Cancer Foundation and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. She began her career in public health as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. Rachelle has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish from Ohio Wesleyan University, a Master of Public Health in International Health Promotion from George Washington University, and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Health Policy and Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Andy Miller, MHSE
​CHIEF STRATEGY AND IMPACT OFFICER

Andy joined Texas Health Institute in 2020 as the inaugural Chief Strategy and Impact Officer. Previously, he served as Head of Healthcare and Social Services Giving at The Morris Foundation in Fort Worth, TX, the President and CEO for Any Baby Can of Austin, and Executive Vice President for the LIVESTRONG Foundation.  Andy drives the institute’s strategic direction and partnerships to ensure its impact in improving the health of all Texans and strengthening the state’s public health infrastructure.  Andy earned a Master of Health Science Education from The University of Florida in 1997 and Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Southwestern University in 1993. His professional interests include community health, systems transformation, collective impact collaborations, and building high performance teams.

Stephanie Ondrias
​CHIEF CONVENING AND EDUCATION OFFICER

Stephanie holds the inaugural role as the Chief Convening and Education Officer at Texas Health Institute.  In her prior position as Director of Convenings and Education, she was the lead on several internal and external convenings such as the Southern Obesity Summit, Texas Primary Care Consortium Annual Summit, Communities Joined in Action National Conference, the Mountain States Regional Genetics Network, National Conference on Quality Healthcare for Culturally Diverse Populations, and more.  Stephanie has been a part of the THI team since 2010 with prior experience inclusive of Sales, Event and Pre-Opening management roles at Marriott and Starwood hotel properties. Stephanie graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with a focus in Public Relations and minor in Psychology. 

Katie Bradley, MPH
CONVENINGS PRODUCTION MANAGER

Katie joined Texas Health Institute in September 2019 as Convenings & Education Coordinator. She provides logistical support for several internal and external convenings, including the Texas Primary Care Consortium Annual Summit, Mountain States Regional Genetics Network Annual Summit, James Steele Conference on Diseases in Nature Transmissible to Humans, and various ECHO and ECHO-like programs. When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, Katie devoted herself to becoming THI’s resident wizard of virtual convenings. Previously, Katie has held various marketing, communication, project coordination, and community outreach roles for both international and local nonprofits, including VisionTrust International and Compassion International. Katie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in Psychology from Texas A&M University in 2012 and a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion & Community Health Sciences from Texas A&M University School of Public Health in 2019.​

Afrida Faria, MPH
Manager, Health Equity Programs

Afrida Faria currently serves as manager, health equity programs at Texas Health Institute. She previously served as senior health equity policy analyst for THI’s health equity program. Prior to joining THI, Afrida worked for the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care at UT Southwestern Medical Center in implementing behavioral health programs in the North Texas area. Afrida holds a Master of Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from Southern Methodist University. Afrida’s areas of interests include evidence-based program implementation, health equity, community health, and behavioral health.

Maricel Godinho
ACCOUNTANT

Maricel joined the THI Family early 2018 as an Accountant. Prior to this, she worked with Toberman Neighborhood Center- a Non-Profit Organization in San Pedro, CA. Additionally, she brings over 20 years of experience as Accounting/ Payroll Manager in different settings ranging from Medical Offices, Payroll Company, Construction Companies. In her current role, she assists the CFO and Management in maintaining books of accounts, preparation of Interim Reports, ledger maintenance, bookkeeping and bank reconciliations. She has a Bachelors in Commerce Major in Accounting/Bachelors in General Sciences-University of Santo Tomas,  Manila, Philippines;  Master in Business Administration-De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.

Susana Morales, MA
Director of Community Health

​Susana Morales serves as the director of community health. She comes to THI with over 20 years of experience in community-driven programs and evaluation. Susana brings a strong background in strategy development, community engagement, leadership development, capacity building, and culturally responsive evaluation. Prior to joining THI, Susana was an organizational development consultant focusing on supporting organizations strengthen their mission impact. She strives to uplift the collective voice of the community to create and nurture healthy, sustainable, and equitable communities. Susana brings a unique lifespan perspective to her work as she has done work with early childhood education, youth, adults, and older adults. Susana is a native Spanish speaker and has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and anthropology from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in gerontology from San Francisco State University. 

Amy MInze
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Amy has been a member of the THI team since May 2014.  She is currently the Executive Assistant to Ankit Sanghavi.  Prior to working under Ankit, she was the Executive Assistant to Camille Miller.  Amy graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.  

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John Oeffinger
DIRECTOR, ELEARNING AND TRAINING

John Oeffinger is Director, eLearning and Training for Texas Health Institute and Co-Director of TransFORWARD: Texas Transgender Health, a collaboration between Texas Health Institute and Equality Texas Foundation. He has 35 years’ experience in project management, distance education and eLearning in for-profit, association, and non-profit organizations. John currently leads or co-directs five eLearning or transgender health projects for THI developing collaborative partnerships with national, state, and community based partners.  John earned his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Texas A&M University in 1976 and was named to Marquis Who’s Who in America in 1996. His primary research interests are in culturally competent transgender health, 3D immersive learning, mobile applications and data collection in health, and organizational knowledge development.

Mekayla Perkins, MPH
​Projects Coordinator

Mekayla currently serves as the projects coordinator for Texas Health Institute and Mountain States Regional Genetics Network. She is responsible for administration and operational support for both entities. Mekayla holds her Master of Public Health with a concentration in health education and promotion and her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in Huntsville, TX. She hopes to advance her education and career in genetics education. Mekayla previously served as the marketing and events coordinator for The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs at SHSU. She used her platform to educate students and families on the vast number services provided for them on the SHSU campus. When not working, she likes to spend time with her family, friends, and three Corgi babies.

Emily Peterson Johnson, LMSW
SENIOR HEALTH RESEARCH ANALYST

​Emily is a Senior Health Research Analyst at the Texas Health Institute. In this role, she collaborates with the Research and Evaluation and Health Equity teams of THI. Previously, Emily worked for the Texas Department of State Health Services as well as the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. While at the state, Emily conducted mixed method evaluations of federally funded interventions related to diabetes, heart disease, and first episode psychosis. 
Emily has experience coordinating global chronic disease research as well as providing clinical therapy in federally qualified health centers. She is a licensed social worker (LMSW). Emily received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Social Work and Certificate in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Chicago. 
Emily is interested in the application of anti-racist, trauma-informed care, and intersectionality theories to develop identity-informed approaches to individual and public health. 

CODY PRICE, MPH
HEALTH POLICY RESEARCH ANALYST

Cody is a Health Policy Research Analyst for Texas Health Institute working with the Mountain State Regional Genetics Network (MSRGN), Health Equity and Research and Evaluation teams. Previously Cody has worked with the Texas TransFORWARD Initiative, Texas Primary Care Consortium, and Tulane University’s Professional and Continuing Education Platform. A graduate of both Texas A&M University (’20) and Mississippi State University (’18), Cody understands the value of rooting your everyday work in local culture. With a master's degree in health policy and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Cody enjoys enacting evidence-based policies to ease the lives of all Texans. Cody’s professional interests include: substance abuse policy, patent policy, genomics, health insurance, and health equity.​

Kanaka Sathasivan, MPH
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

​Kanaka Sathasivan is the inaugural Director of Communications at Texas Health Institute. With more than 15 years of experience in strategic planning, writing, graphic design, and health education, she has used her background in both language arts and health sciences to support a variety of non-profits, community organizations, government health departments, and research institutes. She is an advocate for person-centered communications and evidence-based practices for writing about health topics. She holds an MPH from Emory University and a BA in English and a BS in molecular biology from The University of Texas at Austin. Kanaka also sits on the Board of Directors for It’s Time Texas and TogetherAustin, and she is the founder and director of Natya Sabhai Arts, which has provided lighting, technical direction, and stage management to over 120 shows since 2009.

Nishi Singhal, MPH 
Program Officer, Primary Care 

Nishi Singhal comes to THI as our program officer in primary care, with a ten-year background of working with various nonprofits on bettering communities. Most recently, she led a philanthropy organization dedicated to improving the mental well-being of individuals with deep-rooted trauma. Nishi has worked with the Michigan Public Health Institute in health system transformation, helping the state of Michigan with payment and delivery system reform. She’s worked with one of the largest Accountable Care Organizations in the country, helping Michigan health systems and providers earn a significant shared savings. Nishi has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in public health from the University of Illinois of Chicago. 

Lisa Smith
WEB ADMINISTRATOR

​Lisa is the web administrator at Texas Health Institute with over 9 years of experience in graphic and web design, web marketing, project management, and content creation. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from the College of Charleston. Lisa is skilled in website design, deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting. She has experience working across cultures and industries, serving diverse clients and needs, and collaborating with teams on website usability. She aims to help organizations effectively define project scope, identify deliverables, and produce original work. Lisa’s personal interests include drawing and reading.

Associates and Advisors

Dennis Andrulis, PHD, MPH
SENIOR ADVISOR – HEALTH EQUITY

​Dennis is a senior advisor on health equity at Texas Health Institute. He is also an associate professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health. In his positions Dennis leads the development of initiatives on health care for vulnerable populations, racial and ethnic disparities, and cultural competence, working at community, state, and national levels. He was previously a senior research scientist at the Texas Health Institute, associate dean for research of Drexel University’s School of Public Health in Philadelphia and directed its Center for Health Equality. His current and recent work have focused on The Affordable Care Act and its implications for racially and ethnically diverse populations. Dennis also led the development of an ACA-related Marketplace Health Equity Assessment Tool. 

Jennie Birkholz, MHA
Senior Associate – Public Health

Jennie Birkholz, MHA, (she/her/ella) is the principal of Breakwater Light, a consulting firm that partners with diverse organizations to improve the health and wellbeing of others and where they play, pray, learn, work, and live. She has a diverse portfolio of work that focuses on impacting the social determinants of health at a systems level through practices of participatory grantmaking, trust-based philanthropy, and community led initiatives. As part of this work, she utilizes innovative and experiential methods centering around story sharing, peer to peer support, and power shifting. Her passion topics include rural health, behavioral health, spirituality, and creating just economies.
Jennie served in the community behavioral health and substance use disorder field for over 15 years before becoming a national consultant. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Texas State University. Jennie is a SAMHSA trauma-informed trainer, Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainer, and certified in Spiritual First Aid. When not working, she loves listening to audiobooks, volunteering, walking her dog in the rain, and making sandcastles on the beach with her family. 

Sue S. Bornstein, MD, FACP
Co-Lead, Texas Primary Care Consortium

​Sue is the executive director of the Texas Medical Home Initiative and co-lead of Texas Primary Care Consortium, a statewide collaborative whose mission is to advance accessible, continuous, and coordinated person-centered care for all Texans. Sue is the chair-elect of the American College of Physicians representing internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. She is currently chair of ACP’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee and previously served as chair of ACP’s health and public policy committee and as governor of the Texas Northern Chapter of ACP. She has been a fellow of the American College of Physicians since 2003. Sue also received the 2021 Primary Care Collaborative Primary Care Community Leadership/Research Award.
She received her medical degree from Texas Tech School of Medicine and completed her residency at the Baylor University Medical Center. Her areas of professional interest and expertise include health and public policy, health care access and reform, strengthening the safety net, and government relations.

Chip Riggins, MD
Senior Associate – Public Health Systems

​Chip Riggins received his M.D. degree from the Louisiana State University at Shreveport and his master’s in public health from the Tulane School of Public Health in New Orleans. He is Board certified in Family Practice, and Public Health/General Preventive Medicine and is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Preventive Medicine. Chip is a retired USAF Colonel, Flight Surgeon, who served as first Joint Surgeon for Texas Military Forces and as The Air Surgeon / Director of Medical Services for the Air National Guard in Washington D.C. A Public Health and Family Medicine practitioner and academician, he has over 30 years of national, state, regional, and local leadership experience. His interests lie at the intersection of population health and primary care, health governance, and public health ethics. 

Nadia Siddiqui, MPH
Health Equity Advisor

​Nadia Siddiqui is a health equity advisor to Texas Health Institute with 15 years of experience designing and leading innovative and impactful national, state, and community initiatives for advancing health equity. Previously, she served as THI’s inaugural chief health equity officer, providing strategic leadership to operationalize health equity internally, while expanding cross-sector partnerships, actionable data and programs in communities across Texas and nationally to improve opportunity and health for all. Prior to this, she was director of health equity programs, implementing health equity-centered research, evaluation and policy initiatives at all levels. Nadia holds a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics-Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. Her professional interests lie at the nexus of health equity, racial justice, social determinants of health and driving systems change. 

Kim Wilson, DrPH
Senior Associate 

​Kim provides research, economic and program evaluation and strategy support to clients in the nonprofit, healthcare, government, philanthropic, academic and business sectors. She holds a Doctor of Public Health in Health Promotion & Behavioral Science from the University of Texas Health Science Center, a Masters’ degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Bachelors’ degree in Economics (with a minor in Business) from Washington University in St. Louis.