Community Health and Research Community Programs Team

Krista Langston is the executive director of community programs for the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Krista holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus in ethical leadership and organizational management and a bachelor’s in health care administration from Harding University. She has over a decade of experience in non-profits, grants administration, and project management. Prior to joining UAMS, Ms. Langston provided oversight for a $15 million grant to fund quality preschool programs in the state’s highest-need, most underserved counties. Krista’s passion is to build a stronger and healthier community for the children and families of Arkansas.

Email: KLangston@uams.edu

Bonnie Faitak is the community programs director for Healthy Food Systems at the Office of Community Health and Research with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and global studies, an Master of Arts in diplomacy and international relations, and a Master of Education in secondary education. Her background includes international teaching, public relations, and recruiting. Before joining UAMS, Bonnie coordinated a four-county weekend feeding program for children at risk of weekend food insecurity at the largest community food non-profit organization in northwest Arkansas. In her current role, Ms. Faitak provides strategic leadership and oversight to the Office of Community Health and Research Healthy Food Systems team, whose focus is on the development of programs and research projects with food pantries, community meals, food banks, early childhood centers, public schools, and national organizations to increase access to healthy foods in Arkansas and nationwide. The goal of this work is to create a better state of health for all through healthy food access.

Email: BMFaitak@uams.edu

Hershell West is a research program director in the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Mr. West has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Arkansas and is an Assistive Technology Professional. He has over 26 years of experience directing programs and providing effective strategies to empower youth and adults with disabilities overcome barriers, disparities and inequalities within their schools, communities and workplace. In addition to helping students and families directly, Mr. West has provided technology and consultation services that alleviate barriers to accessibility to schools, businesses and communities. He has worked collaboratively with local and state agencies to empower transition age youth to sustained gainful employment using evidenced based best practices. He has also supported youth and families with success sequencing for poverty prevention.

Email: HDWest@uams.edu

Sarah Moore is an assistant director in the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in Fayetteville. Sarah is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in community health promotion, with an emphasis on health education and messaging to address health disparities among vulnerable populations. She has worked as a nurse in a variety of fields including adolescent residential psychiatry, ICU, chronic disease education and management, and health care administration. In her nearly eight years with the Office of Community Health and Research, Sarah has managed multiple community-based programs, leading and collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams to plan, implement, and manage multiple community-based projects. As a professional, Sarah strives to foster innovative practices and meaningful community collaboration to promote equitable access to health care as a means to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.

Email: SJMoore@uams.edu

Rudy Burns, CPA, is an assistant director of programs with Office of Community Programs and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Rudy has a Bachelor of Science in accountancy from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He completed his Certificate of Public Accountancy in the state of Arkansas following graduation. Rudy began his current position with the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus in 2022. He previously worked with the UAMS College of Medicine and the UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute from 1999 until 2006 and served as the administrator. Following a career in leadership in private medicine, Rudy has been a small business owner in the food service industry since 2011. Rudy’s variety of experience brings a relatable understanding the importance of reaching the community while providing financial guidance and support to a variety of program. Rudy’s career goal remains the desire to help others achieve their goals by supporting those who make a difference in the lives of others.

Email: RBurns2@uams.edu

Sarah Livengood is the senior manager of community partnerships in the Office of Community Health and Research. Ms. Livengood holds two master’s degrees in anthropology and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and archaeology. She has over 10 years’ experience implementing and managing award winning, community-based programs that serve youth and adults from diverse backgrounds both in North Carolina and Arkansas. For the past five years, her career has focused on cultivating community partnerships in northwest Arkansas to create purposeful, collaborative, and sustainable solutions to support individuals and communities on their path to thriving. Currently she leads community partnership strategies and maintains professional relationships with multiple high-level stakeholders to ensure positive representation of UAMS Office of Community Health and Research’s work.

Email: SVLivengood@uams.edu

Pearl Atlan is an outreach associate who provides interpretation and translation services at the UAMS Health North Street Clinic. She is a bilingual Marshallese community member with experience and understanding of Marshallese culture and custom. Ms. Atlan’s professional goal is to help assist and engage with the community by providing medical assistance and solutions to health barriers.

Email: PAtlan@uams.edu

Gloria Binejal is a community health worker and bilingual associate with the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Ms. Binejal is a Marshallese community member who understands the Marshallese culture and customs. Ms. Binejal has experience in community and organization outreach and is currently working with the USDA and FDMSE projects. Through these experiences, Ms. Binejal’s goal is to work toward improving and increasing access to healthcare and assistance with other needs for the Marshallese population in northwest Arkansas.

Email: GJBinejal@uams.edu

Sergio Bonilla is a bilingual community health worker and research assistant in the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus with a background as an electronics technician. He has more than six years of experience working, advocating and connecting with the Hispanic/Latino community and has experienced different facets of the healthcare field including coordinating benefits, resource navigation, referrals, translations, organizational outreach, health education, and COVID-19 health literacy. Mr. Bonilla’s professional goal is to reduce the health disparities in northwest Arkansas, specifically within the Hispanic/Latino and Marshallese communities.

Email: SDBonilla@uams.edu

Tricia Fehr Carver, M.A., is a project manager in the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Tricia holds a master’s degree in counseling and a bachelor’s in biology. She has over 10 years of experience managing operations and over five years of client and case management. Tricia has worked with vulnerable populations by providing mental health services and life skills education. Through these experiences, Tricia has worked and continues to work towards the goal of removing barriers to seeking mental health services and improving access to health care.

Email: TFCarver@uams.edu

Elizabeth Cisneros is an outreach specialist at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus and is embedded at Arkansas Immigrant Defense. She has completed courses in anthropology and is currently working on her community health worker certification. Elizabeth is a bilingual Hispanic community member with a deep understanding and ties to the culture. She has over five years of community engagement and civic advocacy leading volunteer efforts and coordinating outreach. Elizabeth has demonstrated her ability to understand a family’s specific situation and connect them with appropriate resources at the local, state, and federal levels in her position at Rogers Public Schools. She has extensive experience working with marginalized and low-income communities, and has helped them through direct translating services to connect to resources. In her current role at UAMS, she is helping community members find access to healthcare and improve health literacy in northwest Arkansas.

Email: ECisneros@uams.edu

Tim Clark, M.P.H., is the project manager of community-based organizations in the Office of Community Health and Research at UAMS. Tim received his undergraduate degree at Missouri State University and his Master of Public Health at the University of New England. He has diverse work experience in multiple nonprofit and health care settings establishing community partnerships, programs, and initiatives. His vocational opportunities have allowed him to develop an understanding of community partners and how to improve health inequities and disparities through a collective approach. In his role at UAMS, he helps train, supervise, and deploy community health workers in northwest Arkansas and across the state. Tim’s goals at UAMS are to create and mature strong community partner pathways so that clients and patients can have access to the resources that they need.

Email: TLClark@uams.edu

Email: JLane2@uams.edu

Email: MDLarin@uams.edu

Taryn Maddocks, B.S., is the administrative coordinator for the community health worker project at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Ms. Maddocks has a bachelor’s degree in family and human services with a minor in education from John Brown University. Prior to joining UAMS, she worked as a community liaison connecting residents to local resources and government programs such as rental assistance, health insurance, employment, food pantries, etc. Ms. Maddocks has seven years’ experience with local nonprofits and universities. Through these experiences, Ms. Maddocks aims to bring dignity and respect to everyone seeking assistance and supporting those on the front line.

Email: TMaddocks@uams.edu

Katie McCraney, B.S., is an outreach coordinator for the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Mrs. McCraney holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She has five years of experience assisting in the development and delivery of regional planning programs by providing technical and advisory assistance regarding infrastructure development, community planning and program administration. Mrs. McCraney has developed relationships within the community through addressing economic growth, development issues, and program administration. In her current role with UAMS, she manages projects for Physical Activity and Built Environment that track the number of actual new or enhanced sites, connected by activity-friendly routes, which were created or enhanced as a result of new or improved plans or policies. It is Mrs. McCraney’s professional goal to create a more physically active society, improve quality of life, give better access of transportation systems and knowledge of health-related issues to our community.

Email: KMccraney2@uams.edu

Email: JMcevoy@uams.edu

Rosa Medrano is an outreach specialist for the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Ms. Medrano holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, where she cultivated her interest in education and research to address health disparities with underserved communities. As a California native of Mexican descent who is bilingual in Spanish and English, she has spent the last seven years working with the Latinx community in both rural and urban areas. Ms. Medrano moved to Arkansas in 2016 and worked with the Division for Children and Family Services as a family service worker. For the past four years, Ms. Medrano has established relationships with schools, service providers, non-profit organizations and other organizations in northwest Arkansas to meet the needs of individuals and families. Through her role at UAMS, Ms. Medrano will continue her work with the community in order to ensure equal access to health and services.

Email: RMedrano@uams.edu

Larissa Navarrete is a community health worker in the Office of Community Health and Research at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. Larissa is a dedicated professional that has worked in pharmaceuticals for seven years. She has gained experience and knowledge in the field of pharmacy working alongside pharmacists and patients. Larissa was an intern with Teen Action Support Center that had participated in the Social Innovation Challenge at the University of Arkansas, winning first place. Having studied social justice in the arts, she has a desire to develop, produce and implement community engagement alongside community partners.

Email: LNavarrete@uams.edu

Email: LPamungkas@uams.edu

Albina Riklon is a research project coordinator for the Office of Community Health and Research at UAMS. She has her master’s degree in public administration and was one of only four graduates to achieve membership at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s 2016 Phi Alpha Alpha Honor Society. Her years of experience have led her to take on a number of projects including community-based research, community-based outreach, teaching, staff management, stakeholder engagement, and technical assistance. Ms. Riklon chairs and leads the Translation Review Committee for all of UAMS’s Marshallese translations. She is also focused on training, deploying and integrating community health workers in northwest Arkansas.

Email: ARiklon@uams.edu

Juliann Rilang, A.A.S., is a bilingual outreach community health worker with UAMS Family Wellness Programs. She holds an associate degree in liberal arts and sciences from Northwest Arkansas Community College. Mrs. Rilang has also earned a Medical Assistant Certificate from Petra Allied Health. Mrs. Rilang has experience in collaborating with other organizations to assist with community programs. In doing this, she has developed the knowledge in building professional relationships with different nationalities, especially her very own Marshallese community. It is Mrs. Rilang’s professional goal to be a shining light in each Marshallese/Pacific Islander’s life. She plans on producing a well-informed Marshallese community about how and where to obtain assistance in northwest Arkansas.

Email: JRilang@uams.edu

Mandy Ritok-Lakien has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Saint Mary in Kansas. She comes to the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus with eight years of experience in project management. Ms. Ritok-Lakien has been in charge of participant recruitment and retention, and she has taught diabetes self-management education to more than 250 Marshallese participants in our Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded randomized controlled trial. She is fluent in Marshallese and English. Ms. Ritok-Lakien has extensive research compliance experience and training in research procedures and ethics.

Email: MRitok@uams.edu

Rosana Solis-Garcia holds an associate degree in business administration with substantial experience in finance, analytics, billing, collections, and customer service. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mrs. Solis-Garcia worked as a bilingual COVID-19 contact tracer at UAMS, where she worked with the Latinx population by providing desperately needed resources and information during their illness and quarantine. She later transitioned to the navigation and vaccination clinic team, where some of her responsibilities were to provide outreach and event planning in the community and church events for the COVID-19 vaccine. Mrs. Solis-Garcia is also an incredible asset to the USDA research project, a study in which healthy food is delivered to participants who have type 2 diabetes. She collaborated with the recruitment, food deliveries, dietary recalls, and health screenings.

Email: RMSolisGarcia@uams.edu

Manuel E. Tejada is a bilingual outreach associate of the Office of Community Health and Research working as an embedded community health worker at Arkansas Immigrant Defense. Mr. Tejada hold a bachelor’s degree in communications and is completing his Master of Business Administration with an emphasis on health care. Since joining the team at UAMS in January 2022, Mr. Tejada has worked with a local nonprofit to increase access and equity for local immigrant populations. He has experience in advocating for immigrant rights policies, project management, and outreach. Mr. Tejada hopes to reduce the health disparities for Latinx and Asian Americans and Pacific Islander populations through community-based programs and effective policy advocacy.

Email: METejada@uams.edu