Health Equity Solutions

Alycia Santilli, MSW, is Director of the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE), co-housed at Southern CT State University and the Yale School of Public Health. Building on her previous work as a community organizer – organizing people to influence state health policy – she started her research career to explore the important link between policy change and research. She began coordinating community-engaged research projects at the Yale School of Public Health in 2005. Alycia then joined CARE shortly after its inception in 2007 and has been integral in providing administrative oversight and strategic direction for the organization, quickly rising to a leadership position. In addition to managing grants, budgets, and human resources, she directed all research and other activities conducted in community settings, including organizing with low-income communities to develop health interventions. Alycia brings research skills in survey design; recruitment of hard-to-reach study participants; project management; training lay-people in research, including data collection; IRB and data collection protocol development; and dissemination of research results to the community. In 2009, 2012, and 2015, she hired, trained, supervised, and directed 20 surveyors to complete >1200 household surveys in two months, as part of Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment. In 2016, Alycia transitioned to the role of Director when CARE merged Southern CT State University, bringing with her a decade of experience in community engagement and deep ties to the New Haven community. She has authored several academic papers and numerous community reports. Alycia has a Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organizing from the University of Connecticut. She received a BA in English and was certified in K-6 from Eastern Connecticut State University. Alycia is a Connecticut native and has lived in New Haven for nearly 15 years.

Robert Krzys is an attorney and health care consultant. As an attorney, he has represented various public sector labor unions in collective bargaining negotiations for over thirty years. The subject of health care benefits has figured prominently in his work and as the spokesperson for the coalition of all state employee unions on the statewide labor-management health care cost containment committee, he proposed the establishment of the Health Enhancement Program which went into effect in 2011.  That program contains a wide array of Value Based Insurance Design provisions.

Attorney Krzys is an appointed member of the Consumer Advisory Board of the on-going Connecticut SIM initiative. The CAB is charged with ensuring that the interests of the consumer are fully considered in any health care reform initiatives. He also serves on the Value Based Insurance Design Consortium of the SIM initiative which seeks to accelerate the adoption of VBID principles within the health care delivery system.

Bob is also on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Health Foundation whose mission is to eliminate health disparities for people of color. He also serves on the Foundation’s Governance and Public Policy Committees. He is also serving as a Mentor in the Foundation’s newly launched Academy for health leaders.

Bob has been active in advocating for the interests of working people throughout his career and is familiar with the workings of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of Connecticut government. In conjunction with a local union he helped establish a coalition of assisters to promote enrollment in Access Health CT, Connecticut’s health insurance exchange.

Attorney Krzys has a degree in Political Science from Tufts University and a law degree from Santa Clara University.

Supriya currently leads Aetna’s Medicaid Analytics team and is daily confronted with the need to improve Social Determinants of Health to truly change members’ behavior.  Her team focuses on improving the health of Medicaid members by using analytical approaches to outreach members and increase preventative behaviors (e.g. well visits, vaccines, screenings) and make sound health decisions (e.g. taking medication, following up after a hospitalization, etc.).  Supriya has always been interested in and passionate about improving Social Determinants of Health, understanding that it has the greatest impact on member health behavior.

Prior to this role, Supriya spent over 15 years as a strategy consultant and 5 years in global corporate banking where she had the fortune of living in many countries (Singapore, Germany, Italy, Spain) and cities within the US (Chicago and New York City).  Supriya received her MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her Bachelor of Science in Economics and Biology from the University of Michigan.

Supriya now lives in West Hartford, CT with her family – her husband, two children, and their dog.

Ms. Gwendolyn Brantley lives in Bridgeport, CT and attended Bridgeport Public Schools.  After graduating from Central High School she went on to earn her Bachelor of Science Degree from Southern Connecticut State University in Corporate Communications and then later in life earned a Master of Science Degree from the University of Bridgeport in Human Resources Development.

Gwen has worked in both the corporate and educational sectors in several different capacities.  But it is through her experiences working in the education sector as well as being a mother that has inspired her to help young people with their college and career aspirations. After attending her first National Society of Black Engineer’s (NSBE) conference in Boston she quickly realized how NSBE’s presence could be very beneficial not only to her son but also to other family members, friends, and the greater Bridgeport community.

In 2006 with assistance of NSBE’s regional leadership board she charted the Bridgeport NSBE Jr. Chapter at a time when there was no or very little STEM academic enrichment programs being offered in the community or the school system and for many years The Bridgeport NSBE Jr. Chapter was the only active chapter in Connecticut. For the past 13 years Gwen  has been passionate about NSBE and through this role she has been able to inspire hundreds of middle and high school students in choosing STEM as a career option and achieving academic excellence.

In 2012 she established ACCESS Educational Services, Inc. as a 501 c3 non-profit organization to allow her to expand her fundraising efforts to sustain the chapter as well as create other STEM academic enrichment activities.   In addition, to managing the Bridgeport NSBE Jr. Chapter, she has developed and offers: the Summer STEAM Camp, The Saturday STEAM Club, Girls Who Code Club, FIRST Robotics, and a service provider to Bridgeport’s Board of Education and Lighthouse after school programs.

In addition, her other civic duties include an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Fairfield County Alumnae Chapter, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, New Haven Metropolitan Chapter, CT, CT-FANS NSBE Professional Chapter and, Vice-Chair of the Alumni Board for the University of Bridgeport. Gwen also serves as a consultant to the United Way as a Youth Innovation Specialist for their Bridgeport Prospers Initiative.

A resident of Hartford, Davis earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Gettysburg College. He is an active member in greater Hartford, serving as a board member of Achieve Hartford, a corporator of the Hartford Public Library, and a board member of the MetroHartford Alliance, of which he is a former chairman of the Chamber Board. Davis has also previously served as chairman of the City of Hartford Audit Commission; secretary and executive board member of Urban League of Greater Hartford; and has volunteered with Hartford Public Schools.

David I. Newton is president and founder of Elm Advisors, LLC. Established in 2007, Elm Advisors specializes in real estate and facilities services for not for profit institutions. He serves as trustee and a member on a number of boards, including Lesley University, NewAlliance Foundation, First City Fund Corporation, Elm Shakespeare Company, Project Access, and St. Martin de Porres Academy.

Previously, Newton was the associate vice president and director of University Properties at Yale University and co-founder and president of the Facilities Resource Management Co. David holds a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a master’s degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Alina Penny is a Senior Associate for Growth and Operations strategy at PURE Insurance, a specialty high net worth insurance company. Prior to the role, she helped build the Member Experience department at PURE and lead the organization to becoming a digital first company, including the development of a mobile app, online client portal and robo-advisory coverage tool. She also helped inaugurate the PURE Insurance Foundation and sits on the national committee.

Alina received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and American Studies from Williams College and now serves as Secretary for Alumni Relations.

Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM, is a maternity care leader focused on care model innovation, community integrated care, and quality improvement. With a clinical background as a nurse-midwife, Amy has spent her career working to improve maternity care and has particular expertise in primary prevention of cesarean and preterm birth, midwife-led and collaborative care models, shared decision making, and quality improvement. 

Amy is the Founder and CEO of Primary Maternity Care, a consulting services company focused on strengthening community-based care models to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce disparities. Prior to this, Amy led the development and implementation of clinical, wellness, and quality management programs at Baby and Company, a multi-state network of freestanding birth centers integrated with regional health systems. She has also previously developed quality improvement toolkits, advocacy programs, and clinical practice resources with organizations including the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement, Childbirth Connection, Jacaranda Health, and Lamaze International.

Author of many peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, Amy also co-authored Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach, which was named Book of the Year by the American College of Nurse-Midwives in 2013. She also was on the editorial team and authored three chapters for the ninth edition of the landmark women’s health book, Our Bodies, Ourselves. 

Amy received her Masters of Science Degree in Nurse-Midwifery from the Yale School of Nursing and a Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare Leadership from the Yale School of Management. She lives in Milford, Connecticut with her husband and two teenage children.