Faculty

 Ho-Choong Chang, MD, FAAP, previously served as the Chief of Pediatrics of Community Health Center, Inc. (CHCI). In this role, Dr. Chang provided oversight of the delivery of high quality, evidence-based health care to CHCI's pediatric population. Dr. Chang also served as the On-Site Medical Director of Connecticut Pediatrics @ CHC in Hartford as well as a clinical preceptor in CHCI's pediatric nurse practitioner residency program. Dr. Chang earned his undergraduate degree in psychobiology at Yale College. Prior to entering medical school, Dr. Chang served in the first Teach For America corps and taught science to eighth graders in Brooklyn, NY, where he was awarded the school's Teacher of the Year Award in his first year. He received his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and completed his pediatrics residency at the University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital. With over twenty-five years of experience, Dr. Chang has cared for children in a number of roles including pediatric hospitalist, urgent care physician, and primary care provider.

Robert Dudley, MD, MEd, FAAP, joined the Community Health Center of New Britain, CT as a National Public Health Scholar in the summer of 1996 after completing his residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He has been involved in the New Britain community as the school district’s medical advisor for the past twenty five years. He has held multiple rolls at the state and national level with the American Academy of Pediatrics, currently as the Connecticut Chapter’s Immediate Past President and as the Chair of the Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) grant program. He is a member of the national and state AAP School Health Committees. Dr. Dudley has championed quality improvement initiatives in the areas of substance abuse screening, developmental screening, depression screening, immunizations, asthma, and STD screening. He has been actively involved in pediatric obesity and community based participatory research projects for the past thirteen years, with presentations of Healthy Tomorrows, RWJF Salud America, and Invest Health grant program data at the AAP Future of Pediatrics, Weight of the Nation, and NICHQ conferences, where he was honored with NICHQ’s 2010 Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award. He serves as the medical advisor for Klingberg Family Center’s Webster House, which serves medically and behaviorally complex teens from across Connecticut. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Noreen Stewart, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist at CT Pediatrics at Community Health Center providing individual and family therapy for children and families. She provides supervision for psychology trainees at the practicum and post-doctoral levels.  Dr. Stewart earned her bachelor’s degree in human development and psychological services from Northwestern University and earned her doctorate in school psychology from Fordham University. She is the founder and CEO of Stewart Learning Inc., and is an Adjunct Professor in NYU’s Graduate Department of Applied Psychology in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Additionally, she was a Senior Psychologist working with diverse adolescents with learning disabilities, emotional difficulties and attentional issues.  Dr. Stewart has a passion for working at the intersection of improving mental health, empowering young people and their caregivers to overcome their unique challenges, while working through a social justice lens to address inequity.

Reese Ramponi, APRN, PMHNP-BC, is a white, queer, ADHD- Autistic person raised in Alaska (unceded Dena'ina Athabaskan land). After moving to the East Coast in 2009, Reese studied Religion and Psychology at Dartmouth College and worked as a wilderness adventure guide before returning to graduate school. They completed Yale's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program and have been working with queer and neurodivergent youth since 2018. Reese is dedicated to creating accessible, decolonized spaces where clients are given agency to make informed decisions about their health. Trained in ketamine assisted therapy, they are passionate about helping people, especially those who have been traditionally excluded from evidence based medicine models, find therapeutic practice both within and outside of mainstream Western medicine. Reese has been involved in queer and neurodiversity advocacy for the past 8 years as a photographer, healthcare educator, and change facilitator, beginning with the development of a peer support program at Yale School of Nursing. They have presented at Yale Medical School, Dartmouth College, The Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, and the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy, and provided professional development through Teach for America, the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. They were the recipient of the Dartmouth Journalism Award for socially conscious journalism and the New Haven City Wide Open Studios Artist in Residence Grant. Some of their other passions include roller skating, travel, and existential therapy.

Renée Reopell, LCSW, is a queer/ genderqueer, Boricua decedent (Puerto Rican/ Taino), born and raised in mainland US in Washington D.C. (unceded Piscataway, Pamunkey, the Nentego (Nanichoke), Mattaponi, Chickahominy, Monacan, and Powhatan land). They hold a master’s degree in social work from NYU, with a focus in sexuality and gender, and have been privileged to support LGBTQ+ youth for over a decade through trauma-informed and harm-reduction care practices. A ceramicist, cat parent, and mushroom hunter, Renée is also in private practice from a health equity framework, and believes in the power of trans youth.

Addie Van Zwoll, MJ, MSW, LCSW, has worked in the school-based healthcare field at the local, state, and national level since 2011. As a clinical social worker and manager of behavioral health services at a local SBHC, she was able to provide direct clinical services and expand behavioral health programming, including the introduction of alternative to suspension programs and a calm room. Ms. Van Zwoll also served on the Illinois School-Based Health Alliance Steering Committee for several years. Ms. Van Zwoll is passionate about working with adolescents and increasing access to mental health care. She joined the SBHA in 2023 and is currently working on a variety of projects, including both program and consulting work. Ms. Van Zwoll is a graduate of Western Michigan University (Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Arts-Criminal Justice, 2006), University of Michigan (Master of Social Work, 2007), Loyola University Chicago (Master of Jurisprudence in Children’s Law & Policy, 2014), has a certificate in School Discipline Reform also from Loyola University Chicago, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago.

Paula Fields, MSN, BSN, RN, is the Vice President of Programs & Technical Assistance at the School-Based Health Alliance. She has worked in the school-based health care field for over 25 years. Paula exudes passion for children's well-being. She joined the School-Based Health Alliance in 2016. Her current work at SBHA includes programs, the development of tools and resources, technical assistance and training, educational offerings, planning and implementing school-based health centers, and building school and community partnerships to work towards student success. Paula has a wealth of experience in building school-community partnerships, leading quality initiatives, grants management, and consulting to promote, plan, and implement health and social supports provided by the community. She enjoys working with existing school-based health centers on service expansion, improvement, and fiscal turnaround and has a diverse background in outpatient clinic administration, quality improvement, and grants management. Before coming to SBHA, Paula oversaw an extensive outpatient clinical provider practice, including planning, starting, and sustaining a school-based health center, providing state-wide SBHC technical assistance and training, and serving as the first state-level community school coordinator. Paula recently served many years on a board of directors for a Federally Qualified Health Clinic. She holds a Master's degree in nursing education and administration, a Bachelor's degree in nursing, and an active Registered Nurse license.

Weitzman Institute Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Weitzman Institute to ensure that Continuing Education (CE) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners' and the public, the Weitzman Institute requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.

Faculty participating in a Weitzman Institute-sponsored activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationship(s) with ineligible companies.