The mission of the Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island Area Health Education Center (BQLI AHEC) is to improve healthcare outcomes in underserved areas through the development of education, mentoring, and training programs to increase the pool of skilled providers that will service underserved communities.
Since its inception in 2003, BQLI AHEC has exposed over 5,000 middle, high school, and college students to challenging, rewarding careers in medicine, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, health education, health care administrative and support services, and emergency care. Youth ages 13-21 have learned about health professions through workshops, job shadowing, facility tours, structured internships, and ongoing mentorship.
Richard Merchant
Chief Executive Officer
rkm@nahecnet.org
Nicholas Chun
Center Director, BQLI-AHEC
nchun@bqliahec.org
Lizetta Alexander
Program Manager, BQLI-AHEC
lalexander@bqliahec.org
Kenneth Cruz
ICAM Program Manager, NYC Region
kenneth@hwny.org
Wendy Soto
ICAM Case Manager, NYC Region
wendy@hwny.org
Christina DeLorenzo
Chief Finance and Administration Officer
cdelorenzo@nahecnet.org
Grace Danboise
Director of Human Resources
graced@hwny.org
Logan Shoen
Fiscal Compliance & Grant Administrator
logan@hwny.org
Rachael Schafer
Administrative Operations Manager
rachael@hwny.org
Kayla Gugin
Fiscal Operations Manager
kayla@hwny.org
Ashleigh McGowan
Chief Innovation & Design Officer
amcgowan@cnyahec.org
Ben Aldrich
HWNY Director of Technology and Data Security
ben@hwapps.org
Tasnim Islam
HWNY Program Manager
tasnim@hwny.org
Grace Natale – Riley
ICAM Engagement and Growth Manager
grace@hwny.org
Chair
Hazel Sanderson-Marcoux, Ed.D., R.N.
Associate Dean Retired
Long Island University Brooklyn Campus
Vice Chair
Tanisha Dorvil, MS
Intensive Reading Interventionist
NYC Public Schools
Secretary
Jessica Varghese, Ph.D., R.N. FADLN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
New York Institute of Technology
Treasurer
Stacy Jaffee Gropack, P.T., Ph.D., FASAHP
Dean
School of Health Professions
Stony Brook University
Directors
Kelynne Edmond Oristel, RN BC, MS, GNP APRN-BC, D. Min
Director of Nursing and Pharm Tech Programs
NYC DOE
Clara Barton High School
Stephanie Crockett, MSN-Ed, RN, CCP
RN Case Manager & CEO
Stephanie Michele Enterprises, LLC
Cynthia Sterling-Fox, PhD
Assistant Professor, Nursing
Medgar Evers College, CUNY
Jennifer Edwards-Saul B.S., M.Ed., Ed.D.
Researcher Educator ECC Specialist
Early Childhood Connections
Janet A Williams, DNP, MSM, CNM, FACNM
CEO
Transitions Women’s Health Consulting
In response to the growing healthcare provider shortage impacting the quality of patient care throughout New York State, the Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island Area Health Education Center is working to strengthen healthcare outcomes in underserved areas by working closely with both health career students and professionals. Our organization aims to develop a skilled and knowledgeable health care work force that is equipped to serve individuals of various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds throughout the Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island regions.
The Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island Area Health Education Center offers a range of programs and is always open to developing new partnerships with medical, educational, and community organizations. We would love to speak more about our programs with you and discuss ways in which you can play an active role in supporting our mission.
Please contact us with any questions, inquiries, or concerns.
Best,
Nicholas Chun
Center Director
Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island
Area Health Education Center
AHEC is supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Grant number U77HP16459 and project title New York State Area Health Education Center System. The information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
BQLI-AHEC is a member of the NYSAHEC System and the National AHEC Organization (NAO).