Faculty and Staff

Lucia Leone, PhD

Director
Lucia is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at the University at Buffalo  School of Public Health and Health Professions.  As Director of the Community Health Interventions Lab, Lucia works with community and small business partners to develop and test sustainable interventions to increase access to healthy, local and affordable food. She has expertise in evaluating community-based interventions to increase access to healthy food in lower-income and underserved communities. 

Leah Vermont, MA

Assistant Director of Partnership and Outreach
Leah has experience in clinical and community-based research focusing on substance use, mental health, and health behaviors.  She is interested in the social determinants that drive health outcomes and disparities, as well as the evaluation of community-based initiatives. Leah is happiest backpacking in the mountains with her family. 

Anne Lally, PhD

Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation
Anne received her PhD in cultural anthropology from the University at Buffalo in 2017; her research engages multispecies ethnography in food systems, agricultural and rural anthropology, and landscape and identity in field sites located in Iceland and the Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation in the Southern Tier of New York. Anne has worked previously as a research director in the private sector healthcare market, served as a research assistant on a NIH-funded alcohol intervention study at the UB Center for Social Research, and coordinated non-profit public health programs serving women and children in New Jersey. Her background working at a vegetable farm and market in rural New Jersey, along with her dissertational fieldwork conducted on dairy, horse, and sheep farms in Iceland, further informs her real-world perspective on food systems and desire to work towards increasing access to fresh, local fruits and vegetables in all communities. 

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Jill Tirabassi, MD, MPH

Faculty research collaborator
Jill is a K12 faculty scholar clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine a board-certified physician in both family medicine and preventive medicine and public health. Her research looks to improve health outcomes through understanding, assessing, and utilizing interventions in food and physical activity environments. She also practices clinically at the ECMC Family Medicine Center, teaching family medicine residents and medical students. She enjoys hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family. 


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Christina Kasprzak, PhD

PostDoctoral Associate
Christina is a post-doctoral associate and research assistant professor in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior (CHHB) at the University at Buffalo. She completed her PhD in the Fall of 2021 from CHHB. Prior to her doctoral work, she earned a Master of Science in Nutrition Science and worked in the public health nutrition field for nearly a decade. Her interest in designing and evaluating community-based interventions to improve the nutrition status of vulnerable populations is rooted in her years of experience as a nutritionist for the Federal nutrition assistance programs WIC and SNAP. Although a mixed methods researcher, she has a particular expertise in qualitative methods. The bulk of her research has focused on evaluating the effectiveness of a mobile produce market intervention known as the Veggie Van model as well as understanding the impact of organizational factors on implementation of the model. She was awarded a 5-year K99/R00 grant through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIH). This research will involve understanding the decision-making process, individual level determinants, and environmental barriers to breastfeeding among non-Hispanic Black (NHB) women across different socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings will inform the systematic and community-engaged design of a tailored breastfeeding peer counselor program to improve breastfeeding outcomes. A native Buffalonian, Christina enjoys volunteering, hiking, concerts, spending time with her daughter, and of course anything related to food! 

Katie Mae Round, MS

Research and Finance Administrator
Katie Mae joins the CHIL Lab, and she brings 17 years of operational leadership experience in Sport Management & Corporate Healthcare Administration. She is passionate about fostering people centric environments that harvest collaboration and inclusivity. 
She earned her Master's of Science in Sport Administration from Canisius University and brings a thoughtful and strategic approach to supporting the labs research and projects. Katie Mae is inspired by CHIL's commitment to advancing community health and is energized by the opportunity to learn, create and grow with this dedicated team.
When she is not on campus, Katie Mae enjoys seeking new adventures with her family, bird watching alongside her cats, and gardening with her dog. 

Karine Amato (she/her)

Community Outreach Manager
Karine (Cod-een) is excited to embark on this new role. She is eager to have the opportunity to help strengthen initiatives that positively impact student health and local food systems.
Over the past 6 years, Karine has been deeply involved in Buffalo's food justice and access initiatives. Working previously at Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) and Fresh Fix, her work is fueled by the thought that it is a human right to have accessibility to fresh, local, affordable, and culturally appropriate foods. Karine describes two core values that guide her approach in this new role: nurturing meaningful relationships and promoting the use of local products to support sustainable agricultural practices. Karine is a member of Slow Food, a global grassroots organization that focuses on where food comes from and how food choices affect the world. 
Karine has an intense interest in preserving her family's culture and traditions of food, and wants other families to have the accessibility to continue theirs as well. Karine is involved with the national Mobile Market Coalitions, in her second year as a member of the Buffalo and Erie County Food Policy Council, and is currently studying Environmental Sustainability at UB. Karine loves trying new foods of all kinds, traveling, and hiking/camping whenever she can! 

Charles Humphrey

Research Support SPecialist
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Charles Humphrey was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, before earning a B.A. in Environmental Studies: Sustainable Systems. He is an Eagle Scout with a commitment to developing a more environmentally considerate and socially just food system. Charles has worked with multiple mobile market programs in the past, including as a Public Health AmeriCorps member. Charles has been a long-time advocate for holistic living, especially through a whole-foods, plant-based diet. When not operating mobile markets, Charles likes to spend his free time playing pickup basketball, watching nature or cooking documentaries, and walking around Hoyt Lake. Come say hi at Veggie Van sometime!

Research Assistants

 Amy Sheehan, MPT

Recruitment Coordinator
Amy Sheehan arrives to CHILab after spending 5 years as the Project Coordinator in the School of Nursing, working with Dr. Sharon Hewner on her Patient Centered Transitions of Care research study.  Under the direction on Dr. Mathiebe, Amy will be assisting with recruitment and data collection for the Pediatric Food is Medicine Study. Mrs. Sheehan is also a practicing Physical Therapist for the past 26 years. In her spare time Amy is a passionate yogi, and yoga instructor. She has been teaching Yoga for 15 years, mostly in her hometown of East Aurora. Her two sons BOTH just graduated from College this Spring and they celebrated with a family trip to Ireland, she is one proud Mom! 

 Vera Chorba-Hoffman

Graduate Research assistant
Vera is a student in the BS/MPH Epidemiology program at UB, with a Minor in Nutrition. She assists the Community Health Interventions Lab with qualitative analysis projects as well as data collection and recruitment. Vera is working under Dr. Anne Mathiebe on the Pediatric Food is Medicine Study. In the future she hopes to pursue opportunities using nutrition, food science and public health to improve health outcomes. In her free time, Vera enjoys going to the gym, spending time outdoors, long distance running, long distance bike rides, and any adventures, especially hiking! 

UB Veggie Van Team

Zoe Franciamone

Research Assistant
Zoe is a research assistant with the UB Veggie Van and Master's student pursuing both a Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work degree. She enjoys working with the Community Health Interventions Lab to improve food access and provide nutrition education across campus and in the local community. Zoe hopes to use her combined training in public health and social work to address food insecurity and improve health outcomes of marginalized communities. In her free time, she likes going to farmers markets, checking out new restaurants and spending time in Delaware Park!

Nirmiti (Nini) Pandit

Research Aide
Nirmiti (Nini) Pandit is a graduate researcher focused on advancing social and spatial equity through collaborative, community-based approaches. Her interdisciplinary practice spans educational leadership, urban geography, and systems thinking/design in architecture and urban planning. Based between Buffalo, NY, and Mumbai, MH, Nini centers community agency through placemaking strategies that address systemic and environmental challenges. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Urban Planning and graduate certificate in Affordable Housing at the School of Architecture and Planning. Nini welcomes opportunities to connect across disciplines in support of inclusive, locally grounded co-production of knowledge.
We also collaborate with partnering faculty on the Veggie Van Study.  To see all of our staff on the project, please click this link. 
We have many Alumni that have worked with our team.  To see the list of Alumni who have contributed to the Lab, please click here.