Helpers Staff Welcome You!

Instructor Jonathan Brinks, MPH

Jonathan is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, Department of Family & Community Medicine. He has over 15 years of experience providing behavioral health counseling and education services, with focuses on substance use and co-occurring disorders. He has developed and managed numerous outpatient treatment service programs, along with research projects involving behavioral health treatment methodologies.

Instructor Chant Sullivan, MEd

Chant is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, Department of Family & Community Medicine. Chant has over 10 years of experience providing behavioral health education services, primarily with substance use and co-occurring disorders. Chant has experience in developing and managing Behavioral Health Residential Facilities (BHRF) and therapeutic Day Programs. Chant also has previous experience working in health promotions, offering HIV education and testing services in Tucson, Arizona.

Instructor Andy Bernstein, PhD, CPRP

Andy is a Clinical Professor in the U of A Department of Family and Community Medicine, and Clinical Director of Camp Wellness, a recovery-oriented, peer-delivered adult education program which teaches people with SMI diagnoses how to improve their health and wellness. As a community and clinical psychologist and a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP), Andy has a long history of working in public and private behavioral health settings, with a special interest in serving marginalized and stigmatized populations. His interest in tobacco cessation stems from watching his mom die of COPD.

Senior Instructor Tim Connolly, RN, MN

Tim is a Senior Research Nurse at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine. Tim directs the training team for the Helpers Program. He has two decades of experience creating and evaluating training models for community based tobacco control projects including the development of adapted training for behavioral health providers.

Senior Instructor Myra Muramoto, MD, MPH

Dr. Muramoto is Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Myra is an internationally recognized leader in research on reducing the harms caused by tobacco use and has been the recipient of numerous grants to study the impact of the Helpers Program to empower concerned persons to offer help and assistance to persons interested in quitting tobacco.