Helpers Staff Welcome You!

Project Coordinator, Senior 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 psychoeducational 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 Maryssa Parisi, BS, CRSS

Maryssa is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson, Department of Family & Community Medicine. Maryssa has over 12 years of experience providing behavioral health counseling and psychoeducational services, focusing primarily on substance use and mental health. She has experience coordinating services in residential treatment facilities and integrated healthcare clinics. Maryssa also has experience coordinating behavioral health treatment for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Project Director, Instructor Violet Perez Siwik, MD

Dr. Siwik is a family physician and an Assistant Professor in the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson, Department of Family & Community Medicine. In addition, she is a Clinical Health Educator for the Camp Wellness program, a recovery-oriented, peer-delivered adult education program, where she instructs and empowers individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness on ways to improve their health and well-being. As a family physician, she has cared for individuals with mental illness and tobacco and other substance use disorders for over 25 years. As a first-generation provider, she is interested in serving marginalized and stigmatized communities.

Senior Instructor Tim Connolly, RN, MN

Tim is a Senior Research Nurse at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson, Department of Family & Community Medicine. Tim advises 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, Department of Family 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.