Helpers Staff Welcome You!

Program 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 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, M.Ed.

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.

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.

Project Director Violet Perez Siwik, MD

Dr. Siwik is a family physician and an Assistant Professor in the 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 persons diagnosed with SMI on ways to improve their health and wellbeing. As a family physician, she has cared for persons with SMI, 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 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.