Mr. Soma is the Interim Director of the Center for Excellence in Health Innovation (CEHI). He also works on program evaluation and quality improvement for various CEHI projects, including Primary Care Training and Enhancement, Chronic Disease Prevention Evaluation, and Statewide Substance Use Prevention Services.

He was previously the Director of Public Health for the City of Portland, which allowed him to collaborate with health care providers, universities, and community-based organizations to improve the health status of local residents, with... Read More

Pamela Bruno, MPH, is an evaluator for the  Maine SNAP-Ed program. Prior to coming to UNE, Pamela was the principal of her public health consulting business for 12 years, providing evaluation and strategic planning consultation for numerous public health agencies. Pamela has worked as lead evaluator for several Maine public health programs, including the former Maine Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Healthy Weight Program where she lead evaluation efforts for the... Read More

Cera graduated from UNE in 2009 with Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology and Sociology. Her career since graduation has focused on work with children and adults with developmental disorders. Between 2012-2016 she held a variety of roles for an organization that provided education and behavioral support for children with autism in York County, Maine.

Cera returned to UNE in December of 2016 as the Administrative Assistant for Maine SNAP-Ed. She is proud to support a program that provides education and support for vulnerable populations within the state.... Read More

Ruth Dufresne is the Evaluator for Clinical Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice where she:

• Designs and implements an evaluation of the UNE Clinical Interprofessional Education Curriculum and its impact on health professions students, preceptors, the healthcare system, and patient outcomes
• Evaluates the impact of interprofessional education in clinical settings as part of UNE’s participation in the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education’s Nexus Innovations Network

Ruth has over 20 years of public... Read More

Colleen Fuller is the Contract Coordinator for the Maine SNAP-Ed Program, providing finance support to the SNAP-Ed district community health coalitions.

Prior to joining to UNE in 2017, Colleen received her MPH from UNE and then spent five years with Mid Coast Hospital as an Obesity Prevention Coordinator. During her time with Mid Coast Hospital, Colleen implemented a variety of healthy eating and active living initiatives. Her favorite projects were those focused around increasing access to local foods for vulnerable... Read More

Tasha studied art history and nutrition and finds ways to creatively combine both interests in her daily life. Tasha works as a Nutrition Program Coordinator with Maine SNAP-Ed coaching Nutrition Educators and serving as the training lead for the SNAP-Ed grant program statewide. She is a member of the Maine Local Foods Access Network Steering Committee, and serves on the Steering Committee for the Merrymeeting Food Council. These days you will find Tasha imagining new ways to make delicious dinners,... Read More

Ian is a two time alumnus from the University of New England, having received his BS in Biochemistry and Medical Biology 2012 and his Masters of Public Health in 2015.  In 2016 he accepted a position in UNE's Center for Excellence in Health Innovation on the UNE Portland Campus working to improve clinical interprofessional education among UNE's graduate and professional healthcare students as a part of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation grant.  His responsibilities include developing and coordinating clinical IPE opportunities for... Read More

Micaela Maynard joined the CEHI staff in November 2018. She serves as the Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) Project Assistant supporting UNE awarded HRSA grants in Maine and Northern New England.

Before joining the staff at UNE, she lived in Chicago, working at DePaul University where she developed community-based service learning and civic engagement experiences for college students engaging with Chicago's rich and diverse neighborhoods. 

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Nicole has worked in the areas of public health and social work on a variety of projects, grants, and evaluations. Since starting in 2010, she has organized events and trainings, worked with students, community partners and staff and coordinated projects including numerous state and federally funded grants. Over the past three years she has focused on managing the Community Access to Child Health in Maine (CATCH-ME) project. Additionally, Nicole has supported the New England Public Health Training Center in offering workforce development trainings for public health professionals. She is passionate about assisting health professional students... Read More