Community Health Staff
Director of Community Health
Meghan Davies serves as Whitman-Walker's Director of Community Health. Meghan currently oversees all prevention and education activities at WW, including the Breast Health Initiative; HIV counseling, testing and education initiatives, both mobile and clinic-based; Whitman-Walker’s Outreach activities, WW’s HIV Peer Support Program:+1; WW’s two DEBI interventions: SHIELD and Healthy Relationships; WW’s retention and re-capture program focused on African American women in Wards 5-8: Positive Pathways; and WW’s partnership program with Mautner: PALS (People Advocating for LGBT Seniors).
Before joining Whitman-Walker in 2008, Meghan spent two years in Honduras with the Peace Corps as an HIV prevention volunteer, where she led a nine-person team responsible for training 200 Peace Corps volunteers on HIV prevention and designed and launched Viviendo Positivamente (Living Positively) to encourage the formation of support groups for people in the region living with HIV and AIDS.
A Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), Meghan holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Global Health Promotion from the George Washington University and a Bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Virginia.
Health Educator
Raul Calderon, originally from Colombia, came to DC nine years ago to seek a job in his career, Surgical Instrumentation. He began as a Volunteer in La Clínica del Pueblo and WW (Acuarela Program), doing outreach for the Latino Community. His passion for HIV/AIDS made Raul change his mind and work in this field. Raul has worked for Whitman-Walker as an HIV Counselor since 2002. Raul provides HIV Testing and Counseling at both Max Robinson Center and the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center.
Health Educator
Nanah graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.S. in Health, Physical Education, and Exercise Science with a concentration in Community Health Education. Nanah joined Whitman-Walker Health in the summer of 2012 as a member of the Community Health team. As a Community Health Educator, she aims to provide quality preventative health education that promotes, inspires and empowers individuals to take active steps towards protecting their health. Nanah serves as an HIV tester and counselor on site and with the mobile testing unit that goes into the community to offer HIV testing and counseling. She also works with other staff members to facilitate SHIELD (Self Help in Eliminating Life-Threatening Diseases), a Whitman-Walker DEBI Intervention Program. Nanah also works with other staff members on the Breast Health Initiative and facilitates women’s health outreach to the community.
Health Educator
Amie Krautwurst joined the Community Health staff as a Health Educator and certified HIV Tester and Counselor in 2012. A Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW), Amie holds a Master's degree in Social Work with a specialization in Clinical Healthcare from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Health Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Amie provides HIV testing and counseling services at the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, and she works with other Community Health staff members and volunteers to take the Mobile Testing Unit to local clubs, bars, grocery stores and health fairs. She also helps facilitate the Healthy Relationships DEBI program and the Breast Health Initiative.
Community Health Manager
Juan Carlos Loubriel, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, works as a Community Health Manager. Juan Carlos is responsible for the WWH Mobile Testing Unit. He takes the Mobile Testing Unit to local DC clubs, bars, grocery stores and health fairs to bring HIV testing to the community. Juan Carlos began his undergraduate studies at the Sacred Heart University in Biology and later switched to Psychology, finishing there in 2001. He started an internship in 2000 with a government program in HIV/AIDS of San Juan, offering counseling, testing, conducting educational sessions, coordinating events for patients and managing prevention and peer support groups. He was successful and was hired for a full-time position. After two years of working in HIV, Juan Carlos found himself helping his father who was diagnosed with AIDS until he passed away. Following his mother who has been living in Virginia for 10 years, Juan Carlos decided to relocate to Washington, D.C. and look for the same type of job where he can continue his career – it is there he found a position in Whitman-Walker, where he continues his passion.
Health Educator
Miguel Mejia has worked with Whitman-Walker since 1992. He is a certified HIV Counselor and was part of HIV/AIDS service interventions for the Office of Latino Services and Coordinator of street outreach activities (condoms distribution) Mejia’s duties included identifying youth and men that have sex with men that were at risk to be in contact with HIV and STI’s and identification of cruising locations, and common places where sex and drugs were exchanged for money (dance clubs, bathhouses, parks, schools, areas where gang members frequented, etc). Mejia has served as the Coordinator for WWC’s Gay Men’s Health and Wellness Clinic, providing leadership to the clinic volunteers, nurses and medical providers. As Coordinator, Mejia’s responsibilities include HIV testing and pre- and post-counseling; STI screening, testing and treatment; assisting physicians by identifying high risk clients that required immediate care; providing interpretation for Spanish speaking clients; serving as a phlebotomist in order to collect blood samples for HIV1/2, Syphilis, herpes simplex virus1/2 and Hepatitis B and C tests; as well as collecting samples for Chlamydia. Currently, Mejia serves as the coordinator for the Healthy Relationships DEBI program for WW. Mejia identifies, refers and recruits HIV-positive individuals to the group as well as serves a facilitator for some of the groups.
Health Educator
Reginald (Reggie) Watson came to Whitman-Walker as a volunteer HIV Counselor and Tester in 1998, and served in that capacity until 2002. He was hired in 2002 as Program Coordinator for Proud and Positive in the Prevention and Education department. From 2005 to 2007, Reggie coordinated WW’s Social Networks Demonstration Project, which targeted high risk African-Americans in the District. In 2008, he became Program Manager for Suburban Maryland AIDS Reduction Team (SMART), which was WWC’s HIV prevention program serving Maryland. Currently, Reggie is the SHIELD (Self Help in Eliminating Life-Threatening Diseases) Coordinator and an HIV Counselor and Tester.
Photography by: Scott Henrichsen, Shaun Schroth and Ana Spoljaric