Meet The Trainers

Developer/Master Trainers

Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott, Ph.D, RN, FAAN – Dr. Loretta Jemmott is one of the nation’s foremost researchers in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention among African American adolescents, having been involved with $74 million in federal funding devoted to this issue during the course of her career. Several of her curricula have been designated for national use by the Centers for Disease Control. Her reputation has achieved international proportions, having recently been invited to South Africa to help impact HIV/AIDS in Africa. Dr. Jemmott is a professor of nursing and chair of the Center for Health Disparities at the University of Pennsylvania. Click Here to view a short video of Dr. Jemmott.

Dr. Antonia M. Villarruel, Ph.D, RN, FAAN – Dr. Villarruel is an Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Health Promotion at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD from Wayne State University and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Michigan. Dr. Villarruel has an extensive background in health promotion and health disparities research and practice. Her research focuses on the development and testing interventions to reduce HIV sexual risk among Mexican and Latino youth. Dr. Villarruel is also the Director of an NINR P20, which is a partnership with the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, designed to increase the capacity of minority nurse researchers.

Dr. Konstance McCaffree, Ph.D., CSE – Dr. Konstance McCaffree is a certified sexuality educator and adjunct professor in the Center for Education Human Sexuality Program at Widener University in Chester, PA. As a classroom teacher in the public schools, Dr. McCaffree has taught human sexuality to both elementary and secondary students for over 35 years. In addition to her professional association work, serving on the Board of Directors of the Sexuality Information and Education of the U.S., as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) and as an officer in the American Association of Sexuality Education, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), she conducts workshops nationwide to help educators improve their skills in teaching sexuality education. She also conducts programs for parents, churches, and community organizations to enhance their knowledge and skills in dealing with the sexuality of children and teenagers. In recent years she has developed curricula and implemented training programs for educators and other health professionals in South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria and the Philippines. For the past ten years she has trained teachers and professors to implement a curriculum that she developed in coordination with local educators, throughout the country of Nigeria. She has used her expertise to develop training for curricula to prevent HIV/AIDS, unplanned pregnancy, and other health and social issues among children, teenagers and adults.

Dr. Deborah Koniak-Griffin, RN, EdD, FAAN

Dr. Deborah Koniak-Griffin is Professor and Audrienne H. Moseley Endowed Chair in Women’s Health Research, and Director of the Center for Vulnerable Populations Research at the School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, and a nurse-practitioner in women’s health. Her research, spanning more than 2 decades, is focused on understanding risk behaviors in adolescents, particularly pregnant and parenting teens, and designing interventions to promote their health. She has worked extensively with adolescents from Latino and African American backgrounds. Her numerous publications address issues in maternal-child health, adolescent pregnancy, and AIDS prevention. She has been the principal investigator on three large adolescent pregnancy studies funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research.Dr. Koniak-Griffin’s extensive speaking experience includes government and other invitational presentations, clinical and research papers, and visiting professorships.

Lynette Guiets, MHS – Lynette serves as the Intervention and Training Manager for the Center of Health Behavior and Communication Research, under the direction of Drs. John and Loretta Jemmott. Ms. Gueits has expertise regarding human sexuality, HIV and STDs, program development, designing educational exercises, games, and small group activities for African American, Spanish and English-speaking Latino, and Xhosa-speaking South African adolescents, African American women, Xhosa-speaking South African men, Spanish-speaking Mexican adolescents and their parents, and African American men who have sex with men. In addition, she has conducted numerous trainings on Select Media’s evidence-based curricula for Non-governmental organizations, universities, school districts, community based organizations and clinics, both nationally and internationally. Click here to watch Master Trainer, Lynette Guiets give a presentation on HIV Transmission Basics for Health Educators.

Monique Howard, EdD, MPH – Monique Howard is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Women and AIDS Network (NJWAN), the only female specific AIDS service organization in NJ. This organization provides HIV/AIDS education, prevention, advocacy, health/wellness and treatment adherence programs to women who are infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. During her tenure at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Howard worked directly with Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott and acted as Intervention Specialist and Coordinator for the initial HIV/Pregnancy health education/risk reduction curricula which is currently know as Be Proud! Be Responsible!, Making A Difference!, Making Proud Choices! and Sister To Sister. Since that time, Dr. Howard has traveled across the US and the Virgin Islands training facilitators and increasing staff capacity to utilize the curricula that were accepted by the CDC as programs that work. Sitting on the Governor’s Advisory Council for TB, HIV and Bloodborne Pathogens and the Governor’s Advisory to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Dr. Howard is committed to providing programming and services that increase the quality of life for women and children.