7 Generations Behavioral Health Center of Excellence Team
The 7 Generations Behavioral Health Center of Excellence is led by the Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW) at the University of Arizona.
Nicole Borchaloui has worked as a Research Technician at the University of Arizona’s Southwest Institute for Research on Women since 2021. In that time, she has supported a number of projects, including U-MATTER, Lighthouse, and now the 7 Generations Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. Previously, she worked as an Office Specialist at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.
Nicole holds a BA in Sociology and a BFA in Studio Art, as well as an MA in Human Rights Practice.
Brenda Granillo, DBH, MS, MEP is an Associate Research Professor with the Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW) and holds a Doctor of Behavioral Health (Management). Dr. Granillo has developed, implemented, evaluated, and provided training and technical assistance for multiple grant-funded research projects of importance to a variety of different populations. Dr. Granillo is a leading expert in public health emergency preparedness and readiness and has specialized expertise working with Native American communities promoting best practices and respecting sovereignty through consultative approaches and appropriate participatory process for community mobilization, empowerment and capacity building.
As an Associate Research Professor with SIROW, she leads efforts on increasing access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment and related services tailored to Indigenous Women; leads the performance and outcome evaluation efforts to assess the impact on a system of care providing comprehensive treatment, early intervention, and recovery support services for adolescents and transitional aged youth (ages 12-21) who have substance use disorders and/or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders and their families/primary caregivers; and serves as data analyst for a NIH funded intention-to-treat randomized clinical trial to assess a pharmacist-led MTM program that incorporates CHWs as integrated team members to assess medication adherence and hypertension outcomes.
Dr. Granillo’s research interests include addressing behavioral health disparities in Native American communities; data-driven workforce planning to address shortages and maldistribution; healthcare provider burnout; and integrated behavioral health interventions to advance population health using systems thinking and implementation science to improve health outcomes and psychosocial well-being. Dr. Granillo serves on several local and national committees and currently is assigned as a Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE).
Amy Lucero has been with SIROW as a Research Technician for the past 11 years. Amy is currently working on the newly awarded Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded American Indian and Alaska Native Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (AIAN BH CoE) which aims to create a national center to develop and strengthen behavioral health agencies to better serve and advocate for AIAN populations across the United States in an effort to improve health outcomes and reduce behavioral health disparities.
Claudia Powell is a Research Professor and the Associate Director of the University of Arizona-Southwest Institute for Research on Women (UA-SIROW). Claudia has worked in the field of homelessness, program evaluation, mental health and substance abuse service provision, HIV prevention, health promotion, and domestic violence since 2002.
Claudia has directed several projects focused on improving systems-of-care that include linkages to housing, health care, case management, substance abuse and mental health treatment, and a wide array of support services for various communities, including tribes and youth experiencing homelessness. The research associated with these projects has contributed to national discussions on best practices for addressing youth homelessness and housing insecurity. Claudia has served as the Project Director and local evaluator for a number of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration projects within the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Center for Mental Health Services over the years, including leading the 7 Generations: American Indian Alaska Native Behavioral Health Center of Excellence.
As a dedicated community-based researcher, Claudia is committed to engaging in research that is done in partnership with communities and fosters collaboration. Claudia sits on the board of the National Council for Healthcare for the Homeless and currently serves on the board of the Tucson Urban League and the Dunbar Pavilion. She is also the past chair of the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness Executive Board.
Teshia G. Solomon
Co-Investigator
American Indian Research Center for Health
Dr. Solomon is Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona and was appointed Co-Director of the Native American Research and Training Center (NARTC) in June 2007. She has over eighteen years experience in health-related research and training involving Native American students in public health. She is Principal Investigator and Director of the Faculty and Student Research Development program of AIRCH as well as Director of the Research Core. She serves as Co-Investigator and Co-Director of the Native American Cancer Program research training initiative and as a co-Investigator on the Community Outreach component with the Arizona Cancer Center.
As Co-Investigator for the Arizona Study Center of the National Children’s Study (DHHS Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development), she is responsible for the Tribal community engagement component. She is a founding member and Past Co-Chair of the Native Research Network, Inc. She previously served as the Director of the Southern Plains Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center at the Oklahoma City Area Inter-Tribal Health Board. She has been a Fellow at Northwest Portland Indian Health Board, NARCH, and a National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Scholar. She has published research in cervical cancer prevention and control and is a co-author of two papers in the 2008 supplement to Cancer on AIAN cancer. She is currently editing a book on the ethical conduct of research in Native American communities. Dr. Solomon has mentored students as a faculty member for more than 10 years and has promoted research development by pursuing and providing funds for students to attend the annual American Public Health Association meeting and the annual Native Health Research conference. She has mentored over 20 graduate public health students.
Courtney Waters is an Assistant Research Professor at SIROW. Courtney has been engaged in community-based research and programming for over a decade. Since joining SIROW in 2013, she has held roles on several state and federally funded projects. Courtney’s work has centered primarily on program coordination, curriculum development and adaptation, and training development and delivery.
Courtney is currently a Co-Project Director of multiple projects improving mental and behavioral health outcomes for youth. One of these projects provides resources, support, education, and training for youth, caregivers, and providers, another provides prevention education, mental health treatment, and other supportive services to youth ages 12-24. She also supports the curriculum and training components of the 7 Generations Behavioral Health Center of Excellence.
Courtney is a faculty member for SIROW’s M.A. in Program Design & Evaluation. She is also involved in organizing annual community events including Take Back the Night Tucson and the Youth and Peace Conference. Courtney holds master’s degrees from the University of Arizona and completed her bachelor’s degree at Penn State.
7 Generations Behavioral Health Center of Excellence