MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
October 24, 2024
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code§ 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 5043 of the Commission on Health Equity
Amendment Act of2016, effective October 8, 2016 (D.C. Law 21-160, D.C. Official Code§ 7-756.01),
I am pleased to nominate the following individual:
Dr. Suyanna Linhales Barker
Taylor Street, NW
Washington, DC 20011
(Ward 4)
for reappointment as a voting member, with expertise in minority communities and population health
outcomes and improvement, of the Commission on Health Equity, for a term to end February 1, 2028.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-mentioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council's earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor's Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
 l
2
~
Chairman Phil Mendelson
3 at the request of the Mayor
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5
6 A PROPOSED RESOL UTION
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lO IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15 To confirm the reappointment of Dr. Suyanna Linhales Barker to the Commission on Health
16 Equity.
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18 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that this
19 resolution may be cited as the "Commission on Health Equity Dr. Suyanna Linhales Barker
20 Confirmation Resolution of 2024".
21 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:
22
23 Dr. Suyanna Linhales Barker
24 Taylor Street, NW
25 Washington, DC 20011
26 (Ward 4)
27
28 as a voting member, with expertise in minority communities and population health outcomes and
29 improvement, of the Commission on Health Equity, established by section 5043 of the
30 Commission on Health Equity Amendment Act of 2016, effective October 8, 2016 (D.C. Law
31 21-160, D.C. Official Code § 7-756.01 ), for a term to end February I, 2028.
32 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
33 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
34 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
Suyanna Linhales Barker, Dr.PH
Career Highlights
Dr. Suyanna Linhales Barker has over 30 years of professional experience, including applied
equity-informed practice and implementation of community-level, public health interventions
that address the needsoflow-income, underserved Latin Americans.She joined the team at La
Clinica del Pueblo,a Federally Qualified Health Centerin Washington DC, in April 2010 as Senior
Director of Health Equity and Community Action Department. Recognition of her unique
contributions earned her the Distinguished Community Advocate Award from the District of
Columbia Primary Care Association in October 2015. Starting from her initial role, she has led the
infusion of an equity lens across the organization and operations, leading to her promotion to
Interim Chief Program Officer (2018) immediately before her current position as Chief of
Programs and Community Services, which she assumedin 2019. Duringher tenure at La Clinica,
Dr. Linhales Barker has provided strategic direction, budget and personnel management, and
evaluation for the community-facing programs. She has led the development ofcommunity-level
strategies and intersectoral partnerships to address core social and structural determinants of
health for La Clinica’s clientele. She has extensive experience in proposal development and
managing large CDC grants and foundation grants.
A native of Brazil, Dr. Barker has a Doctoratein Public Health from the National SchoolofPublic
Health in Brazil, a Masters’ degree in Social Psychology from the State University of Rio de
Janeiro, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Dr. Linhales Barker's work experience
includes 10 years conducting research for the Primary Health Care Program of the State
University of Rio de Janeiro’s Center for Adolescent Health Studies and 9 years consulting for
various national and international organizations, including the Pan-American Health
Organization, the International Labor Organization, and the Brazilian MinistryofHealth.
Areas of Expertise
* Applied Health Equity in Public Health & Health Carefor Special Populations,
* Development and Management of Community-Facing Health Programs for Immigrants
and Refugees.
* Design, Implementation, and Evaluationof Workforce Development for Primary Health
Care Teams and Community Health Workers.
* Girl's, Adolescent, and Women’s Health and Rights.
= LGBTQ Health and Rights.
Education
Doctor of Science in Public Health. National School of Public Health (ENSP ~ Fiocruz), Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, June 2005. Dissertation: Child Labor and Adolescent Motherhood: Implications for
Occupational Health and Life Trajectories of Young Women
Master's in Psychology and Socio-cultural Practices. State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ),
Institute of Psychology. December 1994. Thesis: Study on the Impact of Violence in Rio de
Janeiro’s Favelas in the Development of Survival Strategies by Youth
Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Federal University of Espirito Santos (UFES), Department of
Psychology. Brazil, December 1989.
Professional Experience
Chief of Programs and Community Services — June 2019 to present.
Provide direct oversight to La Clinica’s community-facing programs, guiding the
development of community-level strategies, models, programs, services, and
intersectoral partnerships that address core social and structural determinants of health
for La Clinica’s clientele.
Develop systems and infrastructure for program development and evaluation, including
assessment of evolving community needs, integration of new knowledge and technical
trends, evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of programs, and development of
quality products to disseminate findings.
Promote innovation and excellence in program design and delivery through incubation,
pilot, demonstration projects, and integration of community-based participatory
research and research partnerships to increase knowledge and theory about best
practice modelsforLa Clinica’s community.
Diffuse La Clinica’s best practices through training, technical assistance, and capacity-
building initiatives that support and extend La Clinica’s mission with internal and
external stakeholders.
Work with senior leadership to develop sustainability strategies and business models for
La Clinica’s key programmatic lines of work.
Co-lead the LCDP’s public advocacy/public policy initiatives to include providing support
to the executive director and representing LCDP in advocacy activities.
Project Director: “Bridging the Gap: Reducing Disparities in Diabetes Care - Merck
Foundation.”
Interim Chief Program Officer,
La Clinica del Pueblo, Washington, DC - December 2018 to June
2019
Developand implementa strategic plan for all direct services program areas; develop and
maintain routine service planning processes.
Ensure programmatic compliance meets orexceedsalll regulatory, licensing requirements
to include, FQHC, and other government agencies; manage effective reporting with
external agencies
Oversee many complex projects and budgets, with multiple funding sources, and meet
deliverables; monitor and ensure cost-effectiveness of services; worksclosely as required
with the program staff and others.
Integrate and coordinate work of the various departments/ divisions and make sure they
are supporting one another; manage cross-cutting activities
Identify and nurture program development opportunities and identify service gaps; assist
in designingeffective and viable programs.
Coordinate and assist departmentdirectors and managers in negotiating a myriad of
critical externalrelationships.
 ‘© Manage day-to-day functioningofthe organization's outreach and service delivery.
* Coordinate the development and stewardship of organization-wide policies and
procedures.
Senior Director, Health Eqi Action Department, La Clinica de! Pueblo,
Washington DC -April 2010 to November 2018
'* Developand implement initiatives to reduce the incidence and prevalence ofhealth risks
affecting the local immigrant Latino community through culturally relevant interventions.
‘+ Supervise department managers and health providers, ensuring high quality servicesthat
adhere to grant guidelines under local and federal contracts, including grants for HIV
Prevention, chronicdisease self-management, community health education and gender-
affirmative health interventions.
‘* Administer department grants and contracts; monitor and report on program
deliverables; manage timely expenditure of program budgets; interface with funders; and
develop business model
‘© Prepare annual budget for Department.
‘+ Identify opportunities forprogram integration andefficient resource utilization within the
Department.
‘+ Maintain current knowledge of trends, directions, and best practices in the field, and
integrate into department operations.
‘* Principal Investigator for CDC Grant PS15-1502 “Comprehensive High-Impact HIV
Prevention Projects for Community-Based Organizations”
© ProjectDirector for SAMSHAGrant SP 021172 “Capacity Building Initiative for Substance
Abuse (SA) and HIV Prevention Services for At-Risk Racial/Ethnic Minority Youth and
Young Adults”.
© Project Director for SAMSHA Grant SP080235 “Enlace: HIV and Substance Misuse
Navigator Program.”
Senior Consultant, Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). Washington- DC -June 2009 to
March 2010
‘* Developed Guidelines for Comprehensive Healthcare Programs for Lesbians, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Adolescents and Youth.
* Trained public health care providers in Sao Paulo, Brazil in the implementation of the
Guidelines for Comprehensive Healthcare Programs for Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Adolescents and Youth
Director and Researcher, Primary Health Care Program, Center for Adolescent Health Studies,
State University of Rio de Janeiro. January 1999 to January 2009
* Coordinated interdisciplinary health teamof 20 professionalsat adolescentelinic at the
state university teaching hospital.
* Coordinated research project in occupational health for working youth.
"Coordinated research project on adolescence and gender-based violence.
"Supervised health education programs for youth in outreach demonstration clinic in a
low-income area in Rio de Janeiro.
* Developed distance learning educational materials for health providers
* Developed and implemented nation-wide training for primary care providers on health
care programs for adolescent.
 Consultant, International Labor Organization, Geneva (ILO). August 2008 to October 2008.
‘* Developed a national overview and four case studies on workplace partnership for
childcare solutions in Brazil
Consultant, Ministryof Heath, Brazil. March 2004 to June 2008.
* Served as Focal Point to developa National Health Policy to Eradicate Child Labor.
Consultant, International Labor Organization, Brazil (ILO). May 2003 to September 2003.
‘* Planned and designed the Time-Bound Program to Eliminate Child Labor in Brazil (IPEC).
Counselor, Erie Teen Health Center, Chicago, Illinois. September 1997 to December 1998.
"Individual, couple and family counseling.
"Prevention Case Manager— Pregnancy Prevention Program.
* Crisis intervention with young women survivors of domestic violence
International Adolescent Health Specialist, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, Chicago,
Illinois. February 1996 to August 1997.
"Developed follow-up activities in Chicago to the 4 United Nations Conference on
Women.
= Designed training in human rights and advocacy for girls and young women.
= Gathered and exchanged information related to health programs for girls and young
women between the U.S. And Latin Ameri
Deputy Director and Psychologist, Primary Health Care Program,Center forAdolescentHealth
Studies, State University of Rio de Janeiro. Vice Coordinator: June 1994 to August 1995.
Psychologist: March 1990 to August 1995.
"Coordinated interdisciplinary health team of 15 professionals
at adolescenteclinic at the
state university teaching hospital.
"Supervised health educational programs for youth in outreach clinic in low-income
areas (favelas) in Rio de Janeiro.
Trained youth-serving professionals and youth peer promoters in health education
* Coordinated specialprojectin occupational health for working youth.
Awards
October 2015 — Distinguished Community Advocate Award —District of Columbia Primary Care
Association
Publications
"Implementing the Partnership Assessment ToolforHealth to Assessand Strengthen Cross-sector
Partnerships: Lessons from a Federally Qualified Health Center." Co-author. Journal
of Health
Carefor the Poor and Underserved 33, no. 5, 2022 doi: 10.1353/hpu.2022. 0171,
“Mapping Barriers and Enablers of COVID Vaccine Uptake: The Role of Federally Qualified
Health Centers (FQHCs) can Play in Addressing Health Inequalities in the Latinx Community “
Co-author. White Paper Series- La Clinica del Pueblo, Washington-DC, USA, 2022.
https://www.lcdp.org/docs/LCDP-White-Paper-Vaccine-Barriers.pdf
 “immigration legal services as a structuralHIVintervention for Latinx sexual and gender
minorities.” Co-author. Journal ofImmigrant
andMinorityHealth, 2018. PMID: 30465116.
DOI:10.1007/s10903-018-0838-y
“Partneringfor Health Equity: Strategies, Partnerships and Recommendationsfor Immigrants
Health in Prince George's County”- Convening Report and Recommendations. Co-author. La
Clinica del Pueblo, Washington-DC, USA, 2018.
“Latinxs and HIV: Access and Beyond” Co-author. White Paper Series~ La Clinica de! Pueblo,
Washington-DC, USA, 2016.
“Documentation status as a contextual determinant of HIV risk among young transgender
Latinas.” Co-author. LGBT Health. December, 2015, ahead of print. doi:10.1089/Igbt.2015.0133.
“La Clinica del Pueblo’s Peer Health Promoter Model" Co-author. Peer forProgress, North
CarolinaUSA, 2014
http://peersforprogress.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/05/20140527_peer_health_promoter_q
ality assurance case_study.pdf
“One Collective, Two Reforms: Latino immigrant women survivorsof gender-based violence facing
health and immigration reforms” - Community Conference Report and Recommendations. Co-
author. La Clinica del Pueblo, Washington-DC, USA, 2013.
"Tu Salud en Tus Manos (Your Health in Your Hands) Community Conference Report and
Recommendations. Co-author. La Clinica de! Pueblo, Washington-DC, USA, 2012.
“Adolescent and Young Women Survivors of Gender-based Violence. A self-learning module for
teamsof primarycareproviders”. Co-author. Ed-UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2012.
“Workplace solutions for childcare.” Co-author. International Labour Organization, Geneva,
2010.
“Good Practices in the Health Sector for the Eradication of Child Labor.” Organizer/editor.
International
LaborOrganization. Brasilia., Brazil, 2009.
“Family practice and child participation from the vision of children and adults: an exploratory
study in Latin America and the Caribbean”. Co-author. Institute Promundo/ Publisher 7letras, Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, 2008.
“Human Rights? What do we have to do with it?” Co-author. Regional Council of Psychology, Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, 2007.
“Facilitator's Guide/ Self-Learning Modules on Occupational HealthandSafetyfor Children and
Youth”. Co-author. International Labor Organization, Brasilia, Brazil 2007.
“Comprehensive Health Care Attention of Adolescent Workers: lessons learned”. Co-author.
Science & Public Health/National
Schoolof Public Health, Rio de Janeiro. 2005.
“Child labor as domestic violence”. Co-author. Ministry of Health, Brasil Brazil. 2004.
“Country Evaluation — Brazil: International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour —
International Labour Organization” Co-author, [LO, Brasilia, Brazil, 2001.
Professional Affiliation
American Public Health Association
Languages:
Native language: Portuguese
Fluent in English
Fluent in Spanish
 Executive Officeof the Mayor — Mayor's Officeof Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Dr. Suyanna Linhales Barker
Dr. Suyanna Linhales Barker has over 30 years ofexperience researching
and implementing community-level public health interventions that
address the needsoflow-income, underserved Latin Americans.
A native of Brazil, her work experience includes ten years conducting
researchforthe State University ofRio de Janeiro’s Center for Adolescent
| Health Studies and nine years consulting for various national and
international organizations, including the Pan-American Health
Organization and the International Labor Organization. For the last
thirteen years, Dr. Linhales Barker has provided strategic dire
budget and personnel management, and evaluation for the community-facing programs at La
Clinica de Pueblo, a Community Health Centerin Washington, DC. She has led the development
‘ofcommunity-level strategies and intersectoral partnerships to address core social and structural
determinantsofhealth for La Clinica’s clientele.
A Ward 4 resident, Dr. Linhales Barker earned her Bachelorof Psychology at Federal University
of Espirito Santos, her Master of Psychology and Socio-cultural Practices from the State
University ofRio de Janeiro, and her DoctorofScience in Public Health from the National School
ofPublic Health in Brazil.
 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
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