Sarah Papperman
President of the Board
Sarah has been volunteering at PPP's exchange site since 2009 and has been on the Board of Directors since 2015. She enjoys tending to her chaos garden, playing trumpet, cooking, and biking around town. Sarah is originally from central New York and has an MPH from the University of Pittsburgh.
Paul Cooley
Vice President
Paul started volunteering at PPP in 2010. He is also involved in his Union SEIU, the campaign for Safe Nurse Patient Ratios, and is in school to become a Nurse Practitioner. He lives in the Northside with his wife Kate and two young children. He is a long suffering Pittsburgh Pirates fan, and hopes for a World Series win and is optimistic about supervised injection sites in Western PA.
Mary Gallagher
Board Treasurer
Mary has a long employment history managing federal, state and county governmental funding for various non-profit profit medical and social service providers in Pennsylvania. Before retiring, Mary has served on and chaired several non-profit Boards and currently also serves on the board of The Open Door, Inc.
Ashley Chung
Board Secretary
Ashley is originally from Maryland and came to Pittsburgh to pursue an MPH. She cares deeply about harm reduction, racial and social justice as public health, and housing-first healthcare. In her spare time, Ashley is also on the Board of Directors for True T PGH, and enjoys cooking for her friends and hiking and biking (hoping to complete the entire Great Allegheny Passage to DC one day!)
Kyle Harder
Board Member
Kyle Harder has been involved in the social service field in the Pittsburgh area for 25 years, working direct care and administrative positions. Kyle received his BS in Social Anthropology from the University of Michigan and his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. Kyle is in long-term recovery from an addiction to alcohol. Reducing stigma and providing harm reduction services to those who use drugs is a passion and mission for him. It is an immense honor to serve on the board of Prevention Point Pittsburgh, alongside those devoted, hard-working employees who are literally saving lives on a daily basis.
Raagini Jawa, MD, MPH
Board Member
Dr. Jawa is board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, and Addiction Medicine. She has been a long term advocate for harm reduction and low-barrier addiction service access and is leading xylazine training and technical assistance for providers, health departments, and HR agencies. She enjoys volunteering at the PPP wound clinic. Dr. Jawa’s research focuses on mitigating health disparities and aims to optimize integration of harm reduction services for individuals who use substances within health settings by developing and studying provider education and clinical interventions to prevent drug use complications. She has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, been featured on health podcasts, and has been interviewed on WebMD, WTAE, NPR, PBS News Hour for her work and advocacy on harm reduction. For fun, Dr. Jawa is an amateur photographer and accomplished musician who performs vocals and ukulele, leading musical collaborations with her band Leher.
Nicky Ripley
Board Member
Nicky (they/them) works to improve social determinants of health by addressing the unique legal challenges these communities face. They also serve as a regional resource for LGBTQ+ jurisprudence and advocacy. In addition to their legal advocacy work, Nicky leverages their platform to promote diversity and inclusivity within the legal profession. In their free time, Nicky enjoys exploring nature, cooking for friends, and hands-on crafting projects.
Sara Luby
Board Member
Sara (she/her) earned her BSW from Carlow University and her MPH from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a member of the Pitt Men’s Study Community Advisory Board. Sara has worked in community, clinical, academic, and governmental settings in the field of HIV for over 12 years. Her public health interests include harm reduction; LGBTQ+ health disparities; reproductive justice; and criminal justice reform. Sara lives in Avalon with her cat Oscar.
Sarah Resenic, MSW, MBA
Board Member
Sarah Resenic has created a model of human resources that focuses on trauma-informed care and harm reduction practices. She has a background in human resources and social work, which underscores her expertise in managing and developing HR policies that prioritize the well-being and equitable treatment of employees. Her work often intersects with various community service initiatives, highlighting her commitment to creating supportive and inclusive work environments. Sarah has a master’s in social work with a focus in direct practice and trauma from Carlow University and an MBA with a focus in healthcare administration from Seton Hill University.
Leah Picker
Board Member
Leah works as a Director of Foundation Relations and as a Development Director. She holds a B.A. in English from Vassar College, a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh, and earned her CFRE in 2021. Leah moved to Pittsburgh in 2012 from Brooklyn, and lives in East Liberty with her cat Hank, and her dog Rabbit.
Thomas Whitfield
Board Member
Thomas works to promote harm reduction and HIV education in Southwestern PA. He holds a B.S. in Public Health from Slippery Rock University and is interested in addressing social determinants of health through a harm reduction lens. Thomas also is on the Board of Directors for Pittsburgh Equality Center. In his spare time, Thomas enjoys going to the movies- specifically horror movies as well as being outdoors.
Antonio Gumucio, MS
Board Member
Antonio works as a research specialist , EMT, AHA Lifesaving Skills trainer, and street medicine provider. Passionate about harm reduction, Antonio is one of the founding members and former president of Street Medicine at Pitt. Antonio is originally from New York via Bolivia and is completing his MPH from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health.
