Donaghue Welcomes our New Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) Member

The foundation has a committee of individuals to provide the Trustees with ongoing, informed, thoughtful, diverse perspectives and insight into issues the Trustees and staff will be considering in carrying out the charitable purpose of Ethel Donaghue, who established the Foundation in her will in order to “provide financial assistance to … medical research to promote medical knowledge which will be of practical benefit to … human life.” The members are selected on the basis of their collective knowledge of the communities that are most relevant to the work of the Foundation; their general sense of civic involvement and responsibility; their individual qualities of thoughtfulness and judgment; and the diverse experience, skills, and perspective each brings to the Committee’s work.

Alycia Santilli, MSW -Director
Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE)
Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU)

Alycia Santilli, MSW, is the Director of the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) at Southern Connecticut State University. Alycia received her Master’s in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organizing from the University of Connecticut. She was a community organizer for several years, organizing people to influence state policy. Recognizing the link between policy change and research, she became interested in public health research as a means of advancing public policy. Alycia began coordinating research projects at the Yale School of Public Health in 2005. She brings research skills in survey design, recruitment of hard-to-reach study participants, data collection protocol, and intervention development. She also brings skills in community-based intervention development (projects and policy level). Santilli joined CARE shortly after its inception at Yale in 2007 and has been integral in providing administrative oversight and strategic direction for the new organization. A dedicated resident of New Haven, CARE offers a unique venue for Alycia to combine her community organizing background with her research skills to improve the health of New Haven. We are excited to welcome her to the PAC!