Staff Biography |
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Charles Christen, MED, LPCDirector of Operations, CHEC Bridgeside Point, 100 Technology Drive |
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Summary
Chuck is currently the Director of Operations for the Center for Health Environments and Communities (CHEC) at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH). He is also currently registered as a full time doctoral candidate at GSPH, in the Behavioral and Community Health Sciences (BCHS) department. Chuck is consulting as the needs assessment specialist for the Project for Intervention and Empowerment (P.I.E.), which is a collaboration of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, Persad Center, Inc, GSPH's Department of Infectious Diseases, and the Veterans Administration.
Chuck's most recent employment was as the Project Coordinator for the Allegheny River Stewardship Project (ARSP), a community-based participatory environmental health research project for GSPH/CHEC. Before this, Chuck completed one year as a Graduate Student Teaching Assistant working in core curriculum development, evaluation and facilitation of the “Overview of Public Health” for GSPH. This position followed employment as a Graduate Research Assistant/Behavioral and Community Health Scientist for the Three Rivers Fish Consumption Project, a community-based participatory environmental health research project for GSPH/CHEC.
Chuck has also been employed as a clinical behavioral health therapist, community education coordinator and presenter, program and organizational development manager and fundraiser with over 15 years experience in health prevention, management and education in hospital and community-based settings. He has extensive experience in HIV counseling and management of the disease, counseling of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals and groups, counseling in dual diagnosis and major mental health disorders, substance abuse, chronic illness, sexual and emotional trauma issues, and grief counseling. He also has experience in training community organizations, corporations and non-profit agencies in gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues, as well as assessment and screening for drug and alcohol programs, program development, community relations, donor relations, fundraising, organizational growth development, and marketing.
Chuck has an extensive history of establishing relationships among diverse groups; such as, human service agencies, hospitals, primary health providers, educational organizations, government, and universities. He possesses excellent written and oral communication skills related to grant proposals, organizational goals and interpersonal skills.
