The Mount Sinai Clinical & Translational Science Award Program Community & Collaboration Core (CTSA C&C) announced on March 30, 2026, the acceptance of three scholars into a new training program designed to build the long-term capacity of community-based organizations to support translation of scientific research into meaningful, community-informed action.
The scholars will participate in professional development opportunities through Mount Sinai’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, receive a stipend, and engage with a network of researchers, clinicians, and community partners. Scholars are expected to bring back skills, tools, and insights gained through the program to benefit their home organizations and the communities they serve.
The 2026 Awardees are:
Mario Bravo, Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service
Community Health Worker, Healthy Homes Coordinator
Mario Bravo is the Senior Community Health Worker (CHW) and Healthy Homes Coordinator for the Environmental Health Program at LSA Family Health Service (LSA), a community-based organization located in East Harlem, New York City. Mario has conducted hundreds of home visits throughout his 10 years at LSA identifying home environmental triggers and developing remediation plans in both private and public housing. Mario led a CHW team to collect the environmental data for research projects including a HUD-funded Healthy Homes and Lead Technical Study Fungal Exposure in New York City Low-Income Housing Pre and Post Intervention with Columbia University. He also participated in the Studying the Optimal Ventilation for Environmental Indoor Air Quality (S.T.O.V.E.) Project with Mount Sinai Hospital, the National Center for Healthy Housing, and Enterprise Community Partners and which included deploying sampling equipment for air quality collection. Mario currently co-coordinates a referral and referral feedback project with Mount Sinai Pediatrics to improve care.
Javier Marchand, South Bronx Unite
Air Quality Advocate
Javier is an integral part of South Bronx Unite’s Air Quality Program. He collaborates with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, working with SBU’s network of 65 Air Quality Monitors deployed throughout the South Bronx. Javier is an 18-year resident of the South Bronx who, through his own personal experiences, knows too well the consequences of environmental injustice. Living in the Melrose section of the Bronx, Javier is also an active member of the Rainbow Garden of Life and Health, where he enjoys helping run their small but vibrant urban farm. Additionally, Javier serves as the Bronx Representative for the USDA Farm Service Agency Urban County Committee. In this role, he aims to ensure that the Committee becomes a supportive partner for New York’s urban farms, particularly in underserved communities. His goal is for the Committee to understand the work of urban farms and actively contribute to their growth and improvement. He believes that by serving as a source of education, information, and support, the Urban County Committee can help urban farms throughout the city become a model for combating food deserts and their impact on community health.
Rebeca Sabnam, Cafeteria Culture
Teaching Assistant
Rebeca Sabnam is a teaching assistant with Cafeteria Culture, a non-profit that partners with students to foster zero-waste schools by combining environmental education and advocacy to inspire policy changes. Initially starting as a student in their program in fifth grade, Rebeca’s work with Cafeteria Culture later inspired her to study Sustainable Development and Public Health at Columbia University. The non-profit is currently piloting an educational program to reduce food waste in NYC public schools by allowing students to choose their food, while still meeting nutritional needs. She hopes to continue researching innovative solutions to environmental justice issues through this collaboration with Mount Sinai CTSA Community Scholars Program and Cafeteria Culture.
The Community Engagement Scholars Program is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NIH NCATS) with additional support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Mount Sinai Center on Health and Environment Across the LifeSpan (HEALS).