Mary Ann Chiasson
Mary Ann Chiasson, Dr.P.H., is the vice-president for research and evaluation at Public Health Solutions, a not-for-profit organization that provides health and health-related services, conducts demonstration and research programs, and offers management services in order to improve community health and strengthen health policy. Before joining Public Health Solutions, Dr. Chiasson served for nine years as an assistant commissioner of health at the New York City Department of Health with scientific and administrative responsibility for AIDS Surveillance, AIDS Research and Vital Statistics and Epidemiology. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of HIV particularly risk factors for sexual transmission. Dr. Chiasson is also an Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology (in Medicine) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and in the Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons.
 

Francine Shuchat Shaw
Associate Professor Francine Shuchat Shaw has been a member of the faculty of the Program in Educational Communication and Technology (ECT) at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development since 1976. She served as Program Director from 1986 until 1998, and she now serves as Coordinator of the ECT Master of Arts and Certificate of Advanced Studies in Education programs. Prior to joining the NYU faculty, she was a member of the faculty of the Department of Filmmaking and Television at Rochester Institute of Technology, from 1973 until 1976. Research interests include the instructional design of media environments, learning theory, and, most particularly, the design and development of educational television programs based on progressive, cognitive, and constructivist views of learning and instruction. Her interests also include the history of instructional technology, its theoretical underpinnings, and its relationship to broader educational and social movements.
 

Todd Ahlberg
Producer/Director Todd Ahlberg most recently completed "Meth," an award winning documentary film illuminating the crystal methamphetamine culture within the gay community (www.methmovie.com). The film is running widely in the film festival circuit and is distributed internationally by Mercury Media, UK and domestically by Cinema Libre. In January of 2003, Ahlberg completed the documentary film, "Hooked," an exploration of the "online cruising" phenomenon within the gay culture (www.hookedmovie.com). The documentary screened at over 40 film festivals worldwide, and was acquired for distribution by MTV Networks’ LOGO, as well as Film Threat DVD and Music Video Distributors (MVD). In the summer of 2005, Ahlberg directed Episode 1 of HIV Big Deal "The Morning After," and in the Fall of '06, he directed the second in the series, "The Test." From 1997 through 2001 Ahlberg oversaw Rotor.net, a Los Angeles-based interactive broadcasting company he co-founded. The company’s 150employees developed interactive technology and content for clients such as CNN, Disney, Sony Pictures and CNET. Prior to Rotor, Ahlberg served as producer and director of the critically acclaimed web-based show, "The Pyramid," under American Cybercast (AmCy) in Los Angeles. Beginning in 1992, Ahlberg worked as a producer and director of interactive documentary films at Philips Media, a division of the Dutch giant, Philips N.V. Ahlberg began his career in production in 1987 at San Francisco Production Group, a leading post and special effects house in San Francisco.
 

Sabina Hirshfield
Sabina Hirshfield, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist who joined Public Health Solutions in 2001, after receiving her doctorate in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University. For the past 6 years, Dr. Hirshfield has collaborated with a team of researchers on five Internet-based behavioral risk surveys of men who have sex with men (MSM), and is currently conducting research on substance use and sexual risk behavior among MSM recruited online. Prior to joining Public Health Solutions, Dr. Hirshfield was a data analyst in Adult Psychiatry at Columbia University.
 

Reed Emmons
Reed Emmons is a web developer for Public Health Solutions. He graduated from University of Hartford with a B.A. in Interactive Information Technology and is now pursuing his M.S. in Management and Systems from NYU. In addition to his work on the HIV Big Deal project, he is currently playing a role in supporting the work of New York City HIV treatment and prevention agencies, developing an online portal that manages nutrition education in New York City Public Schools, and collaborating with the Public Health Solutions research team to execute Internet-based behavioral risk surveys. Before joining Public Health Solutions, Reed was a developer for a large financial firm, volunteered in Africa, and worked with a non-profit organization whose mission was to bring health care to the homeless.