Damara Gutnick

Dr. Damara Gutnick is a Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology & Population Health, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Family and Social Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She holds a senior leadership role as Senior Director at Montefiore Medical Center’s Office of Community and Population Health. Her work focuses on community engagement, trust in science, and culturally competent healthcare delivery. Dr. Gutnick developed the BRAID model to build vaccine confidence and authored over 15 peer-reviewed publications.

Education:

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Medical Education)
• Montefiore Medical Center (Residency in Internal Medicine)

Research Interests: Dr. Gutnick’s research emphasizes community-driven solutions to health disparities, including motivational interviewing, behavior change strategies, and integrating community voices into healthcare redesign. She co-leads the Community Engagement Core of the Albert Einstein Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). Her work addresses vaccine hesitancy, opioid use disorder interventions, and healthcare worker burnout.

Professional Roles:

• Member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)
• Certified PROSCI Change Management Professional
• Immediate Past President of the American Heart Association’s Westchester Board

Key Projects: She pioneered the “What Matters to You?” (WMTY) movement and led the HEALing Communities Study to reduce opioid overdose deaths. Her BRAID model was implemented across 30+ organizations in New York.