Our Team

Jack Ludmir, M.D. is the Senior Vice President for Physician Engagement and Integration at Jefferson Health System and the Associate Provost for Community and Global Initiatives at Thomas Jefferson University. In this role he is responsible for establishing partnerships at the local and global level (Glocal Programs). Prior to this position he was the Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Pennsylvania Hospital, and the Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania for 18 years. He was a founder of the Academy of Master Clinicians at Penn Medicine, and the Past Chair of the Governing Council for Maternal and Child Health for the American Hospital Association.

A graduate of Temple University School of Medicine, he completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and was on the faculty at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania for thirty years. His clinical and research activities have focused on cervical function in pregnancy and prenatal care for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Ludmir was awarded the Alfred Stengel Penn Health System Champion Award for improving, transforming and integrating the entire University of Pennsylvania Health System’s Obstetrical Services, ensuring that every patient has a right to prenatal care. He is a strong advocate for making high quality care available to vulnerable populations, including the underserved and uninsured in the Philadelphia region and globally. He was the President of Women and Children’s Health Services (currently the Ludmir Center for Women’s Health), a not for profit organization devoted to the care of women from the surrounding community and is a co-founder of Puentes de Salud and Latina Community Health Services, organizations providing free care to uninsured immigrants. The Maternity Care Coalition in Philadelphia awarded him the Spirit of Motherhood Award for strengthening families and inspiring change every day. The March of Dimes gave him the Roosevelt Award for Service to Humanity and Philadelphia Magazine named him one of the “Best Philadelphians”.

He is currently serving as the liaison coordinator between The Federation of Latin American Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FLASOG) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). He has established formal relationships with several universities and hospitals in Latin America to improve the safety and quality of obstetric care. In recognition for these services he received the Outstanding District Service Award and the Peter Hollis Community Service Award from ACOG, and has received honorary degrees from several universities in Latin America.

Alexandra Wolkoff, BA, graduated from Haverford College in 2014, where she studied Sociology and Education. She joined the Puentes team in July 2014, beginning as the Puentes Hacia el Futuro Program Supervisor and progressing to Assistant Director of Education. As the current Director of Education, she oversees both the daily operating and long-term development of our growing educational programs for children from early childhood through adolescence and their families. Alexandra works closely with Southwark School, Puentes de Salud providers, and numerous community partners throughout the region to coordinate services and to best support the growth of each child and family unit. The Puentes de Salud model allows Alexandra to align her personal, academic, and professional passions by integrating knowledge with action to create true positive change in solidarity with our community. Alexandra practices yoga, photography, and exploration as means of self-care and expression and aims to pursue further graduate education in the fields of psychology, community wellness, and education.

Annette Silva, LPN, has worked in community health and outreach as a clinical nurse since 1992. Her bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural background (United States/Latin America) provides the ideal framework for her service in the Latino community. From 1992 to 2006 she worked as a community health nurse in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. This experience honed her clinical skills and highlighted the importance of a collaborative team effort in meeting the health care needs of under-served populations. Subsequently, she developed the skills to effectively interface with physicians, social services organizations, hospital business administrators, nonprofit organizations and government agencies. Since 2008, Annette has served as Puentes de Salud’s community nurse liaison, a position in which she actively engages in education programs, social services and clinical care.

Carlos Sanchez was born in Mexico City, Mexico. Carlos studied accounting and economics courses in Mexico City before moving to Philadelphia. Carlos is an active member of the Mexican community in south Philadelphia and has been involved with social justice movements such as the New Sanctuary Movement. He is the filmmaker and producer of the documentary “El Sol Sale Para Todos” (2010), which recounts the emergence and growth of the Mexican community in South Philadelphia. Carlos is also a member of Juntos and is a Fleisher Art Memorial FAMbassador, liaison to the Latino community in South Philadelphia. Carlos is a crucial member of the Puentes de Salud team as the Administrator. He is in direct contact with all health clinic patients and the operations of Puentes’s new health and wellness center.

Dacey Stratton, CRNP, completed her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Women’s Health at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Puentes team, she served as the lead clinician at Latina Community Health Services, a grant-funded program serving immigrant women. During her first year at Puentes Dacey has focused on expanding access to sexual health and contraceptive services. As Medical Co-Director of Puentes, Dacey Stratton leads Women’s Health efforts and the Puentes Nurse Practitioner Residency Program.

Esther Morales, MA, received a Master’s degree with a focus in Community Health from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013. At Penn, Esther studied health disparities in Native American communities and the Indian Health Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She established collaborations between professors in Penn’s School of Nursing and the School of Arts and Sciences to further research and outreach of Native American health care. Esther joined Puentes de Salud in 2011 and has worked with families in South Philadelphia and helped expand education programming for Puentes Hacia el Futuro. In 2013 she became the Education Director for Puentes Hacia el Futuro. Since 2016, Esther has served as the Managing Director for Puentes de Salud.

Leah Reisman, PhD, is a sociologist, evaluator, and nonprofit practitioner with expertise in strategy, evaluation, the arts, and immigration. At Puentes, Leah currently serves as Health & Wellness Associate Director, and Project Lead for Community Arts-Literacies. In collaboration with the arts and education directors, Leah is responsible for collaboratively envisioning and leading operations for a set of integrated, community-based arts and education installations and programs, funded by the William Penn Foundation. Leah also helps to develop, implement, and manage Wellness services, and consults to Puentes leadership on evaluation, strategic planning, and organizational growth. Leah joined the Puentes team in October 2018, beginning by volunteering as Art & Culture Coordinator; she progressed to Health & Wellness Associate Director in Fall 2020. Leah is a skilled facilitator and strategist with demonstrated research and project management skills and experience in both the study and practice of nonprofit management. In addition to her work at Puentes, Leah writes and conducts research on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, serves as a mentor at Philadelphia Futures and sits on the Board of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Leah holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Chicago, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton University.

Lili Domenick, BA, graduated from Haverford College in 2019, where she studied Spanish and Health. She began working with Puentes de Salud in 2018, as a volunteer tutor in the summer Bilingual Literacy program, and transitioned into role of Program Coordinator for the Puentes Hacia el Futuro education program in summer 2019. As the current Education Supervisor, Lili helps oversee the implementation of after-school and summer programming for elementary and middle-school aged youth. She works closely with students and their families as the education program works to center ongoing student and parent leadership. Lili deeply appreciates the multi-faceted, community-centered approach that Puentes brings to its health, education and wellness work, and hopes to explore careers in community wellness, social work, and education.

Monica Posada, MS, completed her masters in Mental Health and Counseling. Has a professional experience in the area of mental health. In the past, she has been in charge of individuals and social group clinical cases. She has supervised and directed programs and workshops within the mental health care. At Puentes, she provides clinical behavioral health services in order to improve patient health outcomes and their overall satisfaction. She focuses on the interaction with clients to initiate change in the patient’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior through adaptation. Provides support in individual and group settings by aiding clients daily life through implementing a range of techniques based on experiential relationship building, dialogue, communication, and behavior change,  along with others in order to improve the mental health of the client.

Nora Hiriart Litz, MFA, is a printmaker and painter born in Mexico City. She attended the Arts Students League in New York and received her BFA at Moore College of Art and Design. Nora currently works in several major cities and countries via a career focused on the arts, education, and activism for human rights.

Since 2013, Nora has served as the inaugural Director of Art and Cultural programming for Puentes de Salud, a comprehensive health and wellness organization serving Philadephia’s Mexican and wider Latinx communities. Through this role, Nora has hosted over 60 unique events or classes yearly, many in conjunction with other artists, with topics ranging from weekly drop-in artmaking to textile classes to long-term programs in which community members use art to interpret and process experiences of immigration and reactions to U.S. immigration policy. She also organizes and hosts long-term art-making and community-building projects in her studio workspace, and has directed numerous art projects in collaboration with both national and international and Philadelphia institutions.

Her work and/or the results of her collaborations ahve been exhibited at: The Keisho Art Association, Aichi Prefecture Art Center, Nagoya, Japan; The Inaugural Kimmel Center Exhibition, Philadelphia, Pa.; Chinese Artist’s Group Show at the Mummers Museum, Philadelphia, Pa.; Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, Pa.; Moore Galleries, Philadelphia, Pa.; Rutgers University Gallery, Camden, NJ; the Lincoln Financial Field and Patchogue Arts Council, NY; Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens; and The University of Pennsylvania, among other venues.

Paulina de Jesus, MPA, graduated from Penn State University with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. At the Ludmir Center Paulina focused on the emphasis placed on servicing the underserved population in Philadelphia. She also worked closely with the Latina Community Health Services which helped to secure health care services for the Latina population in the areas of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Paulina continues to serve the Latinx community by serving as the first person patients see at our clinic and by providing quality patient services for our community at Puentes de Salud.

Sharon Katzenbach, CRNP, completed the Family Nurse Practitoner Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Puentes team, she worked in primary care in South Philadelphia and the Penn Emergency Department. Sharon has also taught seminar courses at Penn Nursing and precepts masters nursing students. At Puentes, Sharon sees primary care patients and maintains her focus on education, as a preceptor and director of the Puentes Residency Program.