Meet the Tufts COHERE Team

Kim Dong, DrPH, MS, RDN
Program Director

Kim Dong (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Before joining Tufts as faculty in 2017, Kim was a research assistant and project manager for over a decade working on several studies related to HIV and nutrition. Kim’s current research focuses on healthcare access and food and nutrition security as determinants of health, particularly with people with HIV and justice-impacted individuals. Her current projects explore food insecurity among adults on probation, evaluating interest in PrEP for HIV prevention among incarcerated adults, assessing unmet nutritional needs among people participating in methadone treatment programs, and evaluating the role of CHWs in the health care workforce. Additional areas of interest include AAPI health equity. Kim holds a DrPH from Tufts University School of Medicine, an MS from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, an RD from Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center, and a BS from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alice Tang, PhD, ScM
Co-Director of Evaluation

Dr. Tang is a Professor and epidemiologist in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine, MD/MPH Program co-Leader, and Director of the Center for Global Public Health. She has been at Tufts since 1999. Her training is in infectious disease epidemiology, and she has spent much of her career working at the intersection of HIV, nutrition, and global health. She has collaborated on research programs in several countries including the US, Argentina, India, Vietnam, and Namibia. Currently her research focuses on mitigating health disparities and improving advocacy among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the Greater Boston area. Dr. Tang holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins and a ScM from Harvard University.

Kenneth Chui, PhD, MPH, MS
Co-Director of Evaluation

Kenneth Chui (he/him) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Chui is a methodologist with expertise in research design, data analysis, and data visualization, and brings his expertise to a broad range of research projects. Dr. Chui has worked on research focusing on evaluation of physical activity and nutrition interventions for children, the opioid overdose epidemic in the US, the Hepatitis C infection epidemic in the US, and testing the effectiveness of food aid formulas to combat and prevent childhood wasting. Dr. Chui’s current research focuses on the effectiveness of “food is medicine” (FIM) interventions. He has a secondary appointment as an Associate Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. He received his PhD and MS from Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and his MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine.

Pep Vicente, BA
CHW Instructor

Pep Vicente is a Community Health Worker and Team Lead at Massachusetts General Hospital, serving disadvantaged populations. Additionally, he teaches Medical Spanish and in educational programs for the city of Chelsea. He was born in Barcelona, Spain.

Albert Pless, MS
Community Liaison and Instructor

Albert W. Pless, Jr is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Town of Andover, Massachusetts. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Tufts School of Medicine Online MPH program and a guest lecturer at the Tufts School of Community Health. Albert has over 25 years of experience working in community-based programs in the Greater Boston area.

Tong (Lilly) Zeng, BS
Tufts MPH Candidate

Lilly Zeng (she/her) is an MPH candidate at Tufts School of Medicine, with a concentration in Health Services Management & Policy. She graduated with a dual degree in Nutrition (Dietetics) and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from UMass Amherst. Her previous experiences as a nutrient analysis assistant, nutrition advisor, and research assistant in the field have endowed her with valuable practical skills and valuable insights into nutrition and wellness sectors. Lilly is passionately navigating the intersection of comprehensive healthcare and scientific research, contributing her knowledge and expertise towards practical advancements in public health and medicine.

Andrew Min
Tufts MD/MPH ’26 Candidate

Andrew Min grew up in sunny San Diego before studying Psychobiology at UCLA. In Los Angeles, Andrew fostered his passion to deliver equitable, compassionate, and accessible healthcare to unhoused communities through the Mobile Clinic Project. Andrew is passionate about street medicine, LGBTQ+ health, and increasing access to affordable healthcare!

Anna Grossman, MS
Tufts PhD Candidate

Anna Grossman (she/her) is a PhD candidate at Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Previously, she studied Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska, where she grew up. Anna’s research focuses on food addiction and food security for those that are justice impacted. Additionally, she worked on several other projects focusing on HIV prevention in people justice impacted as well as born outside the US, increasing physical activity in children with Autism, and introducing wellness checks at probation offices. Anna is passionate about researching and reducing environmental factors that impact chronic disease.