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Community Engagement

Center for Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences

The partnership addressing racial/ethnic disparities in sleep disorders is supported by previous knowledge, expertise, and trust we have garnered in the community.  We developed the proposal through consultation with our initial Community Steering Committee, comprised representatives from CBOs in disparity communities and patients with sleep apnea.


Yolette Williams

Yolette Williams

TSCS Community Steering Committee Chair

Yolette Williams is a dedicated community leader and advocate for Haitian Americans. As CEO of the Haitian American Alliance of New York (HAA) for over 30 years, she has worked to empower her community and bridge cultural, social, and political divides. At the NYC Department of Education, she championed students with special needs, bilingual learners, and families navigating educational challenges. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board-Certified Neurofeedback clinician, she specializes in PTSD, adjustment disorders, and family therapy through her practice, CSW Brain Enhancement and Psychotherapy. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she partnered with Partners in Health to counsel survivors and train mental health professionals, continuing her mission through ongoing medical and mental health efforts in Haiti. Her leadership during the pandemic, forming the HAA COVID-19 Taskforce, earned her the Ford Freedom Unsung “Heroes of COVID-19” Award. Yolette’s life’s work uplifts marginalized communities and fosters inclusion and empowerment.

Guitele Ruiz-Nicolas

Guitele Ruiz-Nicolas

TSCS Community Steering Committee Co-chair

Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas is a seasoned leader, communicator, and community advocate with over 25 years of experience across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She holds a B.A. in Organizational Communications from Pace University and an M.P.A. from Nova Southeastern University. As CEO/President of Inspir, LLC, she leads community-building and communications initiatives serving Caribbean and Haitian markets. She also produces The GRN Show with Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas on Roku, promoting connection and civic engagement. Guithele’s career includes leadership roles with the Children’s Home Society of Florida, the City of North Miami, Broward County, and Broward College, where she advanced economic development, workforce diversity, and educational access. Deeply committed to service, she chairs the University of Miami’s TSCS Steering Committee, serves on Plantation’s Sustainability Board, and volunteers with VITA and Moms Demand Action. Recently elected President of the Plantation Democratic Club, Guithele continues her mission of empowerment, equity, and civic participation.


The focus on sleep disorders was determined by engaging CSC members, who participated in community health lectures in 2010. They were asked to indicate the most pressing health concerns and policy issues using a Delphi survey, identifying sleep disorders as one of the highest research priorities. This led to the New York Sleep Health Disparity Summit in 2012 bringing together experts from sleep health disparities research and stakeholders discussing ways to implement novel interventions to improve sleep outcomes in their communities. While formulating this proposal, we held weekly meetings with the CSC to build consensus around project aims, define specific contributions of each partner, and articulate leadership needs and expectations. This produced the Shared Sleep Research Agenda, mandating assessment of severity of sleep disorders in all disparity communities of NYC. 

Building this collaborative capacity to conduct patient-centered outcome research was critical to enable recruitment for ongoing and planned studies. The partnership enables us to accelerate the translation of findings from basic behavioral research to interventions that improve healthy aging, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities. Of equal importance, this infrastructure expands the partnership’ research capacity to study sleep disorders among minorities and provide a model for translating behavioral science research across minority populations with appropriate ethnic, cultural, and linguistic tailoring. The on-going project leverages the CSC established in New York and in the South of Florida to maintain the cohort we have developed over the last two years. It also takes advantage of the availability of a newly constituted CSC in Miami to facilitate recruitment of an additional cohort to complete our enrollment goals (see below). 

TSCS Community Stakeholder Groups 

Community Engagement in NYU’s Catchment Area 

  • Trinity Baptist Church and Blanc Ministries (TBCBM)

  • Inspire LLC

  • Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church (BEBC)

  • Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad (AMHE)

NYU CSC Members

Community Engagement in NYU’s Catchment Area 

  • Haitian-American Community Coalition (HCC)

  • Greater Brooklyn Health Coalition (GBHC)

  • Diaspora Community Services (DCS)

  • Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ)

  • The Haitian American Alliance of New York (HAA)