Whitney Burton is a technical assistance support coordinator (TASC) at the TA Network and a policy analyst at The Institute for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland School of Social Work (UMSSW). In her role with the TA Network, Burton works directly with system-of-care grantees, SAMHSA staff, program partners, subject matter experts, and systems coaches researching and analyzing best practices and supporting requests for information and resources.
Previous to this position, Burton was the linage to care coordinator at STAR TRACK, University of Maryland School of Medicine adolescent and young adult HIV program. There she engaged over 100 adolescents and young adults (12- to 28-years-old) in HIV specialty care and exceeded the national engagement and medication adherence averages annually. During her years of service, 50 to 70 percent of clients identified as LGBTQ, with an additional 4 percent having ties to the Maryland’s welfare system. Burton facilitated programs and support groups to address the special needs of LGBTQ youth living with HIV to foster optimal health outcomes. For over a year, she coordinated STAR TRACK’s PrEP program and advocated for city-wide program development to ensure partners of people living with HIV had access to the biomedical intervention. The focus of Burton’s work has been improving access to and the quality of comprehensive health care. Burton facilitated routine training on how internationalized racism, misogyny, and internalized homophobia effect linage and engagement in health care services to health care students and practicing providers understanding of the varying psychosocial barriers youth have to health care.
Selected Professional Positions
2002 | Congressional Intern, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Congressional Black Caucus
2006 | HIV/AIDS Intern, Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, University Maryland, School of Medicine
2011-2012 | Interim Program Director, Unlimited Bounds, LLC
2012-2016 | Linkage to Care Coordinator, University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics
2016-present | Technical Assistance Support Coordinator, University of Maryland School of Social Work
Selected Positions, Honors, and Committees
Conference Peer-Review Committee, GLMA: Healthcare Professionals for LGBT Equality (2014-present)
Data Gap Committee Co-Chair, State of Maryland HIV Planning Group (2015-present)
The Daily Record’s VIP (Very Important Professionals under 40) List (2015)
Organizational Member, Baltimore Police Department LGBT Advisory Council (2015-2016)
Organizational Member, Baltimore Homeless Youth Initiative (2014-2016)
Selected Presentations, Training, and Teaching
Burton, W (Oct 2016) New Millennial View of HIV verses other Generations: Being out, Stigma, Disparities, Health Maintenance, and Social Media. Accepted for the University of Maryland, School of Social Work, Continued Education, Washington, D.C.
Burton, W (Oct 2016) Addressing Treatment Fatigue: Living and Working with a Chronic Condition. Accepted for University of Maryland, School of Social Work, Continued Education, Washington, D.C.
Burton, W. (Nov 2015) Preparing the Future: Increasing Practitioners Knowledge of LGBTQ’s Disparities at University of Maryland School of Medicine Baltimore, Md.
Bishop, K., Burton, W, Bishop K, Franklin, M, Hailey, H.N. (Sept 2015). Embracing Pleasure, Eliminating Shame – Sexual Wellness from a Sex-Positive Framework. 32nd Annual GLMA Health Professionals Advancing LGBT Equality Conference. Portland, Ore.
Burton, W. (July 2015). Colored, Gay, Poor, and Living with a Chronic Illness: Understanding Intersectionality of Identities’ Effects on Access and Engagement in Care Systems at John Hopkins University. Rockville, Md.
German, D., Burton, W., Hailey, H.N, Bishop, M., Ware, O., Han, J. (Sept 2014). Dirty Talk: The Need for Sex Positive Messaging and Cross-Institutional Collaboration to Engage Urban MSM and Transwomen in HIV Testing and Care. Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, Baltimore, Md.
Burton, W. (Aug 2013). ALLY: It’s not a dirty word, techniques to support LGBTQA students. Maryland College Personnel Association Fall Conference, Timonium, Md.
Hailey, H.N., Burton, W, Franklin M (Aug 2013). Utilizing Created Families to Engage Urban Queer Youth in Care. Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, Denver, Colo.
Arscott, J., Burton, W., Hailey, H.N, (Nov 2012). Program evaluation of Project ACCESS (Adolescent Connecting Care to Engage, Strive, and Succeeded). Association of Nurses in AIDS CARE, Tucson, Ariz.