aimee jimenez
Aimee Jimenez is currently a Health Educator at TCC Family Health where she leads food security efforts for TCC’s multiple community clinic sites throughout Long Beach. Prior to going into the field of public health, Aimee graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Aimee’s passion for health equity and helping the medically underserved came from her service as an AmeriCorps Health Fellow through the Community Clinic Association of LA County where she was able to look at health access through a new lens. During her free time, she enjoys taking on challenging hikes that lead to incredible views.
amanda mauriz
Amanda Mauriz was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and attended California State University Monterey Bay, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies with a minor in International Health Policy. Her passion for public health and education began when she was a young girl, whom learned she had a heart murmur and underwent open heart surgery to repair it. In addition, she was a medical mission volunteer with the Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS), where she assisted and translated for physicians to provide medical services to the rural communities of Ayacucho, Peru.
cecilia ponce
Cecilia is a first generation UCLA Alumni who received her Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Environmental Science. She is from Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico. Cecilia has been serving her community through her private personal training business. She serves clients on a one to one basis and helps them move their bodies and regenerate their health by leading healthy and balanced lifestyles. Cecilia is pursuing a Masters of Public Health in the hopes of garnering the skill sets to incite community wide changes by providing equitable access to healthcare and physical activity to all individuals. Cecilia is fluent in Spanish she was raised in Guadalajara until the age of eight. After working in the field serving clients individually she hopes to pursue Community Health education and the promotion of health services focused on programs that address Social, Gender and Environmental factors in health.
daniela rey-ardila
Daniela (Dani) Rey-Ardila is the Manager of the Latinx Family Resource Program at Stanford Children’s Health (SCH), which supports families navigating the healthcare system. Dani earned a B.S. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics at Towson University in Maryland, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate at Cornell University. As an immigrant from Colombia, Dani maintains strong connections to the Latinx community as a Fellow of the Latino Board Leadership Academy at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley and the Lean In Latinas “Latinas in Healthcare” circle.
erika chan
Dr. Erika Chan is an infectious diseases clinical pharmacist currently practicing in Los Angeles. She is originally from New Jersey, where she attended Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University and graduated with Summa Cum Laude in 2018. Subsequently, she went on to complete two years of residency specializing in infectious diseases at LAC+USC Medical Center as part of the USC School of Pharmacy Residency Program. Continuing her passion in infectious diseases specialty, infection prevention, and research in public health, Erika decided to pursue an MPH degree at UCLA.
hannah creutzfeldt
Hannah Creutzfeldt grew up in New York City and attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts where she studied Neuroscience and Public Health. Her interest in the intersection of health and education led her to San Jose where she taught high school math for 3 years. She currently acts as an internship and independent study coordinator to give students the opportunity to devote time in their senior year to explore their authentic interests. She also teaches a course dedicated to helping students make best fit academic and socioemotional plans for themselves for the future. In her free time she enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, cooking/eating, and learning to sew.
Jacob Naparstek
Jake is currently working at the University of California Los Angeles where he manages and coordinates Phase I/II immuno-oncology clinical trials with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at UCLA. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT with a B.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology. After graduating, Jake spent two years at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA, studying the efficacy of immunotherapy drugs in patients with solid tumors.
kira molas-torreblanca
Dr. Kira Molas-Torreblanca is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and a pediatric hospitalist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She received her undergraduate degree with a BA in Sociology at UCLA and graduated medical school from Western University of Health Science at the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. She completed her post-graduate training and chief residency in pediatrics at the University of Nevada.
lianne wong
Lianne was born in Calgary, Canada, and raised in the small town of East Lyme, CT. After completing her B.A. degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, she earned her Certificate in Editing from Simon Fraser University. She then developed her career in various industries such as education, consulting, and hospitality. In September 2018, she moved to Los Angeles to change careers. She began blog writing and then discovered her true calling—health writing and health communication. With a Master’s in Public Health, her goal is to improve health literacy and make healthcare more accessible and equitable for disadvantaged communities. Today, she manages the office of a multi-doctor psychiatry clinic and freelances as a content writer. In her free time, she enjoys going outside for hikes, attending concerts, and trying out new restaurants in L.A.
maral hindoyan
Mrs. Maral Hindoyan, the youngest of three from immigrant parents, was born and raised in Glendale, California. At a young age, her crooked smile, caused by a missed jump shot from her older brother, was her first introduction to the dental world and has driven her passion and fascination with oral health. To jump start her bid to provide healthy, beautiful smiles for the masses, Mrs. Hindoyan earned her bachelor's degree in Biological Psychology from the University of California Santa Barbara, and later, a second bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene from the University of Southern California.
maurissa lester
Dr. Maurissa Lester is currently a Pediatric Dentistry Resident at UCLA School of Dentistry. She recently graduated from The University of North Carolina School of Dentistry at Chapel Hill, where she received her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) Degree. During her time in dental school, Dr. Lester partnered with Global Girl’s Empowerment Foundation and created The University of North Carolina School of Dentistry’s first Inter-professional trip to Tanzania, Africa. Before dental school, Maurissa was an NCAA student-athlete at Limestone College in South Carolina, where she majored in Biology and played college basketball. Upon completion of undergrad, Maurissa was a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
melissa samson
Melissa Samson currently works as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at a Level I Trauma Center. In her role there, she is actively involved in staff education and professional development. She has served as a charge nurse and preceptor to multiple new hires, travel nurses, and new graduate nurses. Melissa graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from UCLA. She is passionate about transforming structural inequities in healthcare.
Mitra Simanian
Dr. Mitra Simanian is currently an Assistant Professor at UCLA School of Dentistry. She received her Bachelors of Science in Microbiology and Immunology, and her Doctor of Dental Surgery from UCLA. Working as a Private practice owner dentist in several areas of Los Angeles, she learned firsthand the disparities in access to quality and affordable oral healthcare services. Furthermore, upon joining the faculty at UCLA School of Dentistry she observed the need for training and educating the dental students in the field of public health and community health services especially in the underserved sector of our society. In order to be able an efficient and knowledgeable educator, she decided to become a student first and that was the first step toward her interest in UCLA School of public health program for healthcare professionals.
nicole white
Nicole White is a practicing Registered Dental Hygienist in California. She graduated from California State University Long Beach with a B.S. in Kinesiology. While working as a dental assistant during her undergraduate program, she found her true passion to be a hygienist. Nicole graduated with honors from Taft College with an A.S. in Dental Hygiene. During her time as a clinician, she has worked with community outreach programs like CDA Cares and giving oral health presentations to local elementary schools. She is currently working in private practice and serves on the California Dental Hygiene Association Public Health Council. In her spare time, Nicole likes to run at the beach or travel to new places with her family and friends.
Shiou Udagawa
Shiou Udagawa has been a licensed Registered Nurse in both Japan and California for over 20 years. She was born and raised in Japan. She began her nursing career as a new graduate at an emergency department (ED) in Tokyo. Little did she know, emergency nursing would become her calling. After two decades of clinical experience in direct patient care, fixing what’s wrong rather than addressing what could be prevented, Shiou would now like to build on this by learning more about wellness-centered health practices, and social determinants of health, for the purpose of providing culturally competent preventive care to underserved communities. In her spare time Shiou also enjoys being a certified medical interpreter as well as a licensed cosmetologist.
vishnu reddy
Dr. Vishnu Reddy is a Pediatric Dentistry resident at UCLA. He graduated with a bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Utah and received his Doctorate in Dental Surgery from NYU. After dental school, he trained as a general dentistry resident in Woodhull Medical Center, a public hospital in Brooklyn, and then worked as a general dentist in Western Massachusetts.
Dr. Reddy is thrilled to be part of the UCLA family. In his free time, he enjoys trying different cuisines, exploring hiking trails, checking out tea/coffee shops, watching movies, and travelling.