CPEHN Welcomes Four New Board Members
This past December, CPEHN welcomed four new members to our Board of Directors. The new members bring a wealth of experience, ranging from mental health, active transportation, labor, and clinical practice. But the one thing they all have in common is a commitment to California’s communities of color and advancing our health equity policy agenda.
We proudly present to you CPEHN’s new Board members!
Michelle Cabrera, Healthcare and Research Director, SEIU State Council
Michelle is the Healthcare and Research Director for SEIU State Council, where she coordinates policy development and research across various policy areas with a primary focus on health care policy. Cabrera was recently seated to the National Quality Forum’s newly formed Disparities Standing Committee which will work on developing a roadmap for how measurement and associated policy levers can be used to proactively eliminate disparities and provide recommendations on how NQF can adopt a cross-cutting emphasis on the elimination of disparities across all its work in healthcare performance measurement. Prior to joining SEIU, Michelle was a program officer in the California Health Care Foundation’s State Health Policy Office. From 2005-2010, she was a health and human services analyst with the California Legislature – most recently as a senior policy analyst with the California Assembly Human Services Committee, and policy advisor to former longstanding California Senate and Assembly Budget Chair, Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny. As a legislative staffer, she analyzed policy, developed legislation, and organized policy hearings on issues related to health care reform, health care workforce, hospitals, community clinics, foster youth, and access to health care in rural and underserved communities. Early in her career, Cabrera served as a nonprofit administrator with community-based organizations such as Father Joe’s Villages, the Centro Cultural de La Raza and Lideres Campesinas, all based in Southern California. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations from Georgetown University and a Certificate in Community Economic Development from San Diego State University. Says Michelle, “As a Sacramento-based policy advocate, I have the benefit of seeing upfront the strength of CPEHN’s impact on healthcare policy through our incredible team’s advocacy efforts in the Capitol and throughout the state. I look forward to continuing to advance the groundbreaking vision of CPEHN’s founding ethnic partners as a member of the CPEHN Board. Adelante!”
Tony Dang, Deputy Director, California Walks
Tony oversees Cal Walks’ policy advocacy, communications, development, and community engagement efforts to make all California communities more walkable. Tony is passionate about creating more vibrant, livable communities through the intersection of health, transportation, sustainability and equity. Tony travels across California to educate and empower community residents to engage in local, regional, and statewide transportation planning and policy processes and become effective active transportation advocates. Tony is the Co-Chair of the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan’s Pedestrian Safety Committee and serves on numerous advisory committees–including the California Transportation Infrastructure Priorities (CTIP) Work Group, the Caltrans Active Transportation Program-Technical Advisory Committee, the California State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Technical Advisory Committee, and the Caltrans District 4 Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Tony is a certified instructor of the Safe Routes to School National Course and also serves on the Board of Directors of the California Bicycle Coalition. Tony can often be seen walking and biking around as a volunteer at open streets events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tony holds a BA from Stanford University in Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity. Tony says, “I am so excited and honored to become a member of CPEHN’s Board and to join CPEHN in fighting for better health and prosperity for California’s low-income and communities of color! I am also looking forward to working with the Board and staff to advance CPEHN’s multiracial and multicultural advocacy approach in the transportation and land use sectors to create sustainable, vibrant, and thriving communities for all Californians.”
Jim Gilmer, Board President, Mental Health Association of California
Jim is long-time mental health advocate. Most notably, he has been involved in the California Reducing Disparities Project since its inception, serving as Co-Coordinator of the African American Strategic Planning Workgroup and Co-Chair of the California MHSA Multicultural Coalition, two components of the project. In addition, he is Board President of the Mental Health Association in California (also known as Mental Health America of California). He serves on the Services Committee of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and is one of the founding members of the Racial and Ethnic Mental Health Disparities Coalition. In his community, Jim is the co-founder of Multicultural Community Ventures Initiative, a collaborative of ethnic organizations and small businesses focusing on social equity in the arts, music, cultural enrichment, and community development in Ventura County. He co-founded Cyrus Urban Inter-Church Sustainability Network with local ministers to provide technical assistance for ethnic faith-based organizations. He is a multicultural bridge builder in Ventura, with strong ties to the African American, Latino, and other ethnic communities. Jim has a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management, Leadership, Administration, Marketing, & Theology (Urban Ministry Emphasis) from Azusa Pacific University. He has over thirty years’ experience in resource development, fundraising, youth development, and working with the homeless. Jim says, “I am so very happy and excited to become a CPEHN Board member, joining one of the leading multicultural, grassroots organizations focused on reducing disparities while increasing health equity in California. It is truly a pleasure to serve with a diverse group of leaders that are so united and committed to integrating the social determinants of health in their policy and advocacy work to engage underserved communities. Collectively, we have big dreams for CPEHN.”
Sharad Jain, Professor, University of California, San Francisco
Sharad is a professor of medicine at UCSF and a primary care physician at San Francisco General Hospital. Sharad directs the primary care medicine residency program at SFGH whose mission is to train physicians to become leaders in the care of vulnerable populations; he has a strong interest in training students and residents to learn about the social determinants of health and to work to improve the health of communities. He has developed and implemented several courses to teach trainees about the unique challenges facing underserved populations and serves as faculty advisor for several student organizations to support service-learning to improve the health of those populations, including homeless populations. In addition, he has received several grants to support and disseminate these projects through publications and presentations. Sharad has worked with CPEHN for a number of years on a UCSF/SFGH resident advocacy program, which provides training to resident physicians on ways to utilize their positions to advocate for their patients. Sharad is a long time CPEHN supporter. As Sharad said, “I am thrilled to join the CPEHN Board and to work with a diverse and talented group of colleagues who are committed to ensure that all Californians have access to high quality and comprehensive healthcare that they deserve.”
In December, several long-time CPEHN Board members also termed off our Board. We would like to thank Jennifer Hernandez of Covina, Donzella Lee of Los Angeles, and Dong Suh of Oakland for their years of service and commitment to CPEHN and our communities.