Meet the 30 Honorees

From community leaders and advocates to researchers and policymakers, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is proud to honor 30 remarkable people whose contributions have empowered communities and transformed health policy.

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Rob Bonta, JD
Attorney General, State of California

"As Attorney General, following the science and data is how I determine what actions I’ll take. That’s why I’m so grateful for your collective efforts to provide quality data that shines a light on inequities across California. Together we can — and will — work to uplift California’s diverse communities and address their health care needs."

Headshot of Maria-Elena Young
Maria-Elena Young, PhD
Assistant Professor, UC Merced

"CHPR has been a critical resource for advocates, practitioners, and researchers to be able to make the case for investing in the health of Californians. The data that is generated through CHIS is second to none and even serves to understand broader, national issues because of the richness of the measures and the diversity of the sample."

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Dr. Raynald Samoa
Endocrinologist, and Associate Clinical Professor, City of Hope

"My hope is that the UCLA CHPR continues to improve the capacity of NHPI communities to dismantle the systemic barriers to their equity and inclusion such as the reporting of relevant, disaggregated, accurate, and trustworthy data points that can inform policy development for the betterment of the lives of NHPI."

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Jody Herman
Senior Scholar of Public Policy, Williams Institute

"UCLA CHPR has been an invaluable and key partner with the Williams Institute in advancing our knowledge about gender identity and sexual orientation measures for surveys... This work is ongoing, and CHPR and CHIS can be incredibly proud of their efforts in advancing trans health research, not only in California, but nationally."

Hear from the Honorees

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Mayra E. Alvarez

President, The Children’s Partnership

Mayra E. Alvarez is the president of The Children's Partnership, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to advance child health equity through policy, research, and community engagement. 

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Dr. Tomás Aragón

State Public Health Officer, and Director, California Department of Public Health

As California Department of Public Health director, Dr. Tomás Aragón works through partnerships to mobilize communities and institutions to transform policies and systems towards a culture of equity, antiracism, healing, and health. 

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Mayor Karen Bass

Mayor of Los Angeles, California

Karen Bass is the 43rd person, first woman, and second African American to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles. Prior to politics, Bass served the city where she was born and raised, as a nurse, physician assistant, and founder of the Community Coalition. 

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Dr. Elaine Batchlor, MD

Chief Executive Officer, MLK Community Healthcare

Dr. Elaine Batchlor is the CEO of MLK Community Healthcare, which provides quality care to 1.3 million underserved residents in South LA. She has devoted her career to reducing health disparities and expanding health care quality and access for the most vulnerable. 

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Rob Bonta, JD

Attorney General, State of California

Rob Bonta is the 34th Attorney General of the State of California. As both a lawmaker and attorney general, Bonta has led fights for racial, economic, and environmental justice. 

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Nancy Breen, PhD

Economist

Nancy Breen is an economist and served as a National Cancer Institute project officer to initiate the California Health Interview Survey in 1999.

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Shana Charles, PhD

Associate Professor of Public Health, CSU Fullerton
Councilmember, Fullerton City Council, District 3

Fullerton City Council member Shana Charles is an associate professor at Cal State Fullerton, a nationally recognized expert on public policy, and a firm believer in promoting community health through good governance.

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Susan DeMarois

Director, California Department of Aging

Susan DeMarois is the director of the California Department of Aging and was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to lead California’s efforts for implementing the state’s Master Plan for Aging.

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Richard Figueroa

Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Office of the Governor Gavin Newsom

Richard Figueroa is a deputy cabinet secretary in Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, where he works on health, human services, and veterans’ issues. 

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Jody L. Herman, PhD

Reid Rasmussen Senior Scholar of Public Policy, Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law

Jody Herman is a senior scholar of public policy at the Williams Institute, where her research focuses on gender identity in survey research and the prevalence and impact of discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

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Dr. Sandra R. Hernández

President and CEO, California Health Care Foundation

Dr. Sandra R. Hernández is president and CEO of the California Health Care Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the health care system so that all Californians have the care they need.

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Sherry M. Hirota

Founding Executive and Former CEO, Asian Health Services

Sherry Hirota has dedicated her life to championing underserved communities. Hirota founded Asian Health Services in 1974 and retired as CEO at the end of 2023. 

Sue Holtby

Sue Holtby

Former Program Director, Public Health Institute

Sue Holtby worked in public health for more than 35 years, including 28 years at the Public Health Institute, where she helped inform content for the UCLA CHPR's California Health Interview Survey.

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Melissa Hurtado

California State Senator, 16th District

Melissa Hurtado is a California State Senator representing the Central Valley and the youngest woman ever elected to the state senate. She introduced the Food4All bill, which expanded food benefits to older adults who are undocumented.

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Sunghee Lee, PhD

Research Associate Professor and Director, Program in Survey and Data Science, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

Sunghee Lee is a research associate professor and director of the program in survey and data science at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. From 2005–2010, she was a survey methodologist for the CHIS.

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Louise McCarthy

President and CEO, Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC)

Louise McCarthy is the president and CEO of CCALAC and was instrumental in creating and implementing free public health care programs that have served hundreds of thousands of low-income, uninsured LA County residents.

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Usha Lee McFarling

National Science Correspondent, STAT

Usha Lee McFarling is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and national science correspondent covering health disparities and the intersection of race with science and medicine for STAT.

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Alex Ortega

Dean and Professor, Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Alex Ortega is dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health and a nationally recognized public health and health care policy scholar. 

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Jeffrey Reynoso

Regional Director for Region 9, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Jeffrey Reynoso serves as a regional director for HHS, where he advances the Biden-Harris Administration’s health and human services priorities and is the key representative for Secretary Xavier Becerra in region 9.

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Dr. Robert K. Ross

Former President and Chief Executive Officer, The California Endowment

Dr. Bob Ross is the former president and CEO for The California Endowment. Under his leadership, TCE provided advocacy and funded efforts in support of “Health For All” across the state.

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Dr. Raynald Samoa

Endocrinologist, and Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism, City of Hope

Dr. Raynald Samoa is an endocrinologist at City of Hope. A champion for health equity, Dr. Samoa uses evidence and data to advise lawmakers on the unique health needs of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. 

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Delight Satter

Senior Health Scientist, National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Delight Satter is an elder and member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and a senior health scientist at the CDC.

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Dr. Linette T. Scott

Deputy Director and Chief Data Officer, Enterprise Data and Information Management, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)

Dr. Linette Scott is the chief data officer and deputy director of enterprise data and information management at DHCS, which is responsible for financing and administering Medi-Cal.

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Sandra Shewry

Chair of the Board of Directors, CARESTAR Foundation

Sandra Shewry is a health policy expert with experience in public service and health philanthropy, including serving as director of the California Department of Health Care Services.

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Tia Shimada

Former Director of Programs, Nourish California

Tia Shimada has 15 years of public policy experience, and directed programs for a statewide nonprofit advocating equitable access to food, resources, and opportunity for all Californians. 

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Dr. Lisa Simpson

Former President and CEO, AcademyHealth

Dr. Lisa Simpson is a nationally recognized health policy researcher and pediatrician, who previously served as president and CEO of AcademyHealth.

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Alek Sripipatana, PhD

Director, Data and Evaluation, Office of Quality Improvement, Bureau of Primary Health Care, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Alek Sripipatana is director for the data and evaluation unit, which oversees primary data collection strategies on all HRSA-supported health centers across the country.

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Dr. Efrain Talamantes

Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, AltaMed Health Services

Dr. Efrain Talamantes is the COO at AltaMed Health Services, the nation's largest Federally Qualified Health Center. A recognized health equity advocate, Dr. Talamantes leads initiatives throughout the country to enhance diversity in the health care workforce.

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Robert Otto Valdez, PhD

Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Bob Valdez is the director of AHRQ, the lead federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of health care for all Americans. He served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and was a Special Senior Advisor to the Clinton White House on health care reform.

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Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Public Health School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Art, UC Merced

Maria-Elena Young is an assistant professor of public health at UC Merced. Her research seeks to understand the impact of the U.S. immigration system on the well-being of immigrants and their families.