UCLA Center for Health Policy Research celebrates three decades of advancing health equity

Coming from across California and around the country, a crowd of nearly 300 people gathered to commemorate the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research’s 30-year transformation from scrappy upstart into a leading hub of rigorously collected data that informs policy to create a more equitable health system.

Supporters, former researchers and students, and friends, joined current faculty and staff researchers at the UCLA Luskin Conference Center on Nov. 13 for an evening of dinner, catching up with old friends, pictures (selfies and a photo booth), a silent auction, and moving tributes to UCLA CHPR founder E. Richard “Rick” Brown, PhD, and former Associate Director Steve Wallace, PhD.

“It was such a wonderful night to reflect on the legacy and impact of three decades of tireless work and commitment to health equity,” said Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “It was powerfully moving to show our appreciation for past and present staff and our funders, community partners, and, of course, the health care and policy leaders who have all been allies.”

Among the health equity luminaries in attendance were Dr. Robert Valdez, PhD, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Sherry M. Hirota, former CEO of Asian Health Services; and AltaMed Health Services COO, Dr. Efrain Talamantes.

Speakers shared favorite memories of their careers and their times at the center, thanked their collaborators and supporters, and shared their visions for the CHPR’s future hoping to inspire continued support and innovative research, and energize everyone to keep working to advance health equity.

“Individually, every person who came to the gala has played a role in helping to create a health system that better serves the people who live here,” Ponce said. “But collectively what we’ve accomplished working together in partnership — and even sometimes through challenging each other — to strive for constant improvement has brought us closer to our goal of communities and a country that benefit all.”

The honorees:

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.

Dr. Tomás Aragón serves as the director of the California Department of Public Health. In his role, Aragón works through partnerships to mobilize communities and institutions to transform policies and systems toward a culture of equity, antiracism, healing, and health.

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.

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

Rob Bonta, JD, 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. As an assemblymember, Bonta used UCLA CHPR data when authoring AB1726 to address the lack of disaggregated public health data for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities.

“You're making a real difference across the board,” Bonta said in a video shared during the gala. “Following the facts and data is the first step to improving our state and our nation. 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.”

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

Shana Charles, PhD, is an associate professor of public health at Cal State Fullerton and a member of the Fullerton City Council. A triple UCLA alumna, Charles began working at the center as a master’s student and later became the director of health insurance studies.

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

Richard Figueroa is a deputy cabinet secretary in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, where he works on health, human services, and veterans’ issues. He has served three California governors on health-related issues.

Jody L. Herman, PhD, is the Reid Rasmussen Senior Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Her work on gender identity in survey research and impact of discrimination based on gender identity and expression has helped advance equity for LGBTQ people.

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.

Sherry M. Hirota has dedicated her life to championing underserved communities. Hirota founded Asian Health Services (AHS) in 1974 and retired as CEO at the end of 2023. In 50 years, AHS has grown to provide high-quality care in 14 languages, serving more than 50,000 patients each year.

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.

Melissa Hurtado is a California State Senator representing the Central Valley and the youngest woman ever elected to the state senate. Using CHIS data on food insecurity and in collaboration with advocates, she co-authored the Food4All bill, which expanded food benefits to older adults who are undocumented.

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

Louise McCarthy is the president and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. She was instrumental in creating and implementing free public health care programs that have served hundreds of thousands of low-income, uninsured county residents.

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.

Alex Ortega, PhD, is dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health. Ortega is also a Bruin, having served as director and principal investigator for the UCLA Center for Population Health and Health Disparities and worked alongside the late Steve Wallace on the Latino Youth Health Survey.

Jeffrey Reynoso, PhD, serves as a regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the key representative for Secretary Xavier Becerra in region 9.

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

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

Delight Satter is an elder and member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and a senior health scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to joining the CDC, Satter directed the American Indian Research Program at the UCLA CHPR, and she remains a faculty associate.

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

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. Shewry currently serves as the board chair of the CARESTAR Foundation.

Tia Shimada has 15 years of public policy experience and directed programs for a statewide nonprofit advocating for equitable access to food, resources, and opportunity for all Californians. Shimada worked with the UCLA CHPR on research about how proposed changes to the “public charge” rule would affect immigrants.

Dr. Lisa Simpson is a nationally recognized health policy researcher, pediatrician, and advocate for translating research into policy and practice, who previously served as president and CEO of AcademyHealth.

Alek Sripipatana is the director for the Data and Evaluation unit at the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health in the Office of Quality Improvement. An alumnus of the UCLA CHPR, he continues using rigorously collected data at all health centers across the country that are supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Dr. Efrain Talamantes is the COO at AltaMed Health Services, the nation’s largest federally qualified health center. A recognized health equity advocate and triple Bruin, Talamantes leads initiatives throughout the country to enhance diversity in the health care workforce.

Bob Valdez, PhD, is the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the lead federal agency charged with improving the safety and quality of health care for all Americans.

Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young, PhD, 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. She served as project manager for the UCLA CHPR’s Research on Immigrant Health and State Policy (RIGHTS) Study.

Mayor Bass helped conclude the evening’s celebration with congratulatory remarks shared via video.

“I am trying to address the number one humanitarian crisis in our city, which is homelessness,” Bass said.

In trying to address homelessness, Bass emphasized the importance of research.

“I look forward to working with you for the next many years while we address the number one crisis in our city,” she said. “Your work and your research is vitally important to the success of our city, so again congratulations on 30 years.”