COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH SCIENCES (CEHS) PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM

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1 PUBLIC HEALTH HERO AWARDS RECEPTION Wednesday, April 15, 2015 FARRAGUT INN BALLROOM Hosted by the COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH SCIENCES (CEHS) PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM As part of

2 Community Hero Jewel Fink, MA dfsd Jewel Fink is the Community Services Director for Planned Parenthood Northern California. Ms. Fink received her BA in French and Art (double major) from the University of California Berkeley and MA in Educa onal Leadership from Mills College in Oakland with specializa on in the areas of adolescent development and program management. She has extensive knowledge and experience in working on health issues affec ng adolescents and adults from racially and ethnically diverse, low income backgrounds and underserved communi es. Prior to joining Planned Parenthood, she worked for more than 40 years for the Vallejo City Unified School District as a middle and high school teacher and district administrator. She do founded the Synergy Coali on, made up of a broad based of community leaders. As Director, she oversees the Adolescent Family Life, Cal Learn, and Healthy Families America Pregnant & Paren ng Teen Case Management Programs; the Ryan White, Minority AIDS Ini a ve and HOPWA (Housing Opportuni es for Persons with AIDS) Programs funded by the State Office of AIDS. She has two sons who own a large wholesale/retail Nursery in Solano County, and is the proud grandmother of five grandchildren who range in age from 18 to 28.

adolescent development and program management.

3 Alumni Hero Kyla Simpson-Ehrenreich, PA-C, MPH Originally from Vermont, Kyla ventured west to the University of Colorado in Boulder where she studied Biology and fulfilled her love for the outdoors! She pursed her Masters in Physician Assistant studies and Masters in Public Health at Touro University in Vallejo, California. Today, as both a clinician and a public health provider, she continues to focus on innovative and effective methods of inspiring and motivating our communities families toward a healthier state of being. In her free time, Kyla enjoys running, bicycling, hiking and swimming and spending time growing and harvesting fruit and veggies with her husband in their garden in Sebastopol. Kyla is the founder of the Petaluma Loves Active Youth (PLAY) program at the Petaluma Health Center. The PLAY program is a health and exercise curriculum that provides parents and children with integrative nutrition education, farm-based education, and cooking skills, as well as eight weekly Petaluma Bounty Farm produce boxes. It is a timely health intervention that empowers children and their families to make healthier choices, lead more active lives, and seek out support when needed. About the Award The Public Health Hero Award was originally established in 2007 in conjunction with the Day of Compassion. In 2010, the Public Health Hero Award aligned with Public Health Week. The purpose of the award is to honor students, faculty and community members who have demonstrated significant contributions and a commitment to public health service and research Public Health Heroes Student Hero (CHT) Juan Chavez, MPH (c) Student Hero (GHT) Thomas Liggett, PhD, DO/MPH(c) MPH TUC Alumni Hero Kyla Simpson, PA-C, MPH Community Hero Jewel Fink, MA Planned Parenthood Northern California

Today, as both a clinician and a public health provider, she continues to focus on innovative and effective methods of inspiring and motivating our communities families toward a healthier state of

4 .Student Hero (GHT) Thomas Liggett PhD, DO/MPH (c) Schedule of Events: Welcome Prayer Rabbi Elchonon Tenenbaum Opening Remarks Dr. Marilyn Hopkins Keynote Speech Dr. Jason Corburn Awards Ceremony Closing Remarks Dr. Assefaw Ghebrekidan Tom received his Ph.D. at Northern Illinois University where he researched agerelated macular degenera on and other types of blindness. During this me, he was an ac ve volunteer as the advisor to Alpha Phi Omega Na onal Service Fraternity (APO). Through his efforts, he was awarded the Advisor of the year and the Dis nguished Service Key. He completed a post doctoral fellowship in cancer research at Rush University Medical Center. He con nued on at Rush as a neuroscien st where he was published in mul ple books and journals which have been cited approximately 200 mes. He con nued his volunteering at APO as the Vice Chair of the Chicagoland region where he helped to start three new university chapters A er a career transi on into medicine, Dr. Ligge con nued his volunteerism through his effort helping to start Vallejo People s Garden on Mare Island: whose mission is to promote wellness, educa on, social connec ons and provide free food to those in need. Within the first four years, over 15,000 pounds of fresh organic vegetables have been donated to food banks and shelters. As a medical student, Dr. Ligge has been inducted in the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society and Sigma Sigma Phi Honorary Osteopathic Service Fraternity. Specific to global public health, he has volunteered through the Global Physicians Corps with their schistosomiasis interven on project in Tanzania, Africa. Addi onally, he completed his MPH field study in Cambodia through the NGO MoPoTsyo by designing a three year study on a hypertension interven on in collabora on with the NGO Louvain Coopèraton au Deèvloppment and the World Health Organiza on. Dr. Ligge s most recent volunteer project included a $147,000 grant that he co authored to establish start up funding for 10 community gardens in Vallejo through the inaugural Par cipatory Budge ng. Some of these gardens include elementary schools, food deserts and a mul faceted mobile vehicle that provides nutri on and vegetable cooking educa on along with gardening support for newer gardens. He is a founding member of Vallejo Grown Collabora ve which provides support for new and exis ng gardens throughout Vallejo.

During this me, he was an ac ve volunteer as the advisor to Alpha Phi Omega Na onal Service Fraternity (APO).

5 Keynote Speaker Student Hero (CHT) Juan Chavez, MPH (c) Juan Chavez is a graduate student at Touro University California (TUC). He will receive his Master in Public Health in May Juan has a passion for community health and addressing health care access for underserved popula ons. Before coming to TUC, he received a Bachelor s of Science in Biology Molecular Emphasis with a minor in Chemistry from Dominican University in San Rafael. His inten on upon comple on of the MPH program is to apply to medical school and pursue a career as a family prac oner. Juan has broad work experience in the field of public health. He has extensive health educa on experience through Li /Levantate, a non profit organiza on in Marin County where he provided educa on in diabetes, nutri on, and physical ac vity. In addi on he interned at Kaiser Permanente, co organized various health fairs as part of the Bi Na onal Health Week and the California Human Development. He has also worked as a medical interpreter for various organiza ons. His most recent work at TUC includes managing the Solano County School Based Oral Health Project where he oversees data collec on, data management, and oral health educa on at various elementary schools in Vallejo. He also volunteers his me at the Student Run Free Clinic and the E.N.E.R.G.Y. Project where he uses his bi lingual skills to assist with Spanish speaking clients. Juan completed his field study internship at the Center for AIDS Preven on Studies at UCSF. His Capstone thesis focuses on the effec veness of the Oral Health Project with regard to accessibility and behavioral prac ces among low income children in Vallejo. This abstract has been submi ed to APHA 143rd Annual Mee ng and Exposi on in Chicago Jason Corburn, Ph D, MCP Dr. Jason Corburn is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, jointly appointed in the College of Environmental Design and the School of Public Health. He directs Berkeley s Center for Global Healthy Ci es, co directs the dual Masters in City Planning and Masters in Public Health degree program and the program in Global Metropolitan Studies. Professor Corburn s research explores issues of urban health equity in ci es of the north and global south, no ons of exper se in environmental science policy controversies, and strategies for inclusive upgrading of urban informal se lements, or slums. Professor Corburn is also a global leader in the prac ce of engaged scholarship and par cipatory ac on research, where professionals and community residents partner to solve difficult science, urban development and human health challenges. He has developed ac on research partnerships with ci es and non profit organiza ons across the Bay Area and has helped lead a partnership with the City of Richmond, CA, focused on reversing health, economic and other inequali es called the Richmond Health Equity Partnership. Professor Corburn has published three award winning books on urban environmental science. His book, Street Science: Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Jus ce (MIT Press 2005) won the 2007 Paul Davidoff Best Book Award from the Associa on of Collegiate Schools of Planning and was voted by the Journal of the American Planning Associa on as one of the 30 most influen al books in the first 100 years of American City Planning. He is also the author of, Toward the Healthy City: People, Places and the Poli cs of Urban Planning, (The MIT Press, 2009) and Healthy City Planning: From Neighbourhood to Na onal Health Equity, published by Routledge in He received the United Na ons Associa on Global Ci zen Award in 2013 for his work helping deliver infrastructure and public health improvements to slum dwellers in Nairobi; has held visi ng appointments at the University of Paris; State University of Rio de Janeiro, and the University of Nairobi; is a member of the Scien fic Advisory Board for the Interna onal Council for Science (ICSU) s Urban Health Research Ini a ve and is an advisor and reviewer for UN Habitat, the World Health Organiza on, the US Centers for Disease Control, the African Popula on and Health Research Center, the California Air Resources Board, the Netherlands Organiza on for Scien fic Research, and the European Research Council.

Before coming to TUC, he received a Bachelor s of Science in Biology Molecular Emphasis with a minor in Chemistry from Dominican University in San Rafael.

San Bernardino County. Director,

San Bernardino County. Director, San Bernardino County invites applica ons for the posi on of: Director, Workforce development www.sbcounty.gov/hr The County Located in the heart of Southern California, the County of San Bernardino is