Speaker Biographies
Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, PhD, MPH
Dr. Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), Keck School of Medicine. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and a courtesy appointment at the Annenberg School for Communication. Trained in Europe, Latin America and the United States, Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati speaks multiple languages and holds 5 academic degrees. Her training has been in Clinical and Industrial Psychology from her native Dominican Republic; a masters in Medical Psychology from Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, a masters of public health with an emphasis on Social Epidemiology, and a Ph.D. in Public Health with an emphasis in community health sciences, from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
She teaches courses on gender and ethnic minority health, on culture and global health, and community organizing and mobilization at the USC Keck School of Medicine. She conducts transdisciplinary research, community based participatory research and provides technical assistance and training in cancer control. She focuses on issues of social justice and equity in health, in particular addressing tobacco related disparities. Her work is grounded on the role culture plays in health behavior, as related to Hispanic/Latinos, Indigenous adolescents, and other priority populations. For over 18 years she has been involved in tobacco control activities in the western region of the U.S. She was a founding member and later the Principal Investigator and Director of the Hispanic/Latino Tobacco Education Partnership, one of seven priority population partnerships for the state of California's tobacco control program. She is also the Director of the Southern California Partnership Program Office of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (C.I.S), the Director of Hispanic/Latinos Unidos por la Salud; and of the Unidos en Casinos initiative to stimulate the adoption of voluntary secondhand smoke policies by American Indian owned tribal casinos. She is a co-investigator in 3 transdisciplinary centers funded by the National Institutes of Health at the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, including the NCI funded Transdisciplinary Center on Energetics and Cancer (TREC –working on obesity related issues), the NCI funded Pacific Rim Transdisciplinary Tobacco and Alcohol Use Research Center (TTUARC) (focusing on tobacco gene-environment interactions across cultures), and the recently funded Center of Excellence on Minority Youth where she is the Associate Director of the Center and Principal Investigator on a community iniatiative.
Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati is a recognized tobacco control leader in the Hispanic/Latino community, and has served as a strong liaison between community-based programs and academic settings. She has numerous publications. For her contributions she has received national recognitions and awards including the American Legacy Foundation Community Activism Award; the Community, Culture and Prevention Science award from the Society for Prevention Research; and the American Public Health Latino Caucus Distinguished Career Awar. She sits as an appointee of the Speaker of the House on the Tobacco Research and Oversight Committee (TEROC) in California and was recently named as one of 5 external advisors by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health, chaired by the Surgeon General of the United States of America.
She may be reached at baezcond@usc.edu, tel. 626-4576606 at the University of Southern California, Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research.
She teaches courses on gender and ethnic minority health, on culture and global health, and community organizing and mobilization at the USC Keck School of Medicine. She conducts transdisciplinary research, community based participatory research and provides technical assistance and training in cancer control. She focuses on issues of social justice and equity in health, in particular addressing tobacco related disparities. Her work is grounded on the role culture plays in health behavior, as related to Hispanic/Latinos, Indigenous adolescents, and other priority populations. For over 18 years she has been involved in tobacco control activities in the western region of the U.S. She was a founding member and later the Principal Investigator and Director of the Hispanic/Latino Tobacco Education Partnership, one of seven priority population partnerships for the state of California's tobacco control program. She is also the Director of the Southern California Partnership Program Office of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (C.I.S), the Director of Hispanic/Latinos Unidos por la Salud; and of the Unidos en Casinos initiative to stimulate the adoption of voluntary secondhand smoke policies by American Indian owned tribal casinos. She is a co-investigator in 3 transdisciplinary centers funded by the National Institutes of Health at the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, including the NCI funded Transdisciplinary Center on Energetics and Cancer (TREC –working on obesity related issues), the NCI funded Pacific Rim Transdisciplinary Tobacco and Alcohol Use Research Center (TTUARC) (focusing on tobacco gene-environment interactions across cultures), and the recently funded Center of Excellence on Minority Youth where she is the Associate Director of the Center and Principal Investigator on a community iniatiative.
Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati is a recognized tobacco control leader in the Hispanic/Latino community, and has served as a strong liaison between community-based programs and academic settings. She has numerous publications. For her contributions she has received national recognitions and awards including the American Legacy Foundation Community Activism Award; the Community, Culture and Prevention Science award from the Society for Prevention Research; and the American Public Health Latino Caucus Distinguished Career Awar. She sits as an appointee of the Speaker of the House on the Tobacco Research and Oversight Committee (TEROC) in California and was recently named as one of 5 external advisors by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health, chaired by the Surgeon General of the United States of America.
She may be reached at baezcond@usc.edu, tel. 626-4576606 at the University of Southern California, Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research.
Michelle Bholat, MD, MPH
Michelle Anne Bholat, MD, MPH is the first Latina vice-chair of the UCLA Department of Family medicine and a graduate of the UC Irvine College of Medicine and UCLA School of Public Health. In addition, she is the Public Health Commissioner for the 4th district in LA County and received the LA County Department of Health Services Recognition of Service Award for “Excellent Leadership and Tremendous Dedication to Our Community and Patients."
Currently, her interest in medical education has provided her the opportunity to address California’s shortage of primary care physicians. She and colleague Dr. Patrick Dowling are the main architects behind UCLA’s International medical Graduate (IMG) Program a program that is designed to address the health care disparities facing the rapidly growing Latino community. This program trains unlicensed Latino IMGs in the US to become board certified family physicians. In addition, she maintains her strong advocacy role supporting US born minority students and is an active member of the bipartisan National Hispanic Medical Association.
In addition to her medical education work, she is serving as the project coordinator for UCLA Health System aimed at addressing inappropriate emergency room and hospital admissions by ensuring the community has sufficient capacity for patient centered medical homes. With a keen interest in chronic illness care, she has organized a team of colleagues with specialties in addiction medicine, pain and palliative care, diabetes, depression and cardiovascular diseases to assist in transforming the current health care system to better meet the needs of the community.
Currently, her interest in medical education has provided her the opportunity to address California’s shortage of primary care physicians. She and colleague Dr. Patrick Dowling are the main architects behind UCLA’s International medical Graduate (IMG) Program a program that is designed to address the health care disparities facing the rapidly growing Latino community. This program trains unlicensed Latino IMGs in the US to become board certified family physicians. In addition, she maintains her strong advocacy role supporting US born minority students and is an active member of the bipartisan National Hispanic Medical Association.
In addition to her medical education work, she is serving as the project coordinator for UCLA Health System aimed at addressing inappropriate emergency room and hospital admissions by ensuring the community has sufficient capacity for patient centered medical homes. With a keen interest in chronic illness care, she has organized a team of colleagues with specialties in addiction medicine, pain and palliative care, diabetes, depression and cardiovascular diseases to assist in transforming the current health care system to better meet the needs of the community.
American Bracho, MD, MPH
Dr. America Bracho is the Executive Director of Latino Health Access, a center for health promotion and disease prevention located in Santa Ana, California. This Center was created under her leadership to assist with the multiple health needs of Latinos in Orange County. Latino Health Access facilitates mechanisms of empowerment for the Latino community and uses participatory approaches to community health education. The programs train community health workers as leaders of wellness and change. Dr. Bracho worked as a physician in her native Venezuela for several years, after which she came to the U.S. to obtain a Master’s Degree in Public Health at the University of Michigan. Her Public Health speciality is Health Education and Health Behavior.
After completing her Master’s program Dr. Bracho created and directed the AIDS projects for Latino family Services in Detroit, Michigan for four years. The program integrated HIV education programs that addressed needs confronted by the community including the need for jobs, parenting classes, women health services, drug treatment and many others. She has been a trainer, presenter and consultant for numerous government and private agencies around the nation including: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The National Council of La Raza, the University of Michigan, University of Minessota, University of Rochester, University of California in Los Angeles, University of Maryland, Wayne State University, University of California in Riverside, John Hopkins University, University of California in San Diego, The American Academy of Family Physicians, The American Medical Student Association, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, LA Care, The US – Mexico Border Association, the Texas Department of Health, Los Angeles Department of Health, Orange County Department of Health, Alameda Department of Health, the Joslin Diabetes Center, The National Conference of Lay Advisors, The National Conference of Community Outreach Workers, among others.
Dr. Bracho is a current member of the Board of Trustees for Casey Family Programs and of the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Currently she serves in the Institute of Medicine Round Table on Health Disparities and in the Kellogg Foundation Task Force on Health Disparities. She has served in the Advisory Committee for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Initiative Program. Dr. Bracho has been a consultant for the Pan- American Health Organization and a valuable faculty member for several international courses in Latin-America. In the past, Dr. Bracho has been involved with the Spanish-speaking media as hostess of a daily radio talk show and TV on health related topics. She has also been a columnist of a local newspaper. She remains involved with the media as a source of information related to health awareness.
She is recognized at the local, regional and national levels as an expert in the area of Latino health issues, health education, minority women, cultural competency, community organizing, diabetes education and HIV. She has received several awards for her contributions to the Latino community.
After completing her Master’s program Dr. Bracho created and directed the AIDS projects for Latino family Services in Detroit, Michigan for four years. The program integrated HIV education programs that addressed needs confronted by the community including the need for jobs, parenting classes, women health services, drug treatment and many others. She has been a trainer, presenter and consultant for numerous government and private agencies around the nation including: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The National Council of La Raza, the University of Michigan, University of Minessota, University of Rochester, University of California in Los Angeles, University of Maryland, Wayne State University, University of California in Riverside, John Hopkins University, University of California in San Diego, The American Academy of Family Physicians, The American Medical Student Association, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, LA Care, The US – Mexico Border Association, the Texas Department of Health, Los Angeles Department of Health, Orange County Department of Health, Alameda Department of Health, the Joslin Diabetes Center, The National Conference of Lay Advisors, The National Conference of Community Outreach Workers, among others.
Dr. Bracho is a current member of the Board of Trustees for Casey Family Programs and of the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Currently she serves in the Institute of Medicine Round Table on Health Disparities and in the Kellogg Foundation Task Force on Health Disparities. She has served in the Advisory Committee for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Initiative Program. Dr. Bracho has been a consultant for the Pan- American Health Organization and a valuable faculty member for several international courses in Latin-America. In the past, Dr. Bracho has been involved with the Spanish-speaking media as hostess of a daily radio talk show and TV on health related topics. She has also been a columnist of a local newspaper. She remains involved with the media as a source of information related to health awareness.
She is recognized at the local, regional and national levels as an expert in the area of Latino health issues, health education, minority women, cultural competency, community organizing, diabetes education and HIV. She has received several awards for her contributions to the Latino community.
Grace Floutsis, MD
Grace Floutsis, M.D. is the Medical Director of Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero, a federally qualified community health center serving the Pico-Union/Westlake area of Los Angeles and East Los Angeles. Founded in 1983 by Salvadoran refugees and volunteer physicians the clinic has expanded to serve more than 16,000 individuals and offers comprehensive primary care.
Dr. Floutsis received her B.S. in Biology from UCLA in 1986 and her Medical Doctorate from University of California, Irvine in 1990. She completed a residency in Family Practice in Contra Costa County Department of Health Services in 1993. Since then she has worked in community clinics, including the Richmond Health Center and the Venice Family Clinic and holds her current position for more than nine years. She is committed to providing quality health care to underserved populations and has focused on reducing health disparities through innovative disease management programs.
Dr. Floutsis served as the Chairperson for the Clinical Advisory Group of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles in 2007-2008 and is on the Governing Council of LA Net, a practice based research network that focuses on health disparities.
David Hayes-Bautista, PhD
Director, UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture; Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Dr. Hayes-Bautista is currently Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He graduated from UC Berkeley and completed his MA and PhD in Medical Sociology at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco. His research focuses on the dynamics and processes of the health of the Latino population using both quantitative data sets and qualitative observations, with an emphasis on Latino demographics, health policy, culture, identity and behavior, and culturally intuitive health care delivery. The Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture combines these research interests with teaching medical students, residents and practicing providers to manage the care of a Latino patient base effectively, efficiently, and economically. His publications appear in Family Medicine, The American Journal of Public Health, Family Practice, Medical Care, and Salud Pública de México.
Edward Hui, MD
Edward Kwok-Ho Hui, MD obtained his medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2001 and completed an internal medicine residency at the Center for Health Sciences-UCLA in 2004. Subsequently, his two years in the VA-UCLA Geriatric Medicine Fellowship included training with the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. He currently is Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where he is active in clinical care and teaching. Dr. Hui feels that continuity/primary care would benefit greatly from increased appreciation of values and approaches championed by the disciplines of geriatrics and integrative medicine. His clinical interests include pain management; rational pharmacotherapeutics; and successful aging and wellness.
Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, PhD
Marjorie Kagawa-Singer, Ph.D., MA, MN, RN, Professor, UCLA School of Public Health and Department of Asian American Studies. Professor Kagawa Singer has a master’s degree in Nursing and a master’s and doctorate in Anthropology, all from UCLA. Her clinical work and research has been in oncology and on the etiology and elimination of disparities in physical and mental health care outcomes for communities of color: primarily with the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. She serves on multiple local, state, and national committees addressing the impact of culture and ethnicity on health care and health outcomes, and has published and lectured extensively on cross-cultural issues in health, cancer, pain, grief and bereavement, survivorship, end of life decision-making, and quality of life. She also focuses on the impact of culture and cultural competency through her research on health outcomes, and the cross-cultural validity of health behavior theories and measures in communities of color.
Dr. Kagawa-Singer is Regional principal investigator in Los Angeles for the NCI funded national Asian American Network on Cancer Awareness, Research and Training (AANCART), and the UCLA NCI funded Minority Training Program for Cancer Control Research. She is also Associate Director and Community Director of UCLA LIVESTRONG Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Survivorship Program, a member of the LIVESTRONGTM Survivorship Center of Excellence Network, a member of the LAF Steering Committee, the UCLA School of Public Health Center for Health Policy Research, the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the UC-wide Multi-campus Research Program: AAPI Policy Initiative. In addition, she maintains an active empirical research portfolio, and is Chief Editor of the journal, AAPI NEXUS: Asian American and Pacific Islanders Policy, Practice and Community.
Cheryl Mattingly, PhD
Cheryl Mattingly, Ph.D., holds a joint appointment as Professor in the Departments of Anthropology and Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern California. The constant themes in her research concern narrative and the phenomenology of lived experience, with a particular focus on disability, chronic suffering and healing. For the past twelve years she has explored clinical practices in a variety of inner-city health care settings in the United States. She is currently conducting ethnographic research among African-American children with severe disabilities in Los Angeles. She has published extensively on narrative, receiving the Victor Turner Prize in 2000 for Healing Dramas and Clinical Plots (1998). She also co-edited Narrative and the Cultural Construction of Illness and Healing (2000) and is currently finishing a book entitled The Paradox of Hope: Narrative Phenomenology of Practice.
Felix Nunez, MD
Dr. Felix L. Nuñez, VP of Clinical Services for the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, is a board certified Family Physician with extensive clinical and administrative experience in both the private and public sector. Prior to joining the Community Clinic Association, he was the Medical Director of The South Central Family Health Center, an Assistant Medical Director with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, and an Assistant Clinical Instructor for the Harbor-UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Loyola Marymount University in 1991, his Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School in 1995, and Master of Public Health degree from the UCLA School of Public Health in 2001. In 1998 he completed a residency in Family Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and in 2005 was a fellow in the Primary Health Care Policy Fellowship of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine for the Keck/USC School of Medicine, member of the Los Angeles County Medical Association, the California Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, and the Massachusetts Medical Society. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the UCLA School of Public Health-Health Services Alumni Association, and the Loyola Marymount Mexican American Alumni Association. He is the past Chairman of the Clinical Advisory Group of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County and is Chairman of the Advocacy Committee of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved. Dr. Nuñez is a native of Los Angeles who was raised in El Sereno, a Latino community in Northeast Los Angeles. He is currently an instructor for the ICM II course at the Keck School of Medicine.
Koy Srirojanakul Parada, PhDc, MPH
Koy Srirojanakul Parada received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine, and her MPH and PhD (in progress) from the UCLA School of Public Health. Her work focuses primarily in two areas: cancer prevention and control in Asian Americans, and health access for medically underserved populations. Ms Parada co-founded the Thai Health Network and two interdisciplinary student-run projects: UCLA Mobile Clinic and UCLA APA Health CARE, which provide health services to the homeless and culturally/linguistically isolated Asian Pacific Americans, respectively. She is currently the co-Chair of the Los Angeles County Hepatitis B Coalition and also teaches a UCLA service-learning course series that prepares undergraduate students to serve as caseworkers and health navigators for student-run projects. Ms Parada is the recipient of several regional and national awards for her work with medically underserved communities.
Erin Quinn, PhD
Erin Quinn, Ph.D., M.Ed. is Associate Dean for Admissions and Educational Affairs at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Quinn is a native of Los Angeles. Dr. Quinn has a baccalaureate degree in political science and biology from Bennington College, a master’s degree in education from California State University, Los Angeles and a master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Administration from the University of Southern California. Her doctoral degree is the fields of Health Administration and Gerontology from USC. Dr. Quinn was appointed to the faculty at the Keck School of Medicine in 1989. Prior to her appointment as Associate Dean for Admissions in 1998, she served as the Associate Dean for Women from 1993 until 1998.
Under Dr. Quinn’s leadership, the numbers of under-represented minority and disadvantaged students at the Keck School has grown significantly, while many medical schools grapple with declining admission and enrollment of minority students. Dr. Quinn kept the entrance requirements consistent, while she developed a comprehensive, holistic recruitment program.
Dr. Quinn also directs the Baccalaureate-MD program. Created in 1993, this humanities and medicine program provides highly-motivated students at the University of Southern California with an opportunity to study a range of disciplines that they might otherwise miss in a traditional science focused pre-medical course. Dr. Quinn serves as a mentor professor for medical students in the Professionalism and the Practice of Medicine Course and directs the 4th year elective clerkship in Health Policy. Finally, Dr. Quinn is active in community outreach, including the Ventura County AIDS Partnership Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Trustees for Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura. Dr. Quinn is the mother of three, and enjoys hiking, surfing, biking and cooking.
Under Dr. Quinn’s leadership, the numbers of under-represented minority and disadvantaged students at the Keck School has grown significantly, while many medical schools grapple with declining admission and enrollment of minority students. Dr. Quinn kept the entrance requirements consistent, while she developed a comprehensive, holistic recruitment program.
Dr. Quinn also directs the Baccalaureate-MD program. Created in 1993, this humanities and medicine program provides highly-motivated students at the University of Southern California with an opportunity to study a range of disciplines that they might otherwise miss in a traditional science focused pre-medical course. Dr. Quinn serves as a mentor professor for medical students in the Professionalism and the Practice of Medicine Course and directs the 4th year elective clerkship in Health Policy. Finally, Dr. Quinn is active in community outreach, including the Ventura County AIDS Partnership Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Trustees for Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura. Dr. Quinn is the mother of three, and enjoys hiking, surfing, biking and cooking.
Pari Sabado, MPH, is the Project Director of AANCART, Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training. Her primary focus is to reduce the cancer burden affecting Asian Americans by increasing awareness of the benefits of early detection. AANCART’s current project is aimed at reducing colorectal cancer rates among Korean Americans in Los Angeles County by providing culturally-tailored education and low-cost screening services.
Prior to joining AANCART, Ms. Sabado was the Protocol Administrator at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. Her position allowed her to work directly with Principal Investigators, the university Institutional Review Board, and Pharmaceutical Companies to ensure successful and safe conduct of cancer trials.
Ms. Sabado holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from the University of Southern California and Masters of Public Health degree from California State University, Long Beach. She is currently a third-year doctoral student at University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Public Health.
Prior to joining AANCART, Ms. Sabado was the Protocol Administrator at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. Her position allowed her to work directly with Principal Investigators, the university Institutional Review Board, and Pharmaceutical Companies to ensure successful and safe conduct of cancer trials.
Ms. Sabado holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from the University of Southern California and Masters of Public Health degree from California State University, Long Beach. She is currently a third-year doctoral student at University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Public Health.
Mitchell Wong, MD
Dr. Mitchell Wong received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Williams College and his medical degree from UC San Francisco. After completing his residency training in General Internal Medicine at The New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, Dr. Wong came to UCLA in 1997 as a NRSA Primary Care Fellow. During this time, he completed a PhD in Health Services Research with a minor in Epidemiology. Dr. Wong is a board-certified internist and joined the UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research in 2001. He is co-Program Director of the NRSA Primary Care Fellowship and was recently promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine.
The focus of Dr. Wong's research has been on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health care and outcomes, focusing on population health, demography and how disparities arise over the life course. He received a K08 Mentored Scientist Award from NIA to examine racial/ethnic disparities in health care and outcomes. As part of this award, he received additional multidisciplinary training in epidemiology,demography, Markov modeling and advanced survival analysis techniques. He has also received the Pfizer Faculty Development Award in Epidemiology.This prestigious award supported Dr. Wong's work in understanding the impact of cancer treatment on racial disparities in life expectancy. He also is the recipient of a Doris Duke Faculty Development Award to examine racial differences in risk factors for ischemic heart disease and a grant from the American Cancer Society to examine the impact of physician variations in care on racial disparities in cancer care quality.
The focus of Dr. Wong's research has been on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health care and outcomes, focusing on population health, demography and how disparities arise over the life course. He received a K08 Mentored Scientist Award from NIA to examine racial/ethnic disparities in health care and outcomes. As part of this award, he received additional multidisciplinary training in epidemiology,demography, Markov modeling and advanced survival analysis techniques. He has also received the Pfizer Faculty Development Award in Epidemiology.This prestigious award supported Dr. Wong's work in understanding the impact of cancer treatment on racial disparities in life expectancy. He also is the recipient of a Doris Duke Faculty Development Award to examine racial differences in risk factors for ischemic heart disease and a grant from the American Cancer Society to examine the impact of physician variations in care on racial disparities in cancer care quality.
Kynna N. Wright, CPNP, MSN, MPH
Dr. Kynna Wright-Volel is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing and a Board Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Wright-Volel is a graduate of the UCLA Schools of Public Health and Nursing. She received her Masters of Science in Nursing, a Masters of Public Health and a Doctorate of Philosophy from the UCLA School of Public Health, Community Health Sciences Department. Her research interests include, health disparites, childhood obesity and asthma, community-based participatory research as a method to eliminate health disparities, and access and utilization of health care services for children.
Dedicated to poor and underserved children and families, she is very active in the community and sits on several boards including, UCLA School of Public Health Alumni Association Board, LA Care Health Plan Child Health Advisory Committee (CHAC), the Los Angeles Asthma Coalition, Healthy African-American Families Prenatal, Asthma and Diabetes Committees and is a member of the Los Angeles Rotary and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr. Wright-Volel also volunteers with international medical organizations and has visited Mexico, China and the Caribbean to assist underserved children and families. Dr. Wright-Volel is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Nurse Honors Society and was chosen in the inaugural class of Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholars. She has been recognized for her leadership and scholarly activities with several accommodations including, the Irving Oschin Award, Lulu Hassenplug Award, and the Kaiser Permanente Nursing Scholarship Award.
Dedicated to poor and underserved children and families, she is very active in the community and sits on several boards including, UCLA School of Public Health Alumni Association Board, LA Care Health Plan Child Health Advisory Committee (CHAC), the Los Angeles Asthma Coalition, Healthy African-American Families Prenatal, Asthma and Diabetes Committees and is a member of the Los Angeles Rotary and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr. Wright-Volel also volunteers with international medical organizations and has visited Mexico, China and the Caribbean to assist underserved children and families. Dr. Wright-Volel is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Nurse Honors Society and was chosen in the inaugural class of Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholars. She has been recognized for her leadership and scholarly activities with several accommodations including, the Irving Oschin Award, Lulu Hassenplug Award, and the Kaiser Permanente Nursing Scholarship Award.
Kimberly Reece, MD
Dr. Kimberly Reece, Family Medicine, West Los Angeles Medical Center, joined the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in 1985 and became a partner in 1987.
A graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, Dr. Reece completed her residency in Family Practice at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. She is board certified in Family Practice.
Dr. Reece has been the Physician-in-Charge at the Kaiser Permanente Playa Vista Medical Office since its inception, and has helped to successfully overcome the challenges faced by any startup operation. She also serves as the Physician Director of Service and External Relations at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles. As a senior member of the West Los Angeles Medical Center leadership team, she oversees all aspects of continual customer service improvement, as well as developing avenues for physicians and staff to participate in community outreach including a series of forums on critical health issues confronting our communities.
Dr. Reece has provided leadership in the development and implementation of several medical programs for Kaiser Permanente members. As the director of the West Los Angeles Center of Excellence for African Americans, her accomplishments include the Congestive Heart Failure Program, and the Sickle Cell Adult Program. The Sickle Cell Adult Program has been recognized throughout Kaiser Permanente as a Center for Excellence and was honored with the Vohs Award in 2001. In the same year, Dr. Reece received the West Los Angeles Physician Exceptional Contributions Award. She is also the West Los Angeles representative to the Regional Physician Diversity Advisory Committee.
In 2006, Dr. Reece became an Assistant Area Medical Director for West Los Angeles Medical Center leading the Clinical Systems Service Line, which includes the implementation of our electronic health record, HealthConnect, and our Radiological and Laboratory Services.