Meet our keynote speaker!

Richard Kronick, PhD (MET Lower Auditorium, 2pm)

Single Payer -- Pipe Dream or Realistic Possiblity

• Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health
• Obama Administration Official, 2010-2016
• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 2010-2013
• Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2013-2016

Dr. Richard Kronick is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, where he has been a faculty member since 1991. Dr. Kronick’s research focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of lack of insurance, on the development and implementation of risk-adjusted payment systems designed to encourage insurers to develop systems of care that are responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable, and on design and evaluation of health care financing interventions. His career has included work both in academia and government, reflecting a commitment to using health services research as a means of improving health care delivery. 
From 2010 to 2016 Professor Kronick served in the Obama Administration, on leave from UCSD. From 2010 to 2013, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), where he primarily worked on implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and the design and evaluation of Medicare and Medicaid payment policy. From 2013 to 2016, Professor Kronick was the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). 

Professor Kronick was a Senior Health Policy Adviser in the Clinton Administration in 1993-94, and was the Director of Policy and Reimbursement in the Massachusetts Medicaid program from 1985-87. 

Professor Kronick received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Rochester, and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2014. He received a special recognition award from Academy Health for his work in leading AHRQ at the 2016 Academy Health Annual Research Meeting.

Opening Remarks

Edwina Welch, Ed.D (MET Lower Auditorium, 10am)

• Campus Diversity Officer
• Director, UC San Diego Cross Cultural Center

Dr. Edwina Welch serves as a Campus Diversity Office and Director of the UC San Diego Cross-Cultural Center. Dr. Edwina Welch is one of the two originators of the LEAD (Leaders for Equity Advancement and Diversity) Fellows program. She has presented at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, Harvard College, Washington University, several California Community College Districts, the NASPA Multicultural Institute, and facilitated numerous EDI trainings throughout the country. Her research areas include social justice, leadership, organizational capacity building, and cultural competence. Dr. Welch received her BA in Communication Studies and Business Administration from California State University Sacramento, her Masters of Science in Higher Education Administration from the University of Oregon, and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the Joint Doctoral Program between UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and California State University San Marcos.

 

 

Meet our breakout session speakers!

Russell Dehnel, PhD & Aileen Dehnel (MET 204, 1030am)

Working Effectively with Psychologists, Language Interpreters, and Refugees 

• Clinical Psychologist

Russell W. Dehnel, Ph.D.; Russell is a clinical psychologist, licensed in 1991. He is married to an American of Iraqi birth and has four daughters and a son all doing well pursuing their career interests. His most recent professional work has focused on providing basic mental health services to underserved, low-income Americans and refugees primarily from the civil conflicts in the Middle East. As a result he has become a specialist in the treatment of extreme trauma. He plays the piano and is a martial artist in three martial disciplines including as a 4th level black belt in aikido; he is working on a book that addresses the relationship between the martial arts and the pursuit of nonviolence.

 

 

 

 

 

• Clinic Case Manager
• Refugee Advocate

Aileen Dehnel; Clinic Case Manager.  Aileen has the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree from Mosul University in the area of science and mathematics. She is an American of Iraqi birth who fled from Iraq to the U.S. with her daughters to escape the civil war in Iraq. She now shares with her husband four daughters and a son. She speaks four languages fluently: Arabic, English, Assyrian, and Chaldean. She also speaks the two main Kurdish languages. Aileen currently works as an advocate for Arabic-speaking patients as they negotiate the complex medical system that serves refugees. She is a second degree brown belt in the art of aikido and loves to cook, garden, and hike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Joseph Calac, MD, (MET 215, 1030am)

Diversity and Health Disparities in the Biomedical Workforce

• Chief Medical Officer, Indian Health Council, Inc.
• Principal Investigator, California Native American Research Centers for Health
• Executive Committee Member, California State University San Marcos Foundation
• Governance Board Member, All Tribes Charter School on the Rincon Indian Reservation

Since 2003 Dr. Calac has served as Chief Medical Officer for Indian Health Council, Inc. (IHC), a consortium of nine tribes located in North County San Diego. IHC provides on-site clinical and outreach services to nearly 5,000 clients. He earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and did both internship and residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program at University of Southern California/Los Angeles County (USC-LAC). He also serves his community by contracting part-time with The Elizabeth Hospice, providing hospice care and emotional support to both the terminally ill adult and pediatric patients. 

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Calac is a Principal Investigator of the California Native American Research Centers for Health (CA-NARCH) whose primary goals are threefold: 1) increase the number Native Americans entering research or medical professions, 2) to reduce the disparities that exist in Native American communities, and 3) to form collaborations with academic centers to reduce the distrust of research within the community. Dr. Calac’s involvement also extends to academia, serving as a member of the California State University San Marcos Foundation Executive Committee and as a Governance Board Member for All Tribes Charter School on the Rincon Indian Reservation. Lastly, he is a member of the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NACAAA) consulting on matters related to policies carried out by NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). 

Dr. Calac resides in Escondido, California with his wife of 26 years, Jackie. They have four children. He enjoys hiking, dancing and rock collecting. He is a member of the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians.

Alisi Tulua, MS, (MET 223, 1030am)

Drowned Out: Pacific Islander Data, Disease, and Disappearance

• Community Advocate
• Program Manager at the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance

Alisi Tulua is a community advocate with focus on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander issues and communities. She is currently a Program Manager for health, youth in education, policy, and civic engagement at the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance. She was previously the Chief Operating Officer for Empowering Pacific Islander Communities where leadership development was central in building community capacity. She has been in the non-profit sector for 10 years and has served in different capacities for various local and national organizations. She received her M.S. in Biology and her B.S. in Biochemistry/Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego. ‘Alisi was born and raised in Tonga and grew up in Monterey, California.

 

 

Chrissy Cmorik (MET 204, 1130am)

Reproductive Rights and Access

• Director of Education, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest

Chrissy Cmorik is the Director of Education for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.  In her role, Chrissy provides training and support to teachers and professionals on topics related to sexual and reproductive health.  Chrissy also consults with school districts and organizations on best practices in sex education, and internally ensures that all education presentation and materials are inclusive, relevant, and meeting National Education Standards and California law.

Chrissy has worked in reproductive health since 2004, where she first started as a reproductive health assistant at a local health center.  Chrissy then moved into her role as Center Manager Associate, where she provided leadership and support to 17 health centers located throughout a 3 county region.  Chrissy is an adjunct trainer for the State of California and an adjunct professor at San Diego State University.

Chrissy has also volunteered at The Center for Community Solutions since 2004 as a Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor, where she provided hospital accompaniment, emergency resources, and trauma counseling to survivors of sexual assault. Chrissy is a graduate of Wilmington University, where she earned a B.S. in Behavioral Science and is currently pursuing her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Touro University.  

Daniella McDonald, MS (MET 215, 1130am)

Transgender Medicine: On the Gurney, In the Coat, and Out the Door

• MD/PhD Candidate, University of California, San Diego

Daniella Nicole McDonald is a San Diego native and went to UCSD for her undergraduate training, getting a dual degree in Human Biology and Theatre followed by a Masters in Biology.

She is currently a 4th year MD/PhD student at UCSD School of Medicine, studying in the Biomedical Sciences Department working on 3D Bioprinting of Vascularized Organ Tissue.

She is the first openly out transgender woman in the School of Medicine. Daniella is the founder and organizer of “Transgender Week of Visibility” at UCSD and this year flew in Dr. Marci Bowers, who’s made previous appearances on Oprah, to give a talk on transgender surgery as a transgender woman herself.

Daniella won the “Outstanding Graduate Student Leader” award this year for her advancements in UCSD's medical curriculum and expansion of opportunities to learn about transgender health.

Her career interests lie in Plastic Surgery and Regenerative Medicine, advancement of medical education, and designing a trans-inclusive and -specific clinic and surgical suite catering to all needs of trans patients. In her free time, she sometimes can be caught modeling for local San Diego fashion designers.

Paige Retter, MSW & Ellen Birrell, MAS LHCO (MET 223, 1130am)

Whole Person Wellness: Integrating Health and Housing to Improve Outcomes for the Homeless

• Program Manager for the Whole Person Wellness Program at People Assisting the Homeless

Paige Retter is currently a Program Manager for the Whole Person Wellness Program at People Assisting the Homeless (PATH). Paige grew up in Boise, Idaho and moved to northern California in 2009. Paige studied sociology at San Francisco State University and received a Master of Social Work degree from San Jose State University.

Paige has worked in homeless services, specifically with the unsheltered population, for 5 years in different capacities, including as Case Manager, Program Manager, and Program Director. While in San Mateo County, she participated in developing and implementing a county-wide Street and Field Medicine team where she shared best practices in engaging and serving vulnerable populations. It was in this role that Paige realized the need for a high level of advocacy, care-coordination, and policy change to provide the level of care necessary for the unsheltered population.

Paige has lived in San Diego for a year and a half and has enjoyed being a part of the start-up and implementation of the Whole Person Wellness Pilot Project. In her free time, Paige enjoys being outside, spending time with family and friends, and doing anything with her dog, Banksy.

 

 

• Program Coordinator for County of San Diego, HHSA's Whole Person Wellness pilot program

Ellen Birrell, prescribes that Housing is Health Care!  Without shelter, a person cannot heal or progress in life physically, mentally, intellectually, emotionally, or spiritually.  Ellen currently serves as the County of San Diego, HHSA’s Whole Person Wellness Pilot Program Coordinator.  She has 20+ years in Healthcare and Homelessness.  Starting in the back office of an OB/GYN clinic and progressing through the front office, billing, chiropractic assisting, managed care enrollment, group homes, homeless residential services, case management services, assessment services, Director of community clinics, and overseeing a Federal Health Care for the Homeless grant.  Ellen holds a Bachelors in Urban Studies and Planning with an emphasis on healthcare and homelessness from UCSD and later returned to receive a Masters in the Leadership of Health Care Organizations.

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