| Speakers |
| Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola MD, PhD Professor of Clinical Intérnale Medicine and Director, Center for Reducing Health Disparities University of California, Davis Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PhD is Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis. He is the Founding Director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at UC Davis Health and the Director of the Community Engagement Program of the UCD Clinical Translational Science Center (CTSC). He is a past member of the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Mental Health America. He is a member of the National Advisory Council of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) - Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), and board member of the California Health Care Foundation, Physicians for a Health California, and the Public Health Institute. Over the last 25 years, he has held several World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) advisory board and consulting appointments and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of WHO’s World Mental Health Survey Consortium (WMH) and its Coordinator for Latin America overseeing population-based national surveys of Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina a regional survey of Brazil, and two surveys of Medellín, Colombia. Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is the author of over 190 scientific publications. He is the recipient of multiple international, national, state, and local awards, including a distinguished member of the Top 10 U.S. Latino Physicians in the May 2016 issue of Latino Leaders Magazine. More recently, he received the Ohtli Award, the highest honor granted by the Mexican government to individuals who have dedicated their lives to improving the well-being of Mexicans, Mexican Americans and other Latinos in the US and abroad. This past month, he was distinguished by the National Hispanic Science Network with the 2021 National Award of Excellence in Research by a Senior Investigator award and by the National Latino Behavioral Health Association with the 2021 Lifetime Award for the Advancement of Latino Behavioral Health. Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola is currently serving as co-chair of the Steering Committee of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Assessing Meaningful Community Engagement in Health and Health Care. | |
| Anabella Aguirre Co-Founder SEIU-USWW Ya Basta Center Anabella has been a janitor for 22 years, is a night shift rape survivor, and is a Co-Founder of the Ya Basta Center. Anabella is currently a teacher certified by the state of California to give training on prevention of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace. | |
| Joel Bennett PhD; CWP; Certified Health, Wellness, and Resilience Coach CEO Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems Joel Bennett, PhD, is President of Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems (OWLS), a consulting firm that specializes in evidence-based wellness and e-learning technologies to promote organizational health and employee well-being. Dr. Bennett first delivered stress management programming in 1985 and OWLS programs have since reached over 250,000 workers across the United States and internationally. This includes through the efforts of over 400 facilitators and coaches who have been trained in OWLS’ evidence-informed curriculum as well as consulting in South Africa, Italy, and Brazil. OWLS consults on Integral Organizational Wellness™, approaches that combine leadership, champion, team, and peer-to-peer strategies: nudging the true culture of health. He is the author of 50 peer-reviewed research articles and chapter and has authored/co-authored six books, including “Raw Coping Power” “Heart-Centered Leadership“, “Time & Intimacy“, “Preventing Workplace Substance Abuse,” and “Well-Being Champions: A Competency-Based Guidebook,” and "Your Best Self at Work." In 2008, he was acknowledged with the Service Leadership award from the National Wellness Institute. Dr. Bennett served on the Board of Directors for the National Wellness Institute (2015-2018), as an advisor on the It's Time Texas, Work Healthier Advisory Committee (2015), and an invited guest at the 2015 Global Wellness Institute's "Redefining Workplace Wellness" Roundtable. In 2019, Dr. Bennett was an invited speaker to the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans Executive Committee meeting on the topic of “Mental Health in the Workplace." | |
| Eric Berg MPH Deputy Chief of Health, Cal/OSHA State of California Eric Berg is the Deputy Chief of Health for Cal/OSHA and has held this position since 2015. Prior to that he was a Principal Safety Engineer, Senior Safety Engineer, Associate Safety Engineer, Associate Industrial Hygienist, and Assistant Industrial Hygienist with Cal/OSHA. Prior to Cal/OSHA, he worked for the Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety and Health, the California Department of Public Health, United Farm Workers, the U.S. Peace Corps, and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. | |
| Rachel Cohen-Cepeda RN, ASN Registered Nurse UCSF Medical Center Born in Oakland and raised in Berkeley, California, Rachel Cohen-Cepeda, RN, ASN, grew up near People's Park. Her life gave her opportunity to meet many good people with mental and physical challenges. Her interests in psychiatry, nursing, social justice and the arts were influenced by these colorful characters who were her friends and acquaintances. People near and dear to her dealt with psychiatric disorders, so becoming a psychiatric nurse was an obvious path to follow. Rachel has worked as a staff RN at UCSF Langley Porter Adult Inpatient Unit for 21 years, and John George Psychiatric Pavillion for 5 years. She has also worked as a case manager for psychiatric patients, an activity leader, a teacher of Pro Act (Professional Assault Crisis Training), a camp nurse, and a labor representative. During her long nursing career she has witnessed that psychiatric patients' needs are minimized by our current healthcare system, and became a labor representative so she could advocate for improved health and safety for patients and staff. | |
| Rocelyn de Leon-Minch MSc, MPP Industrial Hygienist National Nurses United Rocelyn is an Industrial Hygienist at National Nurses United. She holds a Master of Science in Work Environment from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and a Master of Public Policy from Mills College. As an industrial hygienist, Rocelyn specializes in workplace health and safety for nurses and other health care workers, including workplace violence prevention, safe patient handling, infectious disease exposure prevention, hazardous chemical exposure prevention, and more. | |
| Alejandra Domenzain MA Program Coordinator Labor Occupational Health Program Alejandra Domenzain is a Program Coordinator at the Labor Occupational Health Program at the University of California, Berkeley, developing projects to address the health and safety of immigrant, low-wage workers in a variety of high-hazard industries. She has deep expertise in training low-literacy participants, building the capacity of community-based organizations, training of trainers, policy work, strategic enforcement, and qualitative research. She has worked with the National Council of La Raza, the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program, the Garment Worker Center, and Sweatshop Watch. Alejandra has also worked in the fields of international development, adult education, and as a credentialed public school teacher. She has a MA in Urban Planning and in Latin American Studies from UCLA and a Bachelor’s in Science of Foreign Service from Georgetown University. | |
| 0 | Olivia Garcia Manager McDonald; Member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Olivia Garcia has worked in fast food for 18 years. She was injured at her job at Mcdonald's 2 years ago and hasn't been able to return to work since. She had no medical insurance and McDonald's did not help. She's had to rely on worker's comp for financial help. She continues to fight with the Fight for $15 for a voice on the job through AB 257 to help secure benefits like medical insurance for workers. |
| 0 | Kevin Graulich CIH, CSP Senior Safety Engineer State of California, Division of Occupational Safety and Health Kevin Graulich is a Certified Industrial Hygienist working for Cal/OSHA as a Senior Safety Engineer with the Research and Standards Occupational Health Unit. While in the Health Unit Kevin worked on the team that developed the Workplace violence prevention in health care (T8CCR 3342) rulemaking package, and is currently the chair for the advisory committee working on the General Industry workplace violence prevention standard. Kevin started with Cal/OSHA in 1994 as an Associate Industrial Hygienist and has promoted though Associate Industrial Hygienist, Associate Safety Engineer, District Manager, and Senior Safety Engineer. |
| Joanna Hellmuth MD, MHS Assistant Professor of Neurology Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco Dr. Joanna Hellmuth is neurologist with sub-specialty training in cognitive neurology who focuses on virally-associated cognitive disorders. She practices at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center, where she evaluates and manages patients with a spectrum of cognitive disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder and the cognitive post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Dr. Hellmuth completed her bachelor's degree at the Johns Hopkins University, a master's degree from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and her medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. She completed her neurology residency at the University of California, San Francisco and later joined the Memory and Aging Center for fellowship training prior to joining the faculty. Dr. Hellmuth's research interests are unraveling the pathogenesis of virally-associated cognitive disorders with the goal of developing effective treatments and preventive interventions. | |
| Mawata Kamara RN, BSN Nurse San Leandro Hospital Mawata Kamara, RN, BSN, has been a nurse since 2008. She is currently a registered nurse in the Emergency room and the incentive care unit. Mawata graduated with a bachelor is science in nursing and a minor in public health from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and is currently a board member for the California Nurses Association. | |
| 0 | Angela Kissinger Cashier Jack in the Box; Member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Angela Kissinger is a Cashier at Jack in the Box, member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and leader in the Fight for $15. |
| Stephen Knight JD Executive Director Worksafe Stephen has a deep background as an advocate for social and economic justice – his career has been dedicated to work on economic inequality, affordable housing, refugees, and the environment. He was founding attorney with the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, helping to win asylum protection for individuals fleeing gender-based violence. Stephen has also worked to defend low-income tenants at the National Housing Law Project and fought for environmental progress with Save the Bay. Most recently he led the large policy team at Alameda County Community Food Bank, including successful community advocacy to support increases in Supplemental Security Income and the California Earned Income Tax Credit, and advancing the organization’s work on equity and inclusion. | |
| Veronica Lagunas Co-Founder SEIU-USWW Ya Basta Center Veronica is a 43-year-old worker, janitor, union leader, educator, Salvadoran and mother of two, Co-founder of the SEIU-USWW Ya Basta Center where women and men are currently being trained throughout the state of CA, to teach in the workplace. | |
| 0 | Patricia O'Brien PhD Clinical Psychologist Department of Veterans Affairs Patricia O’Brien holds an MS in Health Promotion and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Montana. Patricia worked for over 15 years in the wildland fire service, including 10 years with the Lolo Interagency Hotshots in Missoula, MT. Her research focuses on wildland firefighter psychological and behavioral health. Dr. O'Brien is currently a staff psychologist and PTSD/Substance Use Disorder Specialist with the PTSD Clinical Team at the VA Portland Health Care System in Portland, OR. |
| Rachel Odes PhD, RN Postdoctoral Fellow National Clinician Scholars Program / UCSF / SFVA Rachel Odes is a postdoctoral VA fellow in the National Clinician Scholars Program at the University of California San Francisco. Rachel’s research focuses on improving safety for patients and providers in mental health treatment settings from the community to the hospital. Rachel served as a consultant to the California Department of Public Health to research implementation of the state’s workplace violence prevention standard. Prior to earning her PhD from UCSF’s School of Nursing, Rachel spent 10 years as an RN and nurse educator in the acute behavioral health care setting. | |
| 0 | Tia Orr Executive Director Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California As the interim Executive Director and before that the Government Relations Director for the political arm of the largest labor union in California, Tia M. Orr has played a leading role in shaping California’s progressive path on the most critical issues of the day: healthcare and our pandemic response, racial and economic justice, housing and homelessness, worker rights and unions for all, and criminal justice. She is the first African American and second Latina to lead SEIU California State Council. |
| Allysha Shin RN, MSN Registered Nurse Keck Medical Center of USC Allysha has been a registered nurse for 10 years and currently works in the neuroscience intensive care unit at Keck Medical Center of USC. She is also a Board of Directors member for the California Nurses Association. | |
| Laura Stock MPH Director Labor Occupational Health Program Laura Stock is the director of the Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP). She directs and administers LOHP’s programs providing training, research support, materials development and technical assistance for workers, employers, health professionals, and the general public. She also provide direction to staff on translating research findings to practice and to public policy (R2P2P). In her over thirty years at LOHP, she has developed various training programs and educational materials on occupational safety and health issues and have provided technical assistance and consultation to workers, unions, joint labor/management committees, employers, policymakers and others on how to set up comprehensive and effective health and safety programs. Ms. Stock is currently principle investigator on a number of statewide worker education initiatives including WOSHTEP (Worker Occupational Safety and Health Training and Education Program), and is a member of the Cal/OSHA Standards Board, charged with developing occupational safety regulations for the state of CA as well as the NIOSH/ NORA Committees on Healthy Work Design. | |
| Rachel Torres Deputy Political and Civil Rights Director UFCW Local 770 Since 2008 Rachel Torres has worked in worked in the Labor Movement, successfully passing a $15/hr wage raise for hotel workers, community benefit agreements on large development projects, and hazard pay for essential workers across Southern California. She is currently leading the fight to create a fair work week and stronger safety standards for retail workers. | |
