UC Davis Rural Health Summit | Center for Healthcare Policy and Research

Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington
Director for the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center

Janessa M. Graves is an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine and Director of the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center. She also holds appointments in the UW School of Public Health and at Washington State University College of Nursing. 
 
Graves is a health services researcher whose work examines rural healthcare access, workforce, and policy using large-scale administrative data and community-engaged methods. Her research focuses on how healthcare workforce shortages and changes in health policy shape access to care, healthcare spending, and health outcomes in rural communities. Her work has informed state and federal policy discussions related to rural workforce development, mental health services, Medicare reimbursement, and rural healthcare spending. 

Graves earned her M.P.H. and Ph.D. from the UW School of Public Health, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, and holds a BA from Columbia University. She was a 2021-22 National Rural Health Association Fellow and lives with her family in rural northeastern Washington. 

Senior Government Affairs and Policy Coordinator, National Rural Health Association

As senior government affairs and policy coordinator at the National Rural Health Association, Marguerite Peterseim is responsible for working with NRHA program staff to support policy development; supporting legislative advocacy efforts; providing policy analysis and technical assistance; and drafting regulatory responses on behalf of the association. 

Peterseim earned a Master of Public Health with a concentration in global health policy from George Washington University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Spanish and International Health from Clemson University, graduating with a minor in Nonprofit Leadership.

Her professional journey includes roles in diabetes care, health literacy education, and rural health programming, where she works to bridge gaps in underserved communities and communities facing language barriers in South Carolina with the Clemson Rural Health Extension team.

Associate Vice Chancellor, UC Davis Grand Challenges

Paul Dodd rejoined UC Davis full time in January 2024 in a new role of Associate Vice Chancellor, Grand Challenges. His focus in this role is to ensure UC Davis’ research is making the greatest positive impact on global problems. We bring together experts from across disciplines – connecting the community around solution-oriented work, ensuring the participation of underrepresented people and disciplines, organizing product-centered strategic convenings including company and government partners, and we facilitate the creation of new campus-wide teams and ventures. He leads efforts in the Emerging Health Threats and Climate Solutions challenges, and actively supports the Sustainable Food Systems and Reimagining the Public Land-Grant University challenges. He holds B.A. and M.Sc. degrees in science of materials from Trinity College Dublin and a Ph.D. in physics from Queen’s University Belfast.

Vice Chair, Workforce Diversity
Associate Dean, Workforce Innovation and Education Quality Improvement

Tonya Fancher completed a primary care general internal medicine residency at NYU and Bellevue Hospital and then spent four years in the U.S. Air Force stationed at Travis Air Force Base. A professor of general internal medicine, Fancher is currently vice chair for Workforce Diversity and associate dean of Workforce Innovation and Education Quality Improvement. Since joining UC Davis in 2002 as a health services research fellow, she has worked in undergraduate medical education and graduate medical education to address workforce shortages in medically underserved communities.

Director, Center for Healthcare Policy and Research
Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences

Courtney Lyles is the Director of the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR) and a professor in the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences. She joined CHPR and UC Davis in July 2023 after serving as an associate professor in the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations and the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. While at UCSF, Lyles served as Co-Director of the Innovation in Research and Informatics core for the UCSF Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and co-directed the UCSF Population Health Data Initiative. 

Rolkin Chair in Public Health Sciences
Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences
Distinguished Professor and Chair

Brad Pollock is a distinguished professor of epidemiology and chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at UC Davis School of Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology. Previously he was the Founding Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and was previously on the faculty of the University of Florida. He received his B.S. in biological sciences from UC Irvine, and his M.P.H. and Ph.D. degrees in epidemiology from the UCLA School of Public Health.

Policy and Research Manager, Imperial Valley Equity and Justice

Anahi-Marcella Sandoval Araiza (she/her/ella) is policy researcher and community advocate, committed to advancing equity at the intersection of public health, human rights, and economic justice. She currently serves as a Policy and Research Manager with Imperial Valley Equity and Justice, where she leads community-based research and policy advocacy on healthcare access, environmental justice, and immigrant rights in the Imperial Valley. Her experience spans human rights documentation with UC Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center, legal services at East Bay Community Law Center, and international solidarity work in Honduras. A graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Global Studies and minors in Human Rights and Arabic, Anahí is passionate about building community power to challenge structural inequity. 

Assistant Professor, UC Davis Department of Internal Medicine

Abigail Arons is a faculty member in the Divisions of General Medicine and Bioethics and Division of General Pediatrics at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Her research focuses on health policy design over the life course, with an emphasis on young adulthood and cardiometabolic disease prevention. She came to medicine having spent time working in state and national health policy, including several years at the National Academy for State Health Policy. Arons is a dual-boarded primary care physician in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and currently cares for patients at both UC Davis and Sacramento County Health Center. A native of Winters, CA, she holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Smith College, a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin, and an M.D. from UCSF. She completed residency at UCLA, and fellowship in the National Clinician Scholars Program at UCSF.

Associate Dean for Practice and Clinical Professor

Deb Bakerjian is professor of clinical nursing and Associate Dean for Practice at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, where she directs the APP Primary Care Fellowship and co-directs the UC Davis Healthy Aging Initiative. Her work centers on building the rural and underserved health workforce in Northern California. She leads EMPOWERS, a CAPP-accredited APP fellowship; BRIDGE, a community outreach and referral program expanding access to substance use treatment; and co-leads SAGE, a rural geriatric workforce initiative, alongside a HRSA-funded nurse-led mobile clinic and RETAIN, a DOL–funded faculty residency. Drawing on two decades leading a geriatric NP–physician nursing home practice, she has shaped health policy through the American Academy of Nursing, including its Expert Panel on Aging and Edge Runners NAC, authoring  position papers that advanced care for older adults in nursing homes. She is Editor-in-Chief of Geriatric Nursing and a Fellow of American Academy of Nursing, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and Gerontological Society of America.

Director, California Health and Aging Policy, The SCAN Foundation

Megan Burke is Director of California health and aging policy at The SCAN Foundation, where she advances California policy and grantmaking strategies to improve the lives of older adults, people with complex care needs, and family caregivers. Primary areas of impact include advancing California’s Master Plan for Aging, strengthening long-term services and supports, and rural aging. Megan brings experience in research, policy development, and direct service across aging, caregiving, health, and disability systems. Previously, she served as senior analyst at The SCAN Foundation and held policy roles with Paraquad (a Center for Independent Living in Missouri) and the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council.

President, California Association of Rural Health Clinics

Laura Fierce is a rural healthcare leader and advocate with more than 20 years of experience working in California’s rural healthcare system. She currently serves as President of the California Association of Rural Health Clinics (CARHC), where she works to elevate the voice of Rural Health Clinics and the communities they serve across California. 

Throughout her career, Fierce has developed extensive expertise in the federal and state policies that shape rural healthcare delivery, including Rural Health Clinic regulations, Medicare and Medi-Cal reimbursement, California healthcare requirements, telehealth, coding and billing policy, and the Prospective Payment System. Her experience has given her a unique perspective on the intersection between healthcare policy and the realities of delivering care in rural communities.

As CARHC President, Fierce brings the experiences and concerns of rural clinics into broader discussions surrounding healthcare access, reimbursement, workforce challenges, regulatory requirements, and the sustainability of rural healthcare. She is particularly interested in ensuring that policymakers and healthcare leaders understand how decisions made at the federal and state levels translate into real-world consequences for small clinics, healthcare professionals, and the patients who depend on them.

Fierce’s policy advocacy is informed by substantial hands-on experience implementing healthcare regulations at the clinic level. She has spent much of her career interpreting requirements from agencies including CMS, the California Department of Health Care Services, the California Department of Public Health, and Medi-Cal and helping healthcare organizations translate those requirements into workable policies and systems. 

Her work has also included Rural Health Clinic certification and accreditation, telemedicine, reimbursement and revenue policy, healthcare quality, service-line development, and improving access to specialty and primary care in underserved communities. She has helped organizations navigate the complexities of rural healthcare regulation while remaining focused on the fundamental question of whether policies ultimately help rural patients receive the care they need. 

Fierce holds a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and is a Certified Rural Health Clinic professional. Her perspective combines policy knowledge with the voice of someone who has spent her career working directly within rural healthcare, giving her a practical understanding of both the opportunities and the unintended challenges that healthcare policy can create for rural communities.

Health Policy Analyst, California Rural Indian Health Board

Cesar G. Garcia is a health policy analyst at the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB), a Tribal health organization whose membership of 21 Tribal Health Programs serves 76 of California's 109 federally recognized Tribes. His work spans state and federal Tribal health policy, including Indian Health Service funding, Purchased/Referred Care, 340B, and Medi-Cal and CalAIM, with a focus on how these systems reach rural Tribal communities. He works with state and federal lawmakers and agencies to advance Tribal health priorities. Before moving into policy, Cesar served as Project Coordinator for CRIHB's Tribal Medication Assisted Treatment program and worked with the California Tribal Epidemiology Center. Earlier, he worked in case management at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Sacramento. He holds a Master of Arts in History with a focus on Public History and is pursuing a second graduate degree, a Master of Public Health.

Assistant Director, Valley Onward

Isai Garnica-Palma is the Assistant Director and a co-founder of Valley Onward, a Merced County nonprofit that develops community leadership and expands access to health resources across the Central Valley. He works with community health workers/promotoras on health education, care navigation, substance use prevention, and partnerships with public agencies and health providers. He also co-chairs a substance use and suicide prevention coalition with Merced County Public Health. Through a newly awarded California Workplace Outreach Project grant, Valley Onward will expand its work with rural workers on workplace health, safety, and access to state resources. Isai brings a community-based perspective to health policy, with a focus on how trusted local workers can make programs more accessible and responsive to residents’ needs.

Senior Director of Programs, California Health Collaborative

Evi Hernandez has worked in public health for nearly three decades, with 25 of those years working in the non-profit sector at the California Health Collaborative (CHC) where he currently serves as a Senior Director of Programs. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Chicano/Latino Studies, both from California State University-Fresno.  

Since joining CHC, Evi has provided leadership and oversight for grant-funded programs supported by the California Department of Public Health, California Department of Health Care Services, regional and local foundations, and county government agencies throughout California. 

Evi has helped expand the organization’s funding portfolio to encompass new and innovative program areas and funders; extending CHC’s presence and services into outlying regions of the state; developing protocols and policies that have enhanced the workplace environment and organizational culture; and establishing systems and processes that have improved operational efficiency and program effectiveness. 

CEO, EnlightenMed

Shah Khan is an internal medicine physician and CEO of EnlightenMed, an innovative, technology-enabled medical group serving rural and underserved communities in Northern California. Since founding EnlightenMed in 2022, Khan has built partnerships with rural hospitals and community health centers, combining virtual and in-person care to expand access where clinicians are scarce.

His work grew out of years spent caring for patients in rural Northern California, where he saw firsthand how geographic distance and provider shortages affect health outcomes. In 2025, he founded Health Telematix and began building a digital health platform designed to connect patients, clinicians, and health data across care settings. The platform extends care beyond individual visits through remote monitoring, continuous patient engagement, and proactive chronic disease management, with the goal of scaling these capabilities across rural communities. At the center of his work is a clear conviction: technology should extend the reach of medicine without diminishing the human relationships that define it.

Rural and Disability Health Equity Specialist, Office of Health Equity, California Department of Public Health

Holly Laird serves as the Rural and Disability Health Equity Lead in the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), where she works to strengthen internal policies and cross program coordination to improve CDPH’s responsiveness to the inequities experienced by rural communities and people with disabilities. She works across the department to embed rural and disability equity into programs and policy conversations, guided by ongoing partnership with community organizations. Laird has over ten years of experience collaborating with rural communities to advance health equity and community driven policy. Holly also serves as Vice Chair of CDPH’s Disability Advisory Committee and as a member of the California State Rural Health Association Board. She holds a Master of Public Health from UC Davis.

Program Coordinator, California Center for Rural Policy, Cal Poly Humboldt  

Sydney Lyons is a program coordinator at the California Center for Rural Policy at Cal Poly Humboldt, where she works on initiatives focused on healthcare workforce development, rural education, and community equity. Originally from rural Appalachian Georgia, Sydney brings both personal and professional experience navigating rural educational barriers and is deeply passionate about creating community-rooted pathways that expand opportunity for rural youth. Sydney holds a master’s degree in education with an emphasis on educational policy and primarily works on the Health Career Pathways Initiative in Del Norte and Tribal Lands, a collaborative effort aimed at addressing rural healthcare workforce shortages through a "grow our own" approach of supporting local youth pursue healthcare careers. Her recent graduate research explores how belonging, mentorship, and community connection shape rural students’ healthcare career aspirations and intent to return home to serve their communities. Her work emphasizes relational, culturally responsive, and place-based approaches to rural workforce development.

Professor and Director, UC Davis Center for Health and Technology and Department of Pediatrics

James Marcin is Director of the Center for Health and Technology at the UC Davis School of Medicine and the Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics. In addition to his work in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, he conducts research and advocacy related to access and quality of care for under-resourced populations, particularly as it relates to telehealth and children with special healthcare needs. 

Research and Community Engagement Manager, UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing

Pauline DeLange Martinez is a public health researcher and gerontologist with the Family Caregiving Institute at the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. She brings nearly two decades of experience translating research and community priorities into policies and programs that support older adults and family caregivers. Her expertise spans community-engaged research, program and policy evaluation, and rural health equity. She led the statewide evaluation of California’s Local Aging and Disability Action Planning grant program, supported Multisector Plans for Aging in three rural California regions, developed a toolkit used nationally for rural action planning, and authored the Aging in Rural California policy brief series. She serves on the board of the California State Rural Health Association. She holds an M.A. in Gerontology from San Francisco State University and a Ph.D. in Public Health Sciences from UC Davis.

Associate Vice President, Office of Tribal Relations, California State University, Chico

Rachel McBride-Praetorius (Yurok) is an enrolled citizen of the Yurok Tribe and Associate Vice President of Tribal Relations at California State University, Chico. With more than 25 years of experience in Indian education and Tribal relations, her work centers Tribal sovereignty, consultation, Native educational equity, NAGPRA and repatriation, land rematriation, and institutional accountability. Grounded in Indigenous and decolonizing approaches, her scholarship examines how institutions can move beyond procedural consultation toward reciprocal, relationship-based partnerships with Tribal Nations. Her work bridges policy and practice, including co-leading successful Land Back efforts returning lands to the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria and Susanville Indian Rancheria. McBride-Praetorius brings extensive experience in Native student success, government-to-government relations, policy development, community engagement, and building sustainable institutional change that centers Tribal knowledge, priorities, and self-determination.

Regional Medical Director, Partnership HealthPlan of California

As a mission driven, board-certified, Family Medicine physician, I have a passion and enthusiasm for bringing high-quality, patient-centered care to the often-underserved communities in which I have had the privilege to serve. As Regional Medical Director for Partnership HealthPlan of California, a non-profit community-based health care organization, I am part of a leadership team working to ensure the delivery of high-quality healthcare to greater than ninety thousand Medi-Cal members within our region, and over eight hundred thousand Medi-Cal members throughout Northern California. Prior to joining Partnership HealthPlan of California, I was Chief Medical Officer for Western Sierra Medical Clinic, a federally qualified health center (FQHC), where I helped develop, implement, and lead processes to improve access and quality of care delivered to approximately twenty thousand patients throughout Nevada, Placer, and Sierra counties. 

CEO, California Farmworker Foundation

Darrell Muniz is a seasoned executive with an impressive career spanning over three decades at Macy’s Inc., where he advanced from the Executive Training Program to influential leadership roles. He attended UC Berkeley. As Vice President General Manager at Macy’s, he successfully managed multiple locations with annual revenues between $25 million and $90 million. His strategic acumen and leadership expertise earned him a promotion to Senior Vice President Director of Stores for the Pacific Northwest, overseeing 50 stores and driving $700 million in volume. In 2020, Darrell brought his expertise to the California Farmworker Foundation, initially helping to strengthen its financial and infrastructural framework. His commitment and vision led to his appointment as Chief Operating Officer in 2023, following the Executive Director’s departure. By August 2024, Darrell assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, where he continues to lead with impact and dedication.

CEO, West Modesto Community Collaborative

Perfecto Muñoz serves as Chief Executive Officer of West Modesto Community Collaborative (WMCC), where he provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and policy advocacy focused on advancing health equity and community well-being in Stanislaus County. With over four decades of experience in public health, healthcare access, and community engagement, Muñoz has worked extensively at the intersection of policy, education, and underserved communities. His work has centered on social determinants of health, access to care for immigrant and agricultural worker populations, workforce development, and culturally responsive systems change. He is widely recognized as a trusted leader and advocate in both community and policy spaces.

Statewide Director, Community Nutrition and Health, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Amira Resnick has served as Statewide Director, Community Nutrition and Health with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources since February 2022. In this role, she oversees development and administration of public health programming across California, including the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE), and MediCal Champions Collaborative. She leads a network of approximately 20 CNH Advisors/Specialists and 45 Community Educators to build a shared vision and direction to advance health equity and respond to public health priorities facing all Californians. Throughout her 25-year career in human/social services and community engagement, Resnick has worked within institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations across the U.S. and abroad. Resnick holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology and Spanish from the University of Michigan.

Director of Outreach, UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety

Heather Riden is the Director of Outreach for the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS) at the University of California, Davis. In this role, she leads outreach, education, and partnership initiatives designed to advance occupational health and safety in agriculture. Her work focuses on translating research into practical resources, training programs, and communication strategies that support farmworkers, community-based organizations, and agricultural employers. She recently led the California Farmworker Housing Study and oversees the Statewide Agriculture and Farmworker Education (SAFE) Program, which delivers health, safety, and labor rights education to agricultural communities across California. Under her leadership, WCAHS launched Campo Seguro, the first-ever multilingual website designed with and for farmworkers.

Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences, UC Davis Health

Mark Rosenblatt is the Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences at UC Davis Health, overseeing its patient care, research and education missions. An internationally recognized clinician-scientist and ophthalmologist, he has published more than 225 manuscripts, reviews, book chapters and abstracts, while conducting research on corneal nerve regeneration and nanoengineered biomaterials for ocular stem cell delivery. Rosenblatt is personally engaged in the clinical and research aspects of UC Davis Health through seeing patients and leading his own research laboratory. He began his academic career at UC Davis in 2005 as an assistant professor of ophthalmology and vision science. Before returning to UC Davis in 2026, he served as executive dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine and CEO of the University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics. Rosenblatt’s leadership emphasizes collaboration and integration across UC Davis Health’s missions.

Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Clinical Innovation, California Department of Health Care Access and Information 

Lemeneh Tefera is the inaugural Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Clinical Innovation at the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). In this role, he provides clinical, policy, and strategic planning expertise for the Director’s Office and across the department’s multiple programs. Previously, he served as a fellow in the United States Senate, policy advisor for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and policy advisor for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). Tefera is a practicing emergency medicine physician with over 27 years of clinical experience, has held multiple faculty appointments, and has worked extensively overseas, including volunteering with Doctors Without Borders.

Associate Dean, Workforce Pathways and Collaboratives

Melody Tran-Reina is the Associate Dean of Workforce Pathways and Collaboratives at UC Davis School of Medicine and Founding Co-Director of the COMET Collaborative. She oversees seven UME physician workforce pathway programs and leads a 50-plus partner network spanning California and Oregon focused on strengthening the training pathway for physicians who serve rural, underserved, and tribal communities. She continues to practice primary care at a Sacramento County FQHC. Tran-Reina is herself a UC Davis School of Medicine graduate and a graduate of the TEACH-MS program she now leads, giving her a rare inside view of the pathway from student to resident to physician leader.

Assistant Professor, UC Davis Department of Internal Medicine

Alex Zhornitskiy is a gastroenterologist at UC Davis whose work focuses on health policy, health equity, and improving access to gastroenterology care for underserved communities. His research and community-based initiatives address disparities in colorectal cancer screening, barriers to specialty care, and strategies to improve preventive health services among rural, low-income, and culturally/linguistically diverse populations. Zhornitskiy is also engaged in health policy and advocacy through his service on the nonprofit boards of the California Colorectal Cancer Coalition and GI Rising, as well as a member of the American Gastroenterology Association Government Affairs Committee. His work seeks to translate research and community needs into practical health-system and policy solutions.