Our Team

Arra Jane Soriano, M.A.

Arra Jane Soriano is a Project and Policy Analyst for the Center and supports the Center’s community of practice and dissemination missions. She has been with the School of Medicine since 2018. Arra is a product of the UC system and graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in English and History. She earned her master's degree in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from CSU Sacramento.

Kupiri Ackerman-Barger, Ph.D., R.N.

Dr. Ackerman-Barger is assistant adjunct professor at the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. She provides a nursing and F.N.P./P.A. perspective and helps guide the Center to include inter-professional colleagues and develop a research agenda focused on diversity in nursing. Her academic interest relate to health equity and social justice. She has a particular interest in the preparation of nurse leaders and nurse educators with the capability and desire to promote diversity in nursing school as a mechanism for increasing nursing workforce diversity.

Tonya L. Fancher, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Fancher is the Associate Dean of Workforce innovation and Community Engagement. A primary care trained general internist, Dr. Fancher spent four years in the US Air Force and completed her M.P.H. and Outcomes Research Fellowship at UC Davis in 2004. For the past ten years, she has been principal investigator for undergraduate and graduate medical education Title VII Primary Care Training and Enhancement grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Her HRSA efforts were inspired by her own experience in a Title VII primary care residency program at New York University/Bellevue Hospital. She founded and currently leads UC Davis pathways for learners committed to primary care and underserved populations. She is the principal investigator on an American Medical Association grant and created the only 3-year accelerated medical school pathway on the west coast. Eighty percent of students enrolled in the pathways she leads are underrepresented minorities in medicine. She has received numerous teaching awards and national recognition for her community engagement activities and contributions to diversity.

Peter Franks, M.D., M.S., Ed.

Dr. Franks is a nationally recognized researcher with extensive experience in study design, data analysis and research mentorship. He chairs the UC Davis School of Medicine Admissions Committee. His research focuses on health disparities, primary care, and healthcare delivery. Dr. Franks has forged a rigorous, data-driven approach to improving recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds. Recent accomplishments include: development of a validated composite measure of applicant socioeconomic disadvantage (or “distance traveled”) based on AMCAS variables beyond race and ethnicity categories (Journal of Healthcare for Poor and Underserved 2015); examined performance of underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students in Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) (Academic Medicine 2015); and examined the role of students’ personality on MMI performance (Academic Medicine 2012). His research efforts have helped UC Davis to recruit the most diverse medical student class in California.

Mark Henderson, M.D.

As Associate Dean of Admissions and Outreach at UC Davis, Dr. Henderson implemented a holistic review process and Multiple Mini Interview, developed a web-based admissions system in 2008, and launched the use of Multiple Mini Interview in 2010 to assess applicant communication and teamwork skills. He has over 25 years of experience in medical education and HRSA supported innovations, and is a highly regarded clinician-educator and leader in general internal medicine education.

Anthony F. Jerant, M.D.

Dr. Jerant is Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He enjoys providing care across the full spectrum of family medicine, including care of children, adolescents and adults of all ages, and outpatient surgical procedures. Dr. Jerant's goal is to provide comprehensive, evidence-based medical care to all of my patients, in a manner guided by their values, preferences and health goals. One of Dr. Jerant's main research interests is to seek ways of improving the care of common debilitating health conditions. A major focus of this work is to develop and evaluate approaches to increasing patients' participation and choices in their own care.

Mallory Johnson, M.P.A.

Mallory Johnson is a research analyst at the Center for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce at UC Davis. In that role, she provides administrative leadership over two grant projects supporting interprofessional clinical education for medical, physician assistant and nurse practitioner students in the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. She joined the Center for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce from the UC Davis Institute for Population Health Improvement, where she led projects related to hospital policy and quality improvement analytics. Prior to her time at UC Davis, she completed a Presidential Management Fellowship with the VA Northern California Health Care System. She earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Alabama.

Michelle J. Ko, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Ko's research examines how policy, healthcare, and social structure are interconnected, and their impacts on disadvantaged communities. Dr. Ko has conducted studies on a variety of topics, including the healthcare safety net, Medicaid, long-term care, access to healthcare for minority populations, diversity in medical education, and the healthcare workforce. Dr. Ko also has a strong commitment to supporting the success of first-generation, under-represented and otherwise disadvantaged students to succeed in undergraduate and health professions education.

Maya London, B.S.

Maya London is a Junior Specialist for the Center for Diverse Healthcare Workforce who completed her Bachelor's in Biology and Health: Science, Society and Policy at Brandeis University. Her interests include preventative and primary health care in underserved communities, family dynamics surrounding health behaviors, culturally competent care, and cultivating cultural humility through community-engaged learning

Lisa M. Meeks, Ph.D.

Dr. Meeks is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her research interests include: improving access to medical education for learners with disabilities, medical student and resident well-being, disability curriculum in medical education, reducing health care disparities in patients with disabilities, and the performance and trajectory of learners and physicians with disabilities. She served as co-PI on the AAMC Lived Experience Project, and is co-editor and author of the seminal text on disability in health science The Guide to Assisting Students With Disabilities: Equal Access in Health Science and Professional Education.

Christopher Moreland, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.

Dr. Moreland is a fellowship-trained academic internist and associate clinical professor at UT Health San Antonio. Along with inpatient clinical responsibilities, he serves the internal medicine residency program as an associate residency program director. His research and educational innovations explore disability as a contributor to healthcare workforce diversity, effective access to education and practice for deaf and hard of hearing medical students and physicians, health disparities affecting the deaf and limited English proficient populations, and the education of interpreters as healthcare specialists.

Efrain Talamantes, M.D., M.B.A., M.Sc.
Dr. Talamantes is a general internist and Medical Director at the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity. His research focuses on the Latino pre-health pipeline and predictors of primary care practice among medical school applicants. His work documents the importance of the community college pathway for underrepresented minority medical school applicants and as a predictor of intention to practice in underserved communities.

Jenny Lynn Wagner, M.P.H.

Jenny supports the Center's research missions and is an Evaluation Specialist with the UC Davis Schools of Health Evaluation Unit. Her previous work has centered on collaborative approaches to community health improvement, including efforts related to hospital-based community benefit, air pollution, digital access and literacy, food waste, Tribal health, capacity building and collective impact. She is a doctoral candidate at the UC Davis Public Health program. Through the program, Jenny is working toward her goals to become a university professor and researcher as well as an evaluation consultant for public health initiatives.

Marjorie Westervelt, M.P.H.

Marjorie Westervelt is the Director of Assessment, Evaluation, and Scholarship (AES) unit at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Marjorie has been with the School of Medicine since 2014, working in various roles in the undergraduate medical education Curriculum unit. Prior to starting the AES unit, Marjorie served for two years as the Director of Curriculum and Educational Technology. She is also a doctoral candidate in the UC Davis School of Education. Her interests include assessment and measurement, specifically as they relate to medical education.

Charlene Green, M.A., L.M.F.T.

Charlene Green leads the facilitation of COP groups, ensuring that stakeholders and community partners achieve success in creating and implementing Diversity Action plans. She is the Manager for Student Development Office at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. She oversees all aspects of comprehensive student support services for the M.D. Program, including but not limited to advising, global health, health policy, and beyond. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Ms. Green has over 12 years of experience in social and human services, and a master's degree in Counseling Psychology. She has previously provided counseling services within healthcare, academia and a workforce development in a non-profit setting. She has a special interest in diversifying healthcare and addressing healthcare disparities within underserved populations.

Mark Simon

Mark Simon is an educator, writer and veteran social impact consultant with more than 20 years of experience in social service, government, education, and faith-based organizations. Since establishing his company Storywalkers Consulting in 2004, Mark has helped small grassroots non-profits as well as large public agencies raise money, clarify vision, sharpen leadership and articulate their story. Mark's success is based on a deep commitment to listening, reflection and inclusion. Based in Davis, California, Mark brings his mix of dynamic facilitation, participatory planning and innovative stakeholder engagement to agencies across California and the U.S.

Mark Henderson, M.D.

As Associate Dean of Admissions and Outreach at UC Davis, Dr. Henderson implemented a holistic review process and Multiple Mini Interview, developed a web-based admissions system in 2008, and launched the use of Multiple Mini Interview in 2010 to assess applicant communication and teamwork skills. He has over 25 years of experience in medical education and HRSA supported innovations, and is a highly regarded clinician-educator and leader in general internal medicine education.

Arra Jane Soriano, M.A.

Arra Jane Soriano is a Project and Policy Analyst for the Center and supports the Center’s community of practice and dissemination missions. She has been with the School of Medicine since 2018. Arra is a product of the UC system and graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in English and History. She earned her master's degree in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies from CSU Sacramento.