SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research
SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research
Administrative Team
Oversees the management of agreements, budgets, facilities and equipment. The Administrative Team plans meetings and events, sets long-term goals and evaluates the overall operations of the Center.
Guadalupe X. “Suchi” Ayala, PhD, MPH
Co-Director, SDSU HealthLINK Center Co-Leader, Community Engagement Team Co-Leader, Intervention Methods Group
Dr. Guadalupe X. “Suchi” Ayala is a Professor in the School of Public Health at SDSU, Director of the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, Director of the SDSU HealthLINK endowment, and Co-Director of the SDSU HealthLINK Center. Her combination of masters’ degrees in experimental psychology and health promotion and doctoral degree in clinical health psychology reflect her interest in identifying effective solutions to improve health. Dr. Ayala’s research focuses on the development and adaptation of family and system-based interventions to prevent and control obesity, diabetes and asthma among various populations . She co-leads the Administrative and Community Engagement Teams and coordinates transdisciplinary intervention efforts under the Research Infrastructure Team of the SDSU HealthLINK Center. See Dr. Ayala’s profile for details on publications and projects.
Kristen “Kristi” Wells, MPH, MPI, PhD
Co-Director, SDSU HealthLINK Center Leader, Research Infrastructure Team Co-Leader, Measurement Methods Group
Dr. Kristen “Kristi” Wells is a Professor of Psychology at SDSU. She is also Director of the Cancer Disparities and Cancer Communication Lab. Her graduate training was in clinical psychology and public health, followed by post-doctoral training in behavioral oncology. Her research focuses on improving the quality of healthcare delivered to various populations, with a specific specialty in patient navigation. Since 2006, Dr. Wells has led or contributed to five studies which have developed and evaluated patient navigation interventions to improve quality of care. She also leads studies developing technological solutions to improve adherence to recommended cancer care and oral medications for cancer. In addition to her leadership as a Co-Director, Dr. Wells oversees the operations of the SDSU HealthLINK Center’s Research Infrastructure Team including five specialized research groups concentrating on measurement methods, health sensor methods, intervention methods, biomedical methods, and health data analytics. See Dr. Wells’ profile for details on publications and projects.
Mariaelena “Elena” Concha
Administrative Director
Mariaelena Concha serves as the Budget & Finance Manager for the SDSU HealthLINK Center, where she leads strategic financial planning and oversees the full spectrum of fiscal operations for the $22M NIH-funded cooperative agreement. In this executive role, she supports the Center’s mission to advance health research by ensuring financial accountability, operational efficiency, and long-term sustainability through effective budget management, cost recovery systems, and compliance oversight.
Previously serving as the Center’s Administrative Director, Ms. Concha played a key role in its foundational development, managing high-level administrative functions, guiding infrastructure growth, and directing facilities planning efforts. Her transition into the Budget & Finance Manager role reflects her deep expertise in financial strategy and operational leadership.
Ms. Concha collaborates closely with SDSU and SDSU Research Foundation departments to optimize resource use, align institutional processes, and identify cross-functional synergies. She also supports junior investigators with training and guidance on budget development, post-award management, and closeout procedures.
Bilingual and bicultural, Ms. Concha brings over 15 years of experience in administrative and financial management within the academic and nonprofit sectors. Before her Center roles, she served as Administrative Coordinator of the SDSU HealthLINK Endowment and Institute Manager at the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health (IBACH), where she supported multi-institutional public health initiatives and managed institute-wide budgets, including the $10M endowment from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Melissa Tarasenko, Phd
Evaluation Team
Robert Vargas-Belcher, MSW, MPH
Administrative Operations Manager
Mr. Robert Vargas-Belcher is the Administrative Operations Manager at the SDSU HealthLINK Center. In his role, he ensures the smooth operation of the Center by overseeing policies and procedures, maintaining Center-wide documents, supporting communications, and managing certain facilities. Mr. Vargas-Belcher joined the Center in 2019 as the Health Equity Associate within the Community Engagement Core. He transitioned to the Administrative Core in 2022.
Mr. Vargas-Belcher holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington and a Master of Public Health from SDSU.
Fernando Sing
Computer Systems Administrator
Mr. Fernando Sing is the Computer Systems Administrator at the SDSU HealthLINK Center and Institute for Behavioral and Community Health. He plans, implements, directs, and maintains applications and the use of technology. He also evaluates and provides recommendations regarding complementing research activities with software applications and computer technology.
Rodrigo Valdez
Web Platform Administrator
Rodrigo Valdez is the Web Platform Administrator at the SDSU HealthLINK Center. He is responsible for building, managing, reviewing, and maintaining the Center’s digital platforms. Rodrigo holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the National University of Asunción, Paraguay.
Irazu Rodriguez
Evaluation Research Specialist
Irazu is the Evaluation Research Specialist on the Center’s Evaluation Team. She plays a vital role in gathering data on the Center’s evaluation metrics and assessing its impact on investigators, staff, and partners. Additionally, she contributes to developing evaluation plans and protocols, designs surveys and data collection tools, and conducts both quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
With over a decade of research experience, Irazu has specialized in participant recruitment and data collection for various projects with IBACH and HealthLINK. She previously served as the Recruitment and Evaluation Coordinator for the Boca Sana project, an oral health study conducted in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Additionally, she is a member of the Imperial County Clinical Research Network (ICCRN), where she undertakes similar responsibilities as in HealthLINK.
Irazu earned her degree in Psychology but later shifted her career focus to Public Health research after recognizing a critical need for it in her hometown of Imperial County, located two hours east of San Diego.
Irene Zalich
Administrate Coordinator
Ms. Irene Zalich, an SDSU Alumna, has been the Administrative Support Coordinator for the SDSU HealthLINK Center since 2021. She has 20 years of experience with SDSURF, working first with the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services, then with the SDSU DUIP, a fee-for-service program. In her role, Ms. Zalich provides administrative support to the overall Center with the primary focus on fiscal administration
Michelle Santos Garcia
Administrate Support Assistant
Michelle started as an intern at the SDSU HealthLINK Center in the Spring of 2023 and transitioned to Administrative Support Assistant in 2024. She has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Psychology, with an emphasis on industrial and organizational psychology. Michelle’s role consists of supporting the overall center, with the primary focus on being the Front Desk Administrative Assistant/Receptionist at the Clinical Research Center. She also supports the Community Engagement Team and the Investigator Development Team.
Marcy McCrackin
Admin Support Assistant II
Marcy, a Texas native, has years of experience in human resources working at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. She is known for her organizational skills and has a passion for process improvement. Her role also consists of helping the overall Center, with the primary focus on personnel support.