Trisha Richter
Tag: Bios
Denise Andrade, MPA
Denise Andrade, MPA
Deputy Director, Community Health Division, Imperial County Public Health Department
County: Imperial
Denise Andrade obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration with an Emphasis in Government and Policy from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Education from the University of California, Davis. She has worked as a public servant for the last 18 years working in local government, sixteen of which have been in Imperial County with experience in Public Health and Social Services, and two with City of Indio. Through her experience in local government, Ms. Andrade has managed diverse programs/efforts, including HIV/AIDS, Immunizations, Emergency Preparedness, Health Promotion, COVID Response, Accountable Communities for Health (ACH), Community Health Assessment/ Improvement Plan (CHA/CHIP), Equity Coalition Representative, Asthma, Pandemic Influenza, Public Health Accreditation (PHAB), EBT Issuance, Senior Center Services, and other Administrative functions such as Accounting, Procurement, and Personnel.
Ms. Andrade was born and raised in Imperial County in a Spanish speaking home with parents with limited education and limited knowledge of the medical system. Although she left her community to pursue her education, she always knew returning to where she was born and raised was a must. Her passion is to mentor those around her to succeed in a community with known limited resources. Similarly, Ms. Andrade continues volunteering her time as a community representative in efforts focused on health, primarily those that support research and efforts that enhance health literacy and health accessibility within Imperial County. As a mother of three children, she is devoted to ensuring that her community continues working on seeking opportunities that enhance the future of Imperial County and create a better path for the Spanish speaking population, the youth and the elderly.
Alejandro Amador, BS
Alejandro Amador, BS
Environmental Programs Manager, Casa Familiar
Mr. Amador is currently the Environmental Programs Manager at Casa Familiar. As the Environmental Programs Manager, Amador oversees Casa Familiar’s efforts to address social and environmental inequities within San Diego, and the unique and specific needs of the San Ysidro community. Being a life-long resident of the San Diego-Tijuana region and after joining Casa Familiar as a Community Air Monitoring Technician, Amador grew a deep understanding of the dynamic of binational air pollution. Through the key data collected by Casa Familiar’s air monitoring efforts, Amador has led and participated in different air mitigation intervention projects in the community of San Ysidro such as advocacy for accessible transportation system, educational greening workshops, advocating for the creation of a community emission reduction plan, tree planting campaigns in schools, and enhancement of public parks design. Amador has also been involved in policy advocacy efforts such as San Diego’s Parks Master Plan and the Climate Action Plan. Through this work, Amador has worked directly with the community to elevate San Ysidro’s voice and collaborated with city staff in projects and policy feedback.Lauren Wren, MS, RN, NCSN, PHN
Lauren Wren, MS, RN, NCSN, PHN
Safety & Wellness Coordinator, Imperial County Office of Education
County: Imperial
Ms. Wren is a Consulting, Credentialed School Nurse who works with the Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) to promote school health and safety. ICOE actively promotes student and family health through its organizational priorities, which align with Ms. Wren’s professional philosophies and goals. She is passionate about addressing Social Determinants of Health and access to care in schools and actively participates in research and projects to address health disparities. Lauren is aware of the importance of addressing these disparities in the school setting to ensure students are healthy and ready to learn.
Ms. Wren has garnered profound experience in school and employee health, comprehensive health programs, as well as K-12 emergency preparedness and crisis communications. She has received several awards for excellence in non-traditional nursing and leadership. Lauren is a Nationally Certified School Nurse recognized by the NBCSN for excellence and expertise in School Health and holds a Public Health Nurse Certificate. She received a Master’s in Science with a concentration in Nursing Leadership in Healthcare Systems from San Diego State University in 2020.
Faiza Warsame
Faiza Warsame
Program Coordinator, United Women of East Africa Support Team
County: San Diego
Ms. Warsame has been with UWEAST for 7 years. UWEAST is a non-profit organization that provides services and programs for the East African Community in San Diego. She loves working with the community and helping them to voice their opinion and make a difference.Robert Vargas-Belcher, MSW, MPH
Robert Vargas-Belcher, MSW, MPH
Center Staff Supervisor
Mr. Robert Vargas-Belcher is the Center Staff Supervisor at the SDSU HealthLINK Center. He supports the partnership with San Diego Health and Human Services (HHSA). Facilitating collaborations on research to help promote healthy outcomes in all communities within San Diego County. As the Health Equity Research Associate he also supports the development of new partnerships within the broader community. He obtained a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington and a Master of Public Health from SDSU. He spent the last 15 years focusing on improving and developing treatment protocols for treating tobacco and nicotine dependance within disproportionately affected communities. He is currently a Council Member with the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (CTTTP) – an accrediting organization. See Mr. Vargas-Belcher’s profile for details on publications and projects.Stephen Thomas Wegener, PhD, ABPP
Stephen T. Wegener, PhD, ABPP
Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and
Director of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Consultant on the Research Project: GOALS/Metas, SDSU HealthLINK Center
Dr. Stephen T. Wegener is a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Director of the Division of Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is also a Professor of Health Policy and Management at the School of Public Health. His research focuses on the development of cognitive-behavioral and self-management interventions that prevent or provide treatment for secondary conditions following injury and illness. He is a consultant on the Research Project: Goal Oriented Activity for Latinos with Spine Pain (GOALS/Metas) focusing on physical therapy for Latinos with chronic spine pain for the SDSU HealthLINK Center.
See Dr. Wegener’s profile for details on publications and projects.
Jason Van Dyke, MSPT
Jason Van Dyke, MSPT
Director of Physical Rehabilitation Services, FHCSD
Co-Investigator on Research Project: GOALS/Metas, SDSU HealthLINK Center
Mr. Jason Van Dyke has always had a passion for patient care. His favorite part being the ability to bond with his patients and to help them meet their goals and maximize their function. As a physical therapist, he has had the good fortune to practice in multiple settings from a private outpatient orthopedic clinic, to a multidisciplinary navy medical clinic on Camp Pendleton, to a level 1 trauma acute care hospital at University of California San Diego (UCSD), to home health, and finally to FHCSD to establish a physical therapy department for adolescents and adults. Constantly in search of innovation, he challenged the status quo at UCSD in search of more efficient and effective ways for the rehab staff (OT, PT, and Speech) to work together with nursing and the medical teams. Upon joining FHCSD, he recognized the need for regional physical therapy and chiropractic clinics and for a conservative orthopedic option for our patients that were not surgical candidates, thus designing and developing the current sports medicine department.
As one of the largest and most progressive Federally Qualified Health Centers in the United States, FHCSD has provided him with the support to design and develop a physical rehabilitation program that provides services to over 4,000 patients each month. Working with the SDSU HealthLINK Center team on the Research Project: GOALS/Metas, Mr. Van Dyke has been able to utilize his unique knowledge of the FHCSD system, in conjunction with his clinical knowledge as a physical therapist, to assist in the design and development of the intervention and its implementation.
See Mr. Van Dyke’s profile for details on publications and projects.
Sara Sanders
Sara Sanders
Chief Development Officer, Innercare Administration for Innercare
Ms. Sara Sanders joined Innercare in January 2016 and is currently the Chief Development Officer for the organization. Prior to that, Ms. Sanders served as the Executive Director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Imperial Valley for nine years. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1999 with a degree in history and has 16 years of experience working in public administration/non-profit management and 12 years of experience working in fund development. Ms. Sanders provides administrative support on the activities occurring between Innercare and the SDSU HealthLINK Center. See Ms. Sanders’ profile for details on publications and projects.Kanako Sturgis, MPH
Kanako Sturgis, MPH
Evaluation Team
Ms. Kanako Sturgis joined SDSU’s Institute for Public Health in 2001 and has been working as the website manager, data/evaluation specialist, and information scientist. Prior to earning a Master of Public Health from SDSU, she worked as a pharmaceutical affairs specialist in Japan. At the SDSU HealthLINK Center, Ms. Sturgis serves on the Evaluation Team where she supports various evaluation activities. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor at SDSU and a licensed pharmacist in Japan.
See Ms. Sturgis’ profile for details on publications and projects.