Meet Our SPH Alumni Board Members
The SPH Alumni Board is composed of individuals who earned a degree from any of our programs since the school was founded and who are committed to fostering a strong SPH community. Alumni Board members host bi-annual events where current students, faculty, staff, and other alumni can meet to network or just have fun. Please check the monthly SPH newsletter and social media accounts for announcements about upcoming alumni events. If you are interested in joining the Alumni Board, please contact Barbara (barbara.valdivia@alliancehf.org ).
Barbara Orozco-Valdivia, MPH (Chair)
MPH, Health Promotion
Vice President of Programs and Community Partnerships, Alliance Healthcare Foundation
Barbara Orozco-Valdivia is the Vice President of Programs and Community Partnership at Alliance Healthcare Foundation in San Diego. In her role, she oversees the grant programs, community partnerships and special projects. With over 25 years in managed healthcare and corporate social responsibility, she has led teams at Blue Shield of California, Health Net and Community Health Group in their community relations, government affairs, and health equity teams. Barbara prides herself in giving back to her community as a current City of Chula Vista commissioner, former advisory member of the DHCS Advisory Council for Medi-Cal Families & Children, former board member of the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA, MANA de San Diego, Latina Geeks, Rady’s Children’s Hospital, and created a local coalition, the SD Community Partners for Wellness.
www.linkedin.com/in/barbaraorozcovaldivia
Michael Bloom, MPH (EH)
Retired
Michael graduated from the school with an MPH in 1995 with an emphasis in Environmental Health. He is currently retired but worked as a Physical Scientist for the Navy at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest. He managed and worked on numerous environmental restoration projects on many Navy facilities in California. These projects included both soil and groundwater studies and remediation. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, travel, running, and thoroughbred racing.
Natalie Buchbinder, MPH
MPH, Health Management and Policy
Biomedical Studies Project Manager – ABCD Study, UC San Diego
Natalie Buchbinder earned her MPH from the SDSU SPH with a concentration in health, management and policy in 2021. She currently works as a Biomedical Studies Project Manager with UCSD’s Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. While at SDSU, she worked with the County of San Diego’s Public Health Laboratory on the COVID testing program. Prior to pursuing her MPH, Natalie worked for a local public affairs firm conducting stakeholder outreach, communication and government relations initiatives across California. She holds an MPH in Health Management and Policy from SDSU, and a BA in Journalism and Business Administration from American University in Washington D.C. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting San Diego’s beautiful beaches and staying active in her local community.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliebuchbinder/
Anne Cass, MPH
MPH – Health Promotion
Director, Center for Health and Wellness Promotion, University of San Diego
Anne Cass, MPH, is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of public health experience. After many decades with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Anne recently became the Director of the University of San Diego’s Center for Health and Wellness Promotion. In her current role, Anne oversees a variety of health promotion staff and programs, including a robust peer education program. Anne’s passions include mentoring students and other aspiring health professionals, and leading the development, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion initiatives.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-cass-mph
Karen Connolly (profile info coming soon)
Ana Gonzalez-Ceda (profile info coming soon)
Andrea Krzyzaniak
PhD-Epidemiology Student
Andrea Krzyzaniak is a first year epidemiology student in the SDSU/UCSD Public Health joint doctoral program. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and her Master’s degree from San Diego State University. Andrea has over two decades of experience in research and finds the collaborations and partnership opportunities that research provides to be particularly rewarding. As the Director of Trauma/Acute Care Surgery Research & Academic Development at Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, she is passionate about mentoring students and residents. Andrea’s current interests surround the epidemiology of physical traumatic injury, social determinants of health, as well as study design and methodology.
Linda Salgin, MPH
MPH – Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, PhD Candidate – Health Behavior
Sr. Program Manager, San Ysidro Health
Linda Salgin is a Sr. Program Manager at San Ysidro Health (SYH), the 2nd largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving San Diego County. In her role, she oversees the All of Us Research Program at SYH which aims to accelerate biomedical research and advance precision medicine, as well as the CO-CREATE-Ex project which aims to expand equitable access to COVID-19 testing and preventative care services. Additionally, Mrs. Salgin formalized and served on SYH’s Research Ethics Committee. Currently, Linda is a doctoral candidate in the SDSU-UCSD Joint-Doctoral Program in Public Health with a focus on Health Behavior. Her research interests are grounded in Dissemination and Implementation Science where she uses mixed-methods approaches to understand and improve implementation of clinic services.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-salgin-9195247a
