āLisa Franqui
| Lisa is the Southern California Project Manager for Project Firstline. She is a writer, coach, educator, speaker, and advocate for health care innovation and social equity and diversity relationship-based culture with an extensive clinical background in hospice, palliative care, and public health. Lisa has worked as a thanatologist, palliative end of life educator, program manager, clinical hospice liaison, and bereavement director.
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āBrie Martin
| Brie is the Northern California Project Manager for Project Firstline. Prior to joining the California Department of Public Health, Brie worked in both the ICU and the ER; she now thinks about how to make systematic change to address the social determinants of health and improve conditions for both frontline healthcare workers and the public. She holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a nomad at heart; she sings, dances and plays the ukulele and piano all she can. |
āNeha Sardana
| āNeha is the Project Manager for Central California for Project Firstline. She received her Master of Science degree in Global Health from the University of California, San Francisco, in 2018. Before coming to the United States, Neha gained a vast amount of healthcare experience, working in India with various hospitals, NGOs, and clinics for underserved populations. She believes in healthcare for all. When not working, Neha enjoys being outdoors with family and friends.
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āKirsten Keller
| āKirsten acquired her infection prevention experience during her many years as a dialysis technician and patient educator. Her passion for education stemmed from a diverse patient population and their different learning styles. Kirsten wanted to positively influence patient care outcomes, so she attended California Lutheran University to earn a Bachelorās of Science degree. She is excited about providing education and training for other healthcare professionals. In her free time, she enjoys painting, practicing calligraphy, and is an avid reader of anything science-fiction.
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āAshya Cabral
| āAshya started her journey in the infection prevention field in 2015 at a local community hospital. Healthcare has always been a passion of hers and it was there, that she found the drive and determination to be a part of the ongoing effort to help reduce hospital-associated infections (HAI). As an Infection Prevention and Patient Safety Specialist, she coordinated hand hygiene campaigns, supported multiple committees, and collaborated with the infection prevention team and key stakeholders to help lower infection rates. Before coming to CDPH, Ashya also supported a COVID-19 command center. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.
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āAyda Alemayehu
| āAyda was born in Los Angeles and lived in the Midwest, where she received a Bachelorās in Biology and Community and Global Heath from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Following the completion of her Bachelorās degree, she returned to Los Angeles to serve as an AmeriCorps Member and Team Leader with City Year, an education nonprofit. With City Year, she worked as an educator in Los Angeles area public schools and trained her team on strategies to academically, socially, and emotionally support their students. After her time as an educator, she pursued her MPH in Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. As part of her graduate program, she interned with Evoke KYNE, a national and global health communications organization, where she researched emerging health issues and resources for various clients.
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āGeraldo Garciaā
| Born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, Geraldo holds degrees in Medicine and Hospital and Healthcare Administration. He has over 25 years of experience with managing various healthcare settings for utilization and quality management in the USA and Mexico, and has equally been involved with health education. He enjoys helping his community; he volunteers at orphanages and immigrant shelters in Mexico, distributing basic day to day necessities. He loves and owns classic Volkswagen Bugs and is a member of a VW Bug club.
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