Anthony Eleftherion, MFA Director of Communications, Health Research for Action, UC Berkeley  Anthony is a writer who specializes in health literacy communications. He has over 15 years of experience developing easy-to-use and easy-to-understand health materials for patients from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and with varied literacy needs. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, where he was awarded a Maytag Fellowship, and has been an Olive B O’Connor fellow at Colgate University. As Director of Communications at Health Research for Action (HRA), he leads a team of writers, designers, and communications researchers who use participatory design to develop health resources for vulnerable and under-served populations. 

Kristin Hoeft, PhD, MPH Assistant Professor, Division of Oral Epidemiology and Dental Public Health, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry Director, California Oral Health Technical Assistance Center (COHTAC) Dr. Kristin Hoeft has expertise in health education and evaluation, oral health literacy, and qualitative research methods. Her research focuses on making optimal home oral hygiene and dental care experiences accessible to diverse and vulnerable populations and bringing best practices to community-based settings. She has worked in the field of children’s oral health disparities at UCSF’s Center to Address Children’s Oral Health (CAN DO) for over 15 years. She directs the California Oral Health Technical Assistance Center (COHTAC) and chairs the Communication & Oral Health Literacy Workgroup. 

Danika Ng, MPH Senior Program Coordinator, Marin Oral Health Program Danika Ng is a long-time advocate for public health, health equity, and community empowerment, with over 12 years of experience working within her community. Graduating with a Master of Public Health from the University of San Francisco in 2017, she started working with the County of Marin in May of 2019 with their Oral Health Program, which she is currently serving as the Senior Program Coordinator. In this role, she has helped create community health worker trainings, organized school-based dental screenings and in-class oral health education for students, passed multiple Resolutions recognizing February 2020-2023 as Children’s Dental Health Month in Marin, and helped navigate oral health initiatives in Marin County through the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition to continuing her work with Marin County’s Oral Health Program, she is also supporting the implementing Marin County’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) as well as the Healthy Marin County (HMP) coalition, which is working to advance health equity in the county. 

Sayra Soriano Program Coordinator, Marin Oral Health Program Sayra Soriano graduated from Dominican University of California in 2017 with a degree in public health and minors in business administration and leadership studies. She has since held various health education and program coordination roles in Marin County over the last six years. Her professional health prevention efforts have focused on nutrition and wellness (2017-2019), tobacco prevention and cessation (2019-current), as well as oral health (2022-current). She aims to create positive, equitable, and sustainable impacts in the communities she serves with the goal of improving health and wellness for all. 

Reetu Seehra Health Program Specialist II, Sutter County Public Health Reetu has 4 years of experience managing the Oral Health Program and is currently involved in the Cal-Fresh Healthy Living Program for Sutter County. She also has 3 years of experience coordinating and implementing a FQHC-operated mobile dental clinic in school settings. Reetu is passionate about oral health and is excited to have this opportunity to improve dental health in Sutter County. 

Christina Vang, MPH Health Program Specialist II, Sutter County Public Health  Christina earned her master's degree from San Jose State University and has a passion for preventative oral health education. She is currently a Health Program Specialist working with the Oral Health Program and Tobacco Control Program. Christina enjoys working in the public health field and building connections with community members. 

Ayah Ali, MPH Program Director, Local Oral Health Program, Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency Ayah has been working as the program director for the Shasta County Local Oral Health Program since March 2021. She received a Master of Public Health from the University of Waterloo in October 2020. Previously, Ayah worked at Southwestern Public Health, a public health department in Ontario. Before working in Shasta County, Ayah worked and/or volunteered in Canada, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. Ayah is passionate about approaching oral health with a public health lens in order to move the needle forward. 

Cyndi Smith Member Relations Representative, Medi-Cal Dental Outreach Cyndi joined the Medi-Cal Dental Outreach Team as a Provider Relations Representative in December 2021. Cyndi’s focus was on Northern California, specifically the rural and underserved counties, to increase and maintain participation in the Medi-Cal Dental program. Recently, she transitioned her role from provider to member. In her current role, she connects with Medi-Cal members to help them understand and utilize their dental benefits. Prior to joining the Medi-Cal Dental Outreach team, Cyndi worked as a Provider Engagement Specialist with Anthem Blue Cross. 

Ammina Jones  Provider Relations Representative, Medi-Cal Dental Outreach Ammina joined the Medi-Cal Dental Provider Enrollment Team as a Credentialing Analyst in January 2021. Ammina’s focus was to review and credential provider enrollment applications. These applications consisted of Individual and Corporate enrollments. In September of 2021, Ammina transitioned to the Provider Outreach team as a Provider Relations Representative. Ammina’s focus is on Northern Central California, to increase and maintain participation in the Medi-Cal Dental program. Prior to joining the Medi-Cal Dental Outreach team, Ammina worked as a Sr. Customer Service Representative with Delta Dental specific to Medicare/Medicaid members and providers.