The California Diabetes Program is based in Sacramento and has several local program representatives covering different regions of the state. Contact information for each staff member is detailed below.
Date Last Updated: 06/01/2010
MEDIA: All inquiries by the media must be directed to the California Department of Public Health's Office of Public Affairs at (916) 440-7660.
California Diabetes Program
California Department of Public Health
University of California, San Francisco
Mailing Address:
PO Box 997377, MS 7211
Sacramento, CA 95899-7377
Physical Address:
1616 Capitol Avenue, MS 7211, Suite 74.420
Sacramento, CA 95814
The "CDP Cycling Team" (Karin, Roger, Dean, Tami, Javier, Susan, Karen, Gary and Sarah) enjoys a bike ride in San Francisco after an all day planning meeting. What a great way to end a meeting! (Not pictured: MariaElena Avila-Toledo and Valerie Marden)
The staff of the California Diabetes Program works as a team to prevent diabetes and its complications in California’s diverse communities. Seven members of our team are bilingual and speak Spanish, Chinese, or Tagalog in addition to English.
Dean Schillinger is a practicing primary care physician at SFGH and a professor at UCSF who joined the California Diabetes Program as Program Chief in April 2008. He will continue in his clinical and academic work while leading the California Diabetes Program, retaining his position as a Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and continuing as a practicing primary care physician at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), an urban public hospital, where he sees patients, teaches in the primary care residency program, and conducts research. In his administrative capacities, he has directed the Medi-Cal managed care clinic at SFGH, the ambulatory care clinics at SFGH, and has been the Director of Clinical Operations for the Department of Medicine. He is currently the Director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations... More.
Susan joined the California Diabetes Program in 2000 and manages daily program operations. She works closely with the Program Chief to promote the program, projects and resources in the areas of health care system quality improvement, community health interventions, surveillance, and public policy. She is the lead in the area of internal and external communications. More.
Area Health Promotion Specialists:
Click on the button below to find the specialist in your area or check the drop down list above their names to see which counties they serve.
Roger is a Senior Area Health Promotion Specialist for the Greater Los Angeles region, which includes the counties of San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo. Roger is currently the program lead for health systems, health information technology, and primary prevention initiatives for the California Diabetes Program. Roger graduated from Pacific Union College in Angwin, California in 1998, receiving a B.S. in Foods and Nutrition. He then served in several different acute care hospitals as a clinical dietitian in a variety of areas including diabetes education until joining the California Diabetes Program in 2005... More.
MaríaElena Avila-Toledo joined the California Diabetes Program in August 2006. She is the Area Health Promotion Specialist (AHPS) for the South Central Valley, a region that includes Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, and Tulare counties. MaríaElena was born in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico and was raised in the heart of California’s Central Valley. She is fluent in Spanish and English and is familiar with both the benefits and challenges associated with living and working in the Central Valley. More.
As a Senior Area Health Promotion Specialist in the Northern Central Valley Area, Tami works to improve diabetes awareness and prevention efforts through links between the California Department of Public Health, communities, grassroots collaborative efforts and organizational partners. Currently Tami manages the Diabetes and Tobacco Collaboration project and is the lead for the Diabetes and Tobacco Do you cAARd? task force. She also provides consultation and support to state and regional health care professionals and organizations on diabetes and diabetes prevention. More.
Greater Bay Area:
Due to budget limitations we are unable to fill this position at this time..
Karin Omark joined the California Diabetes Program in 2006. As the Senior Area Health Promotion Specialist for San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, Karin works to create linkages between the California Diabetes Program and health plans, healthcare professionals, people with diabetes, and community organizations to promote the implementation of the diabetes care guidelines and primary prevention strategies. She leads the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Diabetes Prevention Project, which is working to integrate diabetes prevention lessons into adult English language classes. Karin also serves as the Evaluation Lead for the California Diabetes Program. More
Gary has served as a biostatistician and the Diabetes Epidemiology and Surveillance Lead for the Diabetes Program since 2000. He assists in the conceptualization, planning, and implementation of comprehensive diabetes programs, selects appropriate methodologies in public health study designs, performs statistical data analysis in clinical research and epidemiological studies, and translates research findings for specific audiences. More.
Sarah joined the California Diabetes Program in September 2002. As the lead administrative support staff, she oversees record keeping and reporting systems for program activities, contractor requirements, and program budgets. Sarah provides technical consultation and assistance to contractors in the areas of state and federal requirements, budget and accounting procedures, and contract management services. Sarah also serves as technical advisor to staff on administrative policies, contracting, budgeting, and fiscal projections. Sarah provides day-to-day administrative support for the Program and also assists in the hiring process. More.
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