Our Staff

Juan Carlos Belliard has taught in the areas of culture and health; traditional, complementary and alternative medicine; ethnographic research methods; health disparities; and migrant health. His research interest focuses on medical pluralism. He is currently Director of the Institute for Community Partnerships and a co-investigator at Loma Linda University’s Center for Health Disparities and Molecular Medicine. As an educator, Dr. Belliard applies service-learning methods to his teaching in local and international communities, and is dedicated to various efforts that strengthen community-university relationships. His passion is for minority health, education, and health equity.

Jasmine Hutchinson is Loma Linda University Health’s Director of Community Benefit and the Associate Director for the Institute for Community Partnerships. In her current role, she collaborates with partners and staff to design and implement strategies and initiatives that improve the lives of vulnerable populations in the Inland Empire. She has over 15 years of global and US public health leadership experience and a passion for health equity. Before LLUH, Jasmine led Essential Access Health's Learning Exchange during rapid growth, managed the Washington State Public Health Association, and worked at Population Services International to ensure health access globally. Jasmine holds a Master of Science degree in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Policy and Management, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nery Pereira is our Administrative Assistant with extensive experience and administrative skills. She has worked for Loma Linda University Health system since 1995 and joined the ICP Department in November 2011. Her administrative career started in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she worked as an Executive Assistant for two directors of Golden Cross Assistencia International De Saude Ltda., one of the largest health insurance corporations in South America. Nery's bi-cultural background and trilingual skills come in handy as our institute works with surrounding communities. Nery enjoys reading, singing, walking, and the company of her husband, and her two adult daughters.

Cristie Granillo (MEd, University of Nevada, MS Azusa Pacific University) is the Community Health Worker Integration Manager at Loma Linda for the Institute for Community Partnerships. Through her leadership roles, Cristie has gained valuable experience managing programs to advocate for the creation of high quality educational pathways for students, wellness and safety for the community. From 2016 - 2018, Cristie served as Health Educator, Program Manager at Fresno Barrios Unidos. Through her experiences she has demonstrated her commitment to addressing social justice issues impacting youth and inequities in underserved communities. She currently manages the community health community workers for Chaffey Joint Unified High School District, San Bernardino City Unified School District, and Loma Loma Linda’s Community Health Workers supporting the NICU and Diabetes patients.

Crissy Irani (MBBS, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, MPH, Loma Linda University) is ICP’s hospital-based Community Health Worker (CHW) Integration Manager. Previously, Crissy worked as a research assistant and fellow Cleveland Clinic and with the Adventist Health Study - 2. As a research analyst with ICP, she then combined her background in global health & community medicine, public health, and project management to develop and organize grants, budgets & contracts (pre-award), while also supporting many internal & interdepartmental collaborations. During the early COVID-19 pandemic period, she supported the hospital CHW team growth and integration into multiple units across LLUH. Crissy now works directly with a large team of experienced and talented CHWs on streamlining hospital system integration, community engagement and health metrics to provide outcomes for multiple programs.

Camille Saye is ICP's Community Health Worker Integration Manager. She has previously worked in non-profit homeless services serving Orange County's unhoused population. Through this experience she has led multiple teams through grant funded programs. Her expertise in community engagement and advocacy has prepared her to take on her new role in working with Community Health Workers. Camille currently leads a team of dedicated and passionate community leaders (CHW's) that support multiple units across LLUH. Her goal is to fully integrate and bridge the gap between hospital systems and the community.

Mark Camarena is passionate about service. This passion has led him to volunteering on several mission projects including one year in Ecuador focused on starting a Christian Bilingual School, earning a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of Southern California (USC), working for a diverse set of nonprofit organizations, and using all of these unique experiences to care for our community. He currently supports ICP’s mission with financial leadership, regulatory reporting, and community investments. In addition to Mark’s service lifestyle, he enjoys traveling, sports, and spending time with his family; which includes his wife Elyssa and toddler Micah.

Katie Jang is passionate about building resilient communities. With a background in nonprofit work, teaching, and research, she brings a wealth of experience and a heart for fostering positive change. Katie earned her Master’s in Applied Psychology from the University of Southern California, focusing on research and organizational development, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Loma Linda University’s School of Behavioral Health. Her journey has taken her from working with under-resourced communities in Los Angeles and Sacramento to supporting Community Benefit research and initiatives across the Inland Empire as part of the ICP team. Katie has also served communities in Africa, Europe, and Asia, deepening her commitment to service and appreciation for diverse cultures. In her free time, Katie enjoys cooking, hiking, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Sara Rojas is the Program Manager for Medi-Cal Enrollment. She has been a part of Loma Linda University Health for over 10 years and has extensive experience across various departments including philanthropy, epidemiology, and patient care. She has an undergraduate degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Healthcare Innovation from Arizona State University. She recently embarked on her journey in the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program at Walden University. Sara is skilled at operationalizing projects, identifying successful strategies, and ensuring the timely delivery of results. Outside of work, Sara finds joy in family time with her husband and their three children, as well as indulging in the creativity of crafting.

Valeria Rodarte is the Research Associate for the Institute for Community Partnerships. She obtained her BS in Biology from Cal State San Bernardino, and her Master's in Healthcare Administration from Loma Linda University.  She is passionate in finding solutions and bridging gaps in the healthcare and community sector. As an IE native she hopes to tackle the disparities her community faces. Valeria enjoys spending time with her loved ones, baking, and hiking. 

Taylor Pope (MPH, Loma Linda University) serves as the Director of Community-Academic Partners in Service (CAPS) at the Institute for Community Partnerships and the Academic Service Learning Coordinator for Loma Linda University. Throughout her roles she has had the opportunity to work on planning, implementing, and evaluating public health programs both in the Inland Empire and abroad. Taylor is passionate about community-led and evidence-based programming, empowering youth, and working with communities to reach health equity.

Siquem works as the Program Manager for the Community-Academic Partners in Service (CAPS) office under ICP. Siquem’s passion for service has led him to be involved with community projects both internationally and locally leading various teams to promote education and health equity. Siquem earned his BA in Global Studies from La Sierra University in 2012 and his MPH in Health Education from Loma Linda University in 2021. For the past 12 years, Siquem has focused on community projects in the Inland Empire and High Desert communities, empowering families and youth to help address inequities. Siquem enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Jasmine, and their three boys, going camping, and being outdoors.

Evelyn Perez serves as the Program Coordinator for the Outdoor Equity Program, SHiNE (San Bernardino Healthy in Nature – Equity Program) at LLU. Evelyn is dedicated to creating new opportunities for underserved communities by developing customized programs to meet their needs. With a background in Ecology, she has over four years of experience working with elementary, middle, and high school students in environmental education and after-school programming. She has also served as a Community Health Worker in the Inland Empire. In her free time, Evelyn enjoys nature picnics, hiking, and visiting the beach.

Mark Alvarez is a Program Fellow dedicated to promoting outdoor equity and mentorship. With a background in biology from the University of California, Berkeley, he uses his expertise to help craft programming that makes outdoor experiences accessible for the community. Mark is passionate about addressing the need for outdoor equity through innovative programs and initiatives. In his free time, he enjoys playing the guitar and spending time with family. 

Rosalina Ramirez (MPH Global Health, Loma Linda University) is the CAPS Program Manager of Jardin de la Salud Community Garden. Rosalina has found community gardens to be a vehicle for food security, community cohesion, and health promotion. Rosalina enjoys spending quality time with her loved ones, spending time in the ocean water, and relaxing.

Sharlene serves as an Evaluator with ICP. She completed her undergraduate (2007) and Master's degree (2009) at the University of Southern California, both focused on Public Health and Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She continued her education to earn her Doctorate in Public Health at Loma Linda University (2012.) Her professional background includes working in maternal and child health, home visiting, trauma-informed care, healing-centered engagement and mental health. Sharlene has a strong background in program planning, data analysis and evaluation, technical assistance, continuous quality improvement and training, and public speaking. Additionally, she has experience focused on healthy food access and the built environment issues in Los Angeles County, creating healthy communities, youth empowerment and advocacy, corner store conversions, program planning and evaluation and teaching. Her volunteer experience includes working in Tanzania, Brazil, and Armenia, addressing prevention, health education, and maternal and child health issues. During her spare time, she enjoys camping, fishing, surfing and trying new restaurants.