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Kelli McKnight. M.Ed
Chair
Tessa Kristiansen, MBA, PMP
Vice-Chair
Ian Strauss
Member
Levi Anderson
Member bio coming soon.
Stephanie Grayson
Stephanie Grayson (formerly Green), with over 20 years in higher education human resources, is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Adapt Integrated Health Care, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Southwest Oregon. She leads strategic human resources initiatives in compensation, policy development, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Her proven expertise in organizational development and change management has enhanced recruitment, retention, and training, improving employee relations and operational effectiveness. Committed to creating inclusive and safe work environments, Stephanie's efforts contribute significantly to community health and well-being.
Laura Chan
Gretchen Horton-Dunbar, MPH, CPH
Rosemarie Hemmings, MSW, PhD
Dr. Rosemarie Hemmings has a Masters in Social Work and a Ph.D. in Public Health. Currently she is an Assistant Professor in Community Dentistry and Director of Social Work at OHSU School of Dentistry. Dr. Hemmings is also the CEO/Owner of Black Therapist & Company, LLC. She has developed and teaches an innovative inter-professional curriculum related to social determinants of health, health equity, social and racial justice within the school of dentistry. Dr. Hemmings is an assistant professor in community dentistry and director of social work. Additionally, Dr. Hemmings directs the social work program, which includes masters of social work interns from Portland State University, Arizona State University, Simmons University and Widener University who provide social work interventions to patients within the dental clinic, and residency program. Furthermore, Dr. Hemmings has presented her research nationally related to social determinants of health, intimate partner violence and social work curriculum within dental education. With over 30 years of experience as a social worker, Dr. Hemmings has been in private practice as a psychotherapist for over 15 years and currently has a business Black Therapist & Company in Beaverton where she focuses on creating equity in mental health care for Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/e individuals, other people of color and LGBTQ+ communities. Dr. Hemmings also provides clinical supervision for pre-licensed social workers. Additionally, she serves as a mentor to several social work students and social workers in the Portland area and consults with various organizations on Diversity Equity and Inclusion related matters. Dr. Hemmings has partnered with Oregon legislators on the development of HB 2949 to improve access to mental health providers who are People of Color.
Megan Holland
Megan is a family physician, working at Coquille Valley Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital, and serving as OHSU's Regional Associate Dean for the Campus for Rural Health - South Coast. She was raised in rural Arkansas, and always aspired to be a small town family doctor. She took a circuitous route getting there, working fulltime after high school graduation for some time prior to starting night classes at community college, and was a single mother of two during the majority of her education and training. Megan is passionate about mentoring other non-traditional students into healthcare careers, improving rural health equity, and transforming communities to support healthy aging in place.
Surya Karlapati MD, MPA
Surya Karlapati MD, MPA, I am a general psychiatrist with addiction medicine board certification. I currently work at the Oregon State Hospital as a unit psychiatrist providing care and treatment for complex mental illness and have been with OSH for the last 7 years. I feel my job here makes a difference, it’s extremely gratifying and rewarding in serving the patient population here at OSH. Originally from India, went to medical school in Russia and trained from the University of Mississippi, along with my professional expertise in mental health and addiction I also bring a very diverse and cross-cultural experience with me.
Alycia Jackson, MD
Alycia is a family medicine physician and the medical director and founding associate program director for the OHSU Health Hillsboro Medical Center (HMC) Primary Care clinic, South Hillsboro and OHSU HMC Family Medicine Residency Program. She is originally from the island of O'ahu where she grew up in a multicultural melting pot that taught her about the beauty of our cultural differences. She has traveled to countries such as Japan, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines and participated in their vastly different medical education and health care systems. She is passionate and focused about community health and outreach, global health, social justice and treating our underserved populations. She is the diversity lead of her faculty group and is active in multiple DEI committees within OHSU and HMC. In particular she is a member of DISC (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Sub-Committee) which provides DEI guidance to all graduate medical education programs at OHSU, including recruitment practices for a more diverse healthcare workforce of resident physicians and faculty.
Molly Reynolds
Molly is a Program Manager with RISE Partnership, a labor/management collaboration that serves over 80,000 Oregon care providers and state workers. As the manager of RISE’s Care Career Center, Molly leads strategic initiatives to increase the number of homecare and personal support workers in the state of Oregon, provide support navigating state systems, and facilitate career advancement through innovative pathways programming. Molly also brings an extensive background in urban and rural public education, both in California and abroad. She has served public school districts as both a program manager - leading educational equity initiatives - and as a classroom educator. She is passionate about creating education and career pathways, helping to address barriers to entry into the healthcare workforce. Ultimately, her goal is to create healthier, more equitable communities throughout the state of Oregon.
Rob Ross
Dr. Rob Ross is a Family Physician who was the Program Director for the rural Family Medicine Residency in Klamath Falls practiced and taught for Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Sky Lakes. The practice included OB, deliveries, inpatient, ICU and intermittent inpatient Psychiatric care. In this under-resourced environment (for both patients and doctors, he experienced the difficulties for caring for rural inhabitants with little or no access to subspecialty care, long travel distances, and socioeconomic barriers to healthcare, and the desperate need for workforce development not only for physicians, but health workers of all types who get inspiration from helping to solve this crisis. He is currently the Director of Academics and Research at St. Charles in Bend, where he helped develop and initiate a new rural Family Medicine residency in Madras in conjunction with OHSU and St. Charles Health System.
Alayna Schoblaske, DMD
Alayna is a general dentist and dental director at La Clinica, a federally qualified health center in Medford, Oregon. She earned her DMD with honor from OHSU and completed a General Practice Residency at the VA Hospital in Washington, DC. She has a passion for health equity and served as chair of La Clinica's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion council. She is Editor for the Oregon Dental Association, and a member of the ADA's New Dentist Committee. She enjoys reading, hiking, and cooking with her partner, Sean. She doesn't have a dog... yet.
Coi Vu, MA
Côi is a first generation refugee from Vietnam, born in a refugee camp in Malaysia, and has called Oregon home for over four decades. She has dedicated over twenty years in social services and advocacy for underrepresented communities. Côi is the Executive Director of the Coalition of Community Health Clinics, and worked at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) as their Director of the Pacific Islander and Asian Family Center. She is the Governor appointed State of Oregon Youth Development Council-person, Attorney General appointed Biased and Hate Crime Steering Committee member, Mayor appointed City of Portland Human Rights Commissioner, State of Oregon Racial Justice Health Equity advisor and Board Member and Treasurer for the Coalition of Communities of Color C4 Building Power for Communities of Color. Her identity and background continues to be the catalyst for her passionate work with communities of color, the immigrant and refugee communities, and underrepresented and low-income communities.
Eric M Wiser, MD, FAAFP
Eric M Wiser MD FAAFP has been practicing in Oregon since 2007. He is currently a Family Physician at the Gabriel Park Clinic at Oregon Health & Science University. He is also the Assistant Dean of Rural Undergraduate Education with the School of Medicine and the Interim Director of the Oregon Area Health Education Centers (AHEC).
Dr. Amberena Fairless
Member bio coming soon.
Andrea Brown
Andrea Brown is the Traditional Health Worker Liaison for Umpqua Health Alliance, supporting THW integration and workforce development across Douglas County. A dual-certified Community Health Worker and Peer Support Specialist, she was among the first Oregonians certified through the state’s THW process. Andrea brings extensive direct service and systems level experience, informed by her lived experience with mental health challenges.
Chauncella Koulibali
Krista Lovaas
Patty Barfield
Patty Barfield, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC is a nurse educator, clinician, and academic leader with the OHSU School of Nursing. She serves as Campus Associate Dean for the OHSU School of Nursing La Grande Campus and as Regional Associate Dean for OHSU’s Campus for Rural Health in Northeast Oregon. Patty also serves as Project Director for the Oregon Rural Nurse Scholars Program and Co–Project Director for the Oregon Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. She is board certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, with a clinical background specializing in pediatric mental health. Grounded in lived experience and professional practice in rural communities, she is deeply committed to advancing the health and well-being of rural populations through collaborative and community-centered workforce development.
Rebecca Descombes
I am a Tribal Health Policy Consultant working with Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations to advance equitable health policy within the Indian Health Service (IHS) and related governing boards. My work centers on advocacy and community engagement, policy research, testimony development, and strategic communications, including newsletters and media outreach. I support Tribal participation in legislative and regulatory rule changes, Indian Health Service Tribal Advisory Committees, and other consultation and advisory processes, helping ensure Tribal voices are meaningfully represented in health policy decision-making. In writing testimony for IHS consultations, health care workforce in tribal communities is at the forefront of discussion with chronic underfunding and understaffing of tribal health clinics across the country.
Regina Castellon
Regina Castellon (she/her) brings more than a decade of experience in human resources, having worked across healthcare, small business, and non-profit sectors. Her career is rooted in advancing equitable hiring practices, supporting adult education, and creating meaningful opportunities for employees. She is an active community mediator in Jackson County, Regina is proficient in both English and Spanish. At AllCare Health, she leads the Health Equity Plan (HEP) and the DEI Department, strengthening collaboration across multiple teams. Regina is currently pursuing studies in Relationship Systems Intelligence, driven by her interest in how diverse perspectives shape group dynamics--she believes in the untapped wisdom that emerges when people come together with shared purpose. She holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education. Regina lives with her dog Mollie in Talent.
Sofia Aiello
Virginia (Virn) Chambers
Virginia Chambers, CMA (AAMA), BS, MHA, serves as the Director of Health Sciences at Clackamas Community College, where she provides strategic leadership for seven allied health programs, including Nursing, Medical Assisting, Dental Assisting, EMT, and Phlebotomy. With more than two decades of experience across clinical practice, higher education, and healthcare workforce development, she is deeply committed to student-centered, equitable, and community-responsive education. Virginia has led multiple accreditation efforts, strengthened employer and clinical partnerships, and advanced innovative faculty development and simulation initiatives. She holds a Master of Health Administration and is an active participant in the Oregon Executive Leadership Academy through the Oregon Association of Community Colleges, further strengthening her commitment to collaborative, values-driven leadership in community colleges. Virginia enjoys backpacking, kayaking, and spending time with her husband and son.
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