Executive Board
2021 HHS-HEO BOARD MEMBERS
President
Gloria Sanchez-Contreras, MA (FDA)
Ms. Sanchez-Contreras is an international public affairs specialist and the national Spanish-language spokesperson and multicultural communications lead at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this role, she manages multilingual communications across FDA and works to “transcreate” culturally and linguistically educational materials and messages for diverse groups in the U.S.
Ms. Sanchez-Contreras, a native from Mexico City, received her MA in Digital Journalism and Public Affairs from American University and her BA in Radio, Television and Motion Picture from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also serves as a co-chair for HOLA, the FDA Hispanic employee resource group.
Governance Chair
Natalia Vargas, MPH (HRSA)
Ms. Vargas is a Health Scientist with over a decade of experience working with health systems and programs that serve medically underserved and vulnerable populations and address health disparities. At HHS, Ms. Vargas serves as a Public Health Analyst for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy within the Health Resources and Services Administration. In this role, Ms. Vargas leads the efforts to improve quality of care at the nation’s Critical Access Hospitals. She provides leadership and oversight to rural hospital programs that focus on providing specialized technical assistance in hospital data reporting, and strategies for improving the quality of care delivered to patients living in rural areas. Through this work, Ms. Vargas provides leadership and coordination with public and private stakeholders, and among Federal partners interested in the implementation of quality measurement and improvement activities. Natalia’s professional interests include the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to improve quality of care within and across health systems, and will be attending The University of Oxford in 2022 to advance her graduate education in AI and to bring the expertise back to HHS.
Communications Chair
Asis Lopez (FDA)
Asis Lopez is an ORISE Fellow with the Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories (OSEL) in the Division of Applied Mechanics at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). He is researching the bioeffects of high intensity therapeutic ultrasound (HITU) on blood vessels and surrounding tissue for Blood-Brain Barrier applications.
In 2015 Asis joined the FDA as a graduate student conducting postmarket surveillance with the Office of Product Evaulation and Quality (OPEQ) at CDRH. For two years, Asis conducted biomedical acoustics research as an NSF-FDA Scholar-in-Residence under OSEL. At Tulane University, he investigated the parameters that promoted growth and death in neurons with low intensity ultrasound for spinal cord injuries. As an NSF I-Corps Lead he conducted face-to-face market research to inform the commercialization of a levitation device providing blood coagulation analysis. Asis worked on the development of an FDA pre-approved medical device for Pectus Carinatum at the University of California, San Francisco Pediatric Device Consortium. In the UCSC Genome Sequencing Center Asis optimized the center’s library prep for next generation sequencing with automation. Asis earned his Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitative Biomedical Robotics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and is currently pursuing a PhD from Tulane University.
Events Co-Chairs
LCDR Ramses Diaz-Vargas (FDA)
LCDR Ramses Diaz-Vargas is a Health Care Administrator who earned a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and International Health Care Systems from Trident University, a Master of Science in Quality System Management from The National Graduate School of Quality Management and a Bachelor of Science in Animal Sciences and Industry from the University of Puerto Rico. He currently serves as Senior Program Management Officer, responsible for providing analytical support related to operations research, policy analysis and management science methods to examine issues and problems on special projects or new business process for the Office of the Commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). LCDR Diaz-Vargas has been an active member of the Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee (HOAC) since 2014 and has helped to support the vision of the Office of the Surgeon General to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of the nation, and promote the Hispanic interests and accomplishments within the USPHS. Currently, he serves as the 2021 HOAC Vice-Chair.
Cesar A. Perez, PhD, RAC (FDA)
Cesar Perez is a Commander (CDR) of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Director of the Division of Establishment Support, Office of Regulatory Programs (ORP), Office of Product Evaluation and Quality (OPEQ), at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Division is responsible for the development and implementation of policies and processes related to medical devices’ imports, registration and listing, exports, regulatory inspections/audits and compliance programs. As the Director, he is responsible in providing strategic leadership for the Division and serves as the technical authority and principal advisor to the Office Director on medical devices programs. From 2015-2018, he was the Branch Chief of the Surveillance and Enforcement Branch I, Division of Premarket Labeling and Compliance, FDA, which is responsible for enforcing premarket requirements, as well as labeling and promotion/advertising requirements for medical devices. He previously worked for more than 7 years as a Consumer Safety Officer in different branches within the Office of Compliance, FDA.
CDR Perez attended the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1998, and obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology. In 2008, he received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from New York University School of Medicine’s Sackler Institute. CDR Perez also served in the United States Army Reserve from 1998-2006 as a Non-Commissioned Officer. In 2003, he was activated and served one year on active duty at Fort Hood, Texas in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) operation.
Members at Large:
Iván D. Montoya, MD, MPH (NIH)
Dr. Montoya is the Deputy Director of the Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences (DTMC) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). He received an M.D. from the University of Antioquia (Colombia), a Masters in Public Health from The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and completed residency training in Psychiatry at the University of Antioquia and the University of Maryland Hospital (Baltimore). He has been a Fulbright Fellow at The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Visiting Foreign Fellow at the Intramural Research Program of NIDA, and Director of the Practice Research Network of the American Psychiatric Association. He has published extensively in the areas of etiology, prevention, treatment (pharmacological and non-pharmacological), and medical consequences of drug abuse.
Operational Division Representatives:
Raquel Myers, PhD, JD, MPH (CMS/CMMI)
Raquel is a Program Analyst at the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI), within the Division of Improvement Dissemination and Model Improvement, Learning and Diffusion Group. Her work focuses on supporting and strengthening the relationship between CMS Regional Offices, the CMS Innovation Center, and regional stakeholders. She is stationed in the HHS Region VI office, Dallas, TX. Raquel has over 15 years experience in the public health field, having conducted research focused on community and Hispanic health, social networks, substance abuse prevention, and healthcare disparities, to name a few. She has worked at the federal and state levels, as well as academic institutions and non-profit organizations. Raquel serves as a mentor to several students and more recently, with the Hispanic Serving Health Professional Schools, Student Mentorship Program for Hispanic Health Research. She is originally from Los Angeles and holds a B.S. in Health Science from California State University Long Beach, an MPH with concentrations in epidemiology and biostatistics and a Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine from the University of Southern California, and a J.D. from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. She is barred in Utah and practiced law there briefly before joining CMS.
Michelle Rodriguez, PhD (FDA)
Michelle Rodriguez is a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) of the U.S. Public Health Service currently (USPHS) stationed at the Food and Drug Administration in the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health. LCDR Rodriguez serves as a compliance officer responsible for patient safety and product quality of microbiology in vitro diagnostic devices for infectious diseases and biothreat agents. LCDR Rodriguez currently serves her second term as the executive HOAC chair for the HHS’ Hispanic Employee Organization. In addition she is a voting member of the USPHS Hispanic Officers Advisory Committee (HOAC) and the co-chair of HOAC’s Communications and Public Relations subcommittee. Prior to joining FDA, LCDR Rodriguez was part of the CDC’s Regulatory Affairs team, where she developed and maintained regulatory applications for drugs, devices, and biologics required for stockpiling, deployment, and use against potential threats. LCDR Rodriguez attended the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus where she received her BS in Industrial Microbiology. She later obtained a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Florida and completed her postdoctoral training at the CDC in the Influenza Division. LCDR Rodriguez is the oldest of three, born and raised in Puerto Rico. In her spare time, LCDR Rodriguez enjoys photography, traveling with her husband, trying different restaurants, exercising, and spending time with her friends and family.
Miryam Gerdine, MPH (HRSA)
Miryam is a Project Officer, in the Behavioral and Public Health Branch within the Division of Nursing and Public Health, of the Bureau of Health Workforce at HRSA. Miryam is overseeing the grants management of three of HRSA’s workforce programs. She is managing the portfolio for the twenty-four Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training grantees with a total budget of almost ten million; twenty-two of the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grantees and the three Leadership in Public Health Social Work Education grantees with a total budget of almost 1 million. Miryam earned her Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Miryam is also a Teaching Assistant (TA) for the online Public Health Informatics Certificate program at Johns Hopkins University. Miryam is also a past Board President of the APHA Latino Caucus for Public Health, Vice President of the Board of Mary’s Center; former Board Member of MANA A National Latina Organization, and a former appointed Commissioner of Health for Montgomery County, Maryland. In 1996, Miryam was selected the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Edward Roybal Public Health Fellow which opened the doors to her career in public health at HHS. Her first project was working on the Healthy People 2000 Progress review on Hispanic Americans. This September, Miryam celebrated 6 years of public service at HRSA and a total of 20 years of working at HHS.
PAST HHS-HEO BOARD MEMBERS
Glorimar Maldonado (OS), Past-President
Glorimar is the Chief Recruitment Officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. In this role, she provides technical guidance, data-driven analyses, and strategic leadership to recruit and onboard a prepared, diverse and sustainable workforce. Further, as a recruiter and an instructor, she conducts employment workshops and K-12 activities that promote careers in mathematics and the sciences.
Previously, Ms. Maldonado was a senior advisor for the Strategic Programs Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this role, she developed, implemented and managed Hispanic recruitment and outreach programs and initiatives. Prior to joining the CDC, she was the chief of staff for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. In this role, she supervised the daily operations of the office, including strategic planning, social media campaigns, management of staff, and the development and implementation of Presidential outreach programs.
Ms. Maldonado holds a B.A. in English, history and psychology and an M.S in leadership.
Duilio Correa, M.P.A., M.A. – OS, Past-President
Duilio left his native Peru with his mother – his driving force and inspiration – in pursuit of the American Dream. Although he has faced numerous physical barriers and hardships in my life, Duilio overcame them all with courage and hard work.
Duilio joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2013, and currently serves as the HHS Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Division’s Communications Lead. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing D&I strategic communication plans, web portals, social media initiatives, publications, and performance management tools.
Additionally, as a certified Spanish translator, Duilio has a wealth of experience communicating health information to Spanish-speakers. This involves: managing communication projects; developing culturally appropriate publications; disseminating information through multifaceted communication channels; and assessing communications policies and products. Duilio also has received numerous professional recognitions, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director’s Merit Award and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Plain Language Award.
Duilio completed a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a focus on HR management, and a Master of Arts (MA) in Spanish and Latin American Studies at American University (AU), Washington, DC. In October, 2014, he was featured in the AU School of Public Affairs’ 80th Anniversary Program. Ever ambitious, Duilio has aspirations of pursuing a PhD in Public Policy and Administration.
Jeanette Contreras, MPP (PRG/OC/CMS), Past-President
Jeanette is the lead for Hispanic outreach in the Partner Relations Group, Office of Communications at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In her role, Jeanette engages national Hispanic stakeholder groups on CMS programs and services such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Jeanette has over 10 years of experience in the field of public health and government relations. She began her public health career in the Office of Government and Congressional Relations at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2008, Jeanette co-founded the Volunteer Program for English Proficiency (VPEP) at the NIH, an adult English literacy non-profit organization which offers classes to the NIH housekeeping staff four days a week. A native of Los Angeles, Jeanette first came to Washington, DC in 2000 to serve as a Panetta Institute for Public Policy Congressional Fellow in the legislative office of Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Jeanette holds a bachelor’s in political science from California State University, Los Angeles, a master’s of public policy from American University in Washington, DC and a graduate certificate in legislative studies from the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University.
Gina Rodriguez, Past-President
Gina is a Regional Communications Director and Congressional Affairs Liaison with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s (HUD) Midwest Regional Office serving as the primary point of contact for HUD media relations across the six-state Region. She has served on a number of details including staffing the HUD Deputy Secretary in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands interfacing with the Governors and key stakeholders in light of a historic $20 billion disaster recovery investment following Hurricane Maria.
Gina recently completed a detail serving as Acting Executive Director for the Chicago Federal Executive Board, working collaboratively across all federal agencies in Chicago, representing more than 50,000 Federal employees in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Federal government is the largest employer in Chicago.
Prior to joining HUD in Chicago, she was the Director of Latino Affairs and special needs populations at the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Secretary-Intergovernmental and External Affairs in Washington, DC. She served as the liaison to White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) and White House Cabinet Affairs on health-related issues impacting Latinos, the AAPI community, the elderly and disabled and mental health stakeholder groups.
Prior to joining the HHS Office of the Secretary, Gina was the Technical Director of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS), Consortium for Medicaid and Children’s Health Operations working across all ten Regional Offices.
While at CMS she developed national protocols standardizing and streamlining oversight processes for programmatic audits. In approximately 12 years that she was with CMS, Gina was instrumental in providing national leadership and technical assistance for the effective oversight of §1915(c) Home and Community Based Waivers as a more cost-effective alternative to institutionalization.
Prior to her federal service, she co-authored a publication, “From Data to Social Action: A Case Study of Community-University Partnership for Environmental Justice,” during her time with the Midwest Latino Health Research, Training, and Policy Center at the University of Illinois-Jane Addams College of Social Work, published in the American Journal of Public Health. In 1998 it was included as a case study in several college courses including the University of Michigan and UNC Chapel Hill Public Health Curriculum. Gina attained her Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, an M.B.A. in International Business and Finance from the Dominican University.
Guillermo Aviles-Mendoza, JD, LLM Guillermo Aviles-Mendoza, LLM (OS/OASH/NVPO), Past-President
Mr. Avilés-Mendoza is a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) of the U.S. Public Health Service and Public Health Advisor to the National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. LCDR Avilés-Mendoza provides technical advice to NVPO with regard to vaccines and immunization activities. NVPO was created by the U.S. Congress to provide leadership and coordination among Federal agencies and other immunization stakeholders, including states and municipalities, health care providers, and private-sector entities such as vaccine manufacturers. At NVPO, LCDR Aviles-Mendoza is responsible for coordinating immunization health disparities activities, including expanding access vaccines to the uninsured and under insured minority populations.
LT Israel Garcia, MSSW, LICSW (HRSA), Past-Treasurer
Lieutenant Garcia is a U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Officer and serves as a Senior Public Health Analyst for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bureau of Primary Health Care. He is a lead expert in the field of Migrant Health. LT Garcia manages National Training and Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreements and Federal Interagency Agreements to ensure access to culturally competent quality primary health care services for the underserved and vulnerable populations across the United States. Throughout his career as a policy and planning analyst, LT Garcia has continued to provide direct clinical social work services on a part-time basis. He currently serves as a clinical social worker at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center providing clinical social work services for soldiers and sailors returning from deployments, retirees and their family members. LT Garcia has over 10 years of experience in public policy and social work services for vulnerable populations. He has served as a policy analyst for the New York City Department for the Aging and as a program manager for the North Carolina Community Health Centers Association. He graduated from Columbia University School of Social Work with a major in public policy and administration. He lives in the state of Maryland with his wife and two boys, ages 6 and 9 years old.
Hector Velez, MPA (HRSA), Past-Secretary
Hector is a Public Health Analyst with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Hector received his Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors of Science in Biology from The City College of New York (CCNY). He is currently a HRSA Scholar, participating in a competitive intra-agency rotation program. A New York native of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent, Hector previously worked as a research assistant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as well as a Health Policy Analyst at the New York Academy of Medicine. Hector currently works with the designation of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) while seeking to address health disparities in minority populations. As a member of the HHS-HEO, Hector aims to increase the proportion of qualified Hispanic/Latino public health professionals throughout HHS.