Public Health Alumni Association
The vision of the Public Health Alumni Association (PHAA) is to support and strengthen personal and professional connections between the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and its graduates, and to help raise the visibility and profile of public health and the school in Los Angeles, California, the nation, and the world.
The mission of PHAA is to support and facilitate the participation of graduates in the ongoing research, student and alum activities, public health programs, and other activities of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
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Engaging with current FSPH students — enhancing their learning environment, offering mentorship opportunities, and supporting them through fellowships and supplemental activities;
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UCLA Fielding is building healthy futures in greater Los Angeles, California, the nation, and the world.
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All UCLA Fielding graduates are automatically recognized as members of PHAA. Graduates are invited and encouraged to consider giving back to the school and staying engaged by contributing their time to mentoring FSPH students, organizing an event, and serving on a PHAA committee, among many other enriching opportunities.
about
The mission of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Network is to foster a lifelong relationship between the School and our alumni, student, faculty and staff community by promoting engaging discussions, and providing news about beneficial opportunities, services and programs at FSPH. Membership is limited to the above groups at this time.
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Office of Development and Alumni Affairs
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Box 951772, Suite 43-385 CHS
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772
meet the board
Johanna Klohn, M.P.H. ’08
President
Health Policy and Management
Brian McInerney, M.P.H. ’19
Secretary
Community Health Sciences
Joon Lee, M.P.H. ’00
Immediate Past President
Health Policy and Management
Jeff Agner, M.P.H. ’14
Programming and Engagement Chair
Health Policy and Management
Alexandra Klomhaus, M.P.H. ’15, Ph.D. ’21
Fundraising Chair
Biostatistics
Greg Mansur, E.M.P.H. ’99
Recruitment and Membership Chair
Health Policy and Management
Joseph Cobian, M.P.H. ’15
Board Member
Health Policy and Management
Leon Cristobal, E.M.P.H. ’19
Board Member
Health Policy and Management
Maral Farsi, M.P.H. ’05
Board Member
Health Policy and Management
Seth Freeman
Board Member
Community Health Sciences
MPH ’19
Jonah Lipsitt
Board Member
Environmental Health Sciences
PhD ’22
Anna Peare
Board Member
Community Health Sciences
MPH ’20
scholarship and support
The Daily Bruin Alumni Network launched the Daily Bruin Scholarship program in 2019-20, awarding merit scholarships to current Daily Bruin staff members who have shown dedication to The Bruin and wish to pursue careers in journalism, media and related fields upon graduation.
The program has grown from five $2,000 scholarships in 2019-20 to seven $2,500 awards in 2023-24.
For more information, please contact Sandra Gonzalez, Assistant Director Development of Alumni Scholarships, UCLA Development, at (310) 844-3157 or sgonzalez@support.ucla.edu.
Our Funds
The Daily Bruin Scholarship Fund
The Daily Bruin Scholarship Fund is an official account of the UCLA Fund, and your tax-exempt contributions count toward Chancellor’s Society Status as well as the Centennial Campaign. We encourage and accept employer-matched contributions.
The Dave McNary Memorial Endowment
In honor and memory of an extraordinary journalist, brother, husband, and friend, the family, friends, classmates and colleagues of Dave McNary ’74 established the Dave McNary Memorial Scholarship Endowment for Journalism at UCLA. This endowment will provide perpetual scholarship support to student-journalists following in Dave’s footsteps at The UCLA Daily Bruin, where Dave began his career and which he championed enthusiastically as a UCLA alumnus.
Bob Seizer Memorial Endowment
Bob was the Sports Editor of the Daily Bruin from 1951 to 1954, combining his love of sports and of writing. His column was “Sizing It Up” – and he did that so well. Bob went on to join the LA Times as a sports reporter, then on to writing a national radio show, later to directing eight Olympics films, writing books with UCLA’s basketball coaches and instructionals with the best golf players and, capping his sports career, directing, and producing a long-running Emmy-winning sports interview show, called both “Up Close” and “SportsLook,” that aired daily on national television. The UCLA Daily Bruin paved the way for him, and he left big footsteps for his successors to fill. He mentored many in his field, and this Endowment will build on that legacy. Student editors will receive this merit-based Scholarship, relieving their financial burden and allowing them to spend more time on the Daily Bruin.
Eric Mandel Memorial Endowment
In memory of Eric G. Mandel ’76, we have established The Eric Mandel Daily Bruin Journalism Scholarship to support student journalists at UCLA’s Daily Bruin who share his passion for truth, curiosity, and giving others a voice—especially those who face financial barriers in pursuing their education. Eric was a journalist through and through—a truth-seeker, storyteller, and deeply principled man whose life was defined by integrity, compassion, and an unwavering curiosity about the world. Those who knew him remember one of the kindest, most ethical individuals they could hope to meet—a man of substance and warmth, whose quiet generosity and thirst for knowledge left an indelible mark on everyone around him.
DBAN Mentoring Program
The Daily Bruin Alumni Network Mentoring Program, which began operating in early 2022, is designed to serve as a professional-development resource for current Daily Bruin staff members.
Originally crafted as a pilot project targeting the five 2021-22 DBAN Scholarship students, the program exceeded initial expectations by starting in February 2022 with mentors, drawn from the DBAN community, for 12 Daily Bruin staff members. Mentors, drawn from more than half a century of Daily Bruin alums, were encouraged to meet onsite or online with their protégés every couple of weeks through June 2022 to support those protégés in achieving concrete, measurable results focused on the students’ professional-development goals.
As the program expands, participating students—protégés—will continue to be matched with an appropriate Daily Bruin alum, based on their development needs and goals, for the duration of the program.
Mentors—alums of the Daily Bruin—work with their protégés at least one hour once a month (onsite or online, whatever each mentor/protégé team determines is best suited to the work they will do together) to help the students develop the skills they need to thrive at the Bruin and will also work with them as they shape their career goals.
All participants are encouraged to attend an initial online meeting to set the tone for the project. Monthly drop-in optional one-hour Zoom sessions are held for interested mentors and protégés to discuss whatever is of interest to them within the context of developing their professional skills and career plans.(These sessions provide a virtual lounge, where conversation can center on what is important to participants in terms of their current and long-term career development.)
Each protégé is very much in the driver’s seat in terms of developing, with guidance from a mentor, concrete goals/products the student wants to reach/produce by the time that student has finished working with a mentor.
Two project facilitators—Paul Signorelli and Laureen Lazarovici—remain available to participants to be sure that the program runs smoothly and that any problems students and mentors encounter are dealt with expeditiously.
For more information, please contact Paul Signorelli (paul@paulsignorelli.com) and Matthew Royer (mattlew7062@gmail.com).
Section Alumni Coaching
DBAN has launched an alumni coaching program for individual DB sections. DB Alumni coaches will have the opportunity to share their experience, as well as institutional memories of The Bruin.
We’re working to resume coaching programs for Sports and News, with plans for other sections in discussion.
Program:
- At least three (3) DB alums will be assigned to a designated section per quarter.
- Alum coaches are expected to read their designated section and provide substantive feedback in regular critique memos.
- This can vary by section, but coaches will typically attend one (1) all-editors meeting per month via Zoom.
- Alum coaches will also offer section-specific advice as needed. e.g. in DB Sports, how do I get the most out of an SID or interview, how do I develop a coverage plan for my beat, how do I manage school and travel on the beat, etc.
Expected time commitment: 6 to 8 hours per month, usually spent on critiques of current coverage and monthly mentorship readings. Tasks include offering insights on new challenges facing student newspapers today, coaching up student-staffers, and sharing the best practices from your days in your DB section, as well as your real world work experience.
DBAN Mentoring Committee: Alumni section coaches are welcomed to attend DBAN virtual gatherings each month to further engage with the staffers.
Contacts at DBAN:
Claire Fahy ’17, clairefahy15@gmail.com
Jeong Park ’17, Jeongpark52@gmail.com
Mackenzie Possee ‘18, kenziepossee@gmail.com
leadership
Board of Directors
President
Paul Signorelli ’76
Vice President, Reunions and Events
Marilyn Chavez-Martinez ’22
Vice President, Membership and Networking
Matthew Royer ’24
Vice President, Learning and Professional Development
Connie Guglielmo ’83
Jeong Park ’17
Vice President, Scholarships and Grants
Sarah Ravani ’91
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Ken Peterson ’74
Vice President, Finance
Michael Sneag ’02
Secretary
Missy Anderson ’97
DBAN Newsletter Editor
Megan Tagami ’23