Spencer Ton is a Senior Advisor to the President at Fulbright University Vietnam. Spencer leverages his 12 years of experience building and scaling startup initiatives to develop executive education, foster partnerships with the private sector and other institutions, as well as design alternative revenue generation activities. In addition, Spencer also supports Fulbright’s fundraising and strategic priorities.
Prior to joining Fulbright, Spencer was the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the African Leadership Group, a Partner at Vitrum Capital, the Founding Executive Director at the Cordes Foundation, and a Director at the Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of the Pacific.
Spencer serves on a number of boards including Educate!, Design Capital Asia, and was formerly a Trustee at the Ashesi University Foundation, an American style liberal arts University in Ghana.
He also worked for several years as the Co-Founder of Design Capital Asia in Hue, Vietnam where he helped establish a debt fund and design incubator supporting the growth of artisan SMEs in Central Vietnam. After University, Spencer served as a Teach in Asia Fellow at the College of Foreign Languages in Hue, Vietnam.
Spencer graduated from University of the Pacific, with a B.A. in International Relations & Chinese Studies and a minor in Economics.
He is an avid traveler (48 countries to date), and is passionate about music, food, and design.
Spencer Ton is a Senior Advisor to the President at Fulbright University Vietnam. Spencer leverages his 12 years of experience building and scaling startup initiatives to develop executive education, foster partnerships with the private sector and other institutions, as well as design alternative revenue generation activities. In addition, Spencer also supports Fulbright’s fundraising and strategic priorities.
Prior to joining Fulbright, Spencer was the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the African Leadership Group, a Partner at Vitrum Capital, the Founding Executive Director at the Cordes Foundation, and a Director at the Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of the Pacific.
Spencer serves on a number of boards including Educate!, Design Capital Asia, and was formerly a Trustee at the Ashesi University Foundation, an American style liberal arts University in Ghana.
He also worked for several years as the Co-Founder of Design Capital Asia in Hue, Vietnam where he helped establish a debt fund and design incubator supporting the growth of artisan SMEs in Central Vietnam. After University, Spencer served as a Teach in Asia Fellow at the College of Foreign Languages in Hue, Vietnam.
Spencer graduated from University of the Pacific, with a B.A. in International Relations & Chinese Studies and a minor in Economics.
He is an avid traveler (48 countries to date), and is passionate about music, food, and design.
Melissa J. Ma is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Asia Alternatives. She splits her time between Asia Alternatives’ Hong Kong and San Francisco offices. Ms. Ma is on the Firm’s Investment Committee and co-leads Asia Alternatives’ investments in buyout and direct co-investments. In addition, she oversees investor relations, asset allocation and investment strategy and process.
Prior to launching Asia Alternatives, Ms. Ma was a Director at H&F, a San Francisco-based private equity firm. Previously, Ms. Ma worked at McKinsey & Co., Inc. in the Hong Kong and San Francisco offices. Ma was also a Financial Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Ms. Ma received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and holds an A.B. in Economics and East Asian Studies, magna cum laude, from Harvard College. She is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.
Ms. Ma currently sits on a number of Advisory Boards for several of Asia Alternatives’ private equity and special situations funds. In addition, she serves on the Boards of the CAIA Association, Burke’s School, One Sky (formerly Half the Sky), San Francisco Zoo and Harvard Alumni Association. She serves as a Co-Chair for the Harvard College Fund Executive Committee. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Asia Society (Northern California) and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Gold, the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Committee on United States-China Relations.
Melissa J. Ma is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Asia Alternatives. She splits her time between Asia Alternatives’ Hong Kong and San Francisco offices. Ms. Ma is on the Firm’s Investment Committee and co-leads Asia Alternatives’ investments in buyout and direct co-investments. In addition, she oversees investor relations, asset allocation and investment strategy and process.
Prior to launching Asia Alternatives, Ms. Ma was a Director at H&F, a San Francisco-based private equity firm. Previously, Ms. Ma worked at McKinsey & Co., Inc. in the Hong Kong and San Francisco offices. Ma was also a Financial Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Ms. Ma received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and holds an A.B. in Economics and East Asian Studies, magna cum laude, from Harvard College. She is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.
Ms. Ma currently sits on a number of Advisory Boards for several of Asia Alternatives’ private equity and special situations funds. In addition, she serves on the Boards of the CAIA Association, Burke’s School, One Sky (formerly Half the Sky), San Francisco Zoo and Harvard Alumni Association. She serves as a Co-Chair for the Harvard College Fund Executive Committee. She is also on the Advisory Board for the Asia Society (Northern California) and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Gold, the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Committee on United States-China Relations.
Dr. Viet Nguyen obtained her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Sociology from the University of California, Riverside. She then obtained her MPH, focusing on infectious diseases and global health, from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed medical school at UCLA, where she also completed her general psychiatry training, as a Harbor Track Intern. She also created a community and global mental health interest group, and became the first CGP chief resident at UCLA. She helped design and participated in global mental health electives as a resident in South Africa and Indonesia. She then became the first global mental health fellow at the University of California, San Francisco’s HEAL (Health, Equity, Action, Leadership) Initiative, where she worked in rural Nepal as a consultant psychiatrist helping to build and integrate mental health systems into primary care. She also worked in LA County’s Department of Mental Health, doing field based work with highly vulnerable populations (severely mentally ill, geriatric, undocumented, and homeless). Aside from the aforementioned, she also has global health experience in Nigeria, Malawi, and India.
Dr. Nguyen is currently working at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health as a Street Psychiatrist. She also has volunteered for Physicians for Human Rights, providing asylum evaluations, since 2015. She is the medical director for Homeless Healthcare, Los Angeles. She is also a community organizer and focuses on abolition work in Los Angeles.
Dr. Viet Nguyen obtained her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Sociology from the University of California, Riverside. She then obtained her MPH, focusing on infectious diseases and global health, from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed medical school at UCLA, where she also completed her general psychiatry training, as a Harbor Track Intern. She also created a community and global mental health interest group, and became the first CGP chief resident at UCLA. She helped design and participated in global mental health electives as a resident in South Africa and Indonesia. She then became the first global mental health fellow at the University of California, San Francisco’s HEAL (Health, Equity, Action, Leadership) Initiative, where she worked in rural Nepal as a consultant psychiatrist helping to build and integrate mental health systems into primary care. She also worked in LA County’s Department of Mental Health, doing field based work with highly vulnerable populations (severely mentally ill, geriatric, undocumented, and homeless). Aside from the aforementioned, she also has global health experience in Nigeria, Malawi, and India.
Dr. Nguyen is currently working at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health as a Street Psychiatrist. She also has volunteered for Physicians for Human Rights, providing asylum evaluations, since 2015. She is the medical director for Homeless Healthcare, Los Angeles. She is also a community organizer and focuses on abolition work in Los Angeles.
Alec Calac is a medical student at UC San Diego where he is also pursuing a PhD in the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health (Global Health Track) at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and School of Public Health at San Diego State University. He was previously in the inaugural health policy fellowship sponsored by the National Indian Health Board. He now works collaboratively with the Global Health Policy and Data Institute on research projects that synthesize public health, global health, social media, and health technology.
His research and advising interests are in medical education and workforce development, tribal public health, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation spread, and social media utilization among Native youth. As the national president-elect of the Association of Native American Medical Students, he also works at the local, state, and federal level to identify barriers and facilitators to greater inclusion of Native Americans in medicine and the allied health professions.
Alec Calac is a medical student at UC San Diego where he is also pursuing a PhD in the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health (Global Health Track) at the UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and School of Public Health at San Diego State University. He was previously in the inaugural health policy fellowship sponsored by the National Indian Health Board. He now works collaboratively with the Global Health Policy and Data Institute on research projects that synthesize public health, global health, social media, and health technology.
His research and advising interests are in medical education and workforce development, tribal public health, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation spread, and social media utilization among Native youth. As the national president-elect of the Association of Native American Medical Students, he also works at the local, state, and federal level to identify barriers and facilitators to greater inclusion of Native Americans in medicine and the allied health professions.
Veronica Aragon was born in Santa Ines Yatzeche, a small village in the valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. She identifies as “indigena Zapoteca”. She is trilingual: her native languages are Zapoteco and Spanish.
Veronica’s family settled in Pacific Grove, CA when she was two years old, and her two younger brothers and sister were born at Natividad. Her family worked in the fields and currently work in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Living in poverty in Monterey County, her family faced many challenges, such as access to healthcare and safe housing. Although Veronica grew up in America aka “el norte”, her family continued to practice their traditional beliefs and customs, which kept them connected to home.
Veronica dropped out of high school and married at age 15. Marrying young is customary in her community of origin in Oaxaca. Prior to delivering her first child at the age of 17, and with encouragement from the doctors and nurses at her primary care clinic, Veronica obtained her GED and High School diploma at a local adult school. In 2000, she was hired as the first indigenous interpreter for the Monterey County Public Health Nursing division. She worked in Public Health Nursing for ten years as an interpreter, community service aide, and lactation counselor. She also has experience in home health and hospice, and currently serves the community at Natividad as a Registered Nurse in Perinatal Services. She also works at another local hospital in Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical and is an active member in her community. Veronica firmly believes that the caring attitudes, compassion, and most of all encouragement from the health professionals she encountered as a young mother made it possible for her to beat the odds stacked against people like herself and her community.
Veronica appreciates continued learning and teaching! She currently holds a Masters in Nursing Leadership and Management, PHN and is currently pursuing a second Masters in FNP with DNP companion.
Veronica currently lives in Pacific Grove with her husband Cirilo and youngest son Brandon, who is also starting his career in the medical field. Veronica and her husband enjoy an active lifestyle, spend time with family and friends. She is especially excited to be reunited with her eldest son Damean after serving in the military—he has been inspired to pursue medicine.
The HEAL Fellowship is an ideal fit with Veronica’s passions for working with families and underserved communities and representing her indigenous community.
Veronica Aragon was born in Santa Ines Yatzeche, a small village in the valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. She identifies as “indigena Zapoteca”. She is trilingual: her native languages are Zapoteco and Spanish.
Veronica’s family settled in Pacific Grove, CA when she was two years old, and her two younger brothers and sister were born at Natividad. Her family worked in the fields and currently work in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Living in poverty in Monterey County, her family faced many challenges, such as access to healthcare and safe housing. Although Veronica grew up in America aka “el norte”, her family continued to practice their traditional beliefs and customs, which kept them connected to home.
Veronica dropped out of high school and married at age 15. Marrying young is customary in her community of origin in Oaxaca. Prior to delivering her first child at the age of 17, and with encouragement from the doctors and nurses at her primary care clinic, Veronica obtained her GED and High School diploma at a local adult school. In 2000, she was hired as the first indigenous interpreter for the Monterey County Public Health Nursing division. She worked in Public Health Nursing for ten years as an interpreter, community service aide, and lactation counselor. She also has experience in home health and hospice, and currently serves the community at Natividad as a Registered Nurse in Perinatal Services. She also works at another local hospital in Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical and is an active member in her community. Veronica firmly believes that the caring attitudes, compassion, and most of all encouragement from the health professionals she encountered as a young mother made it possible for her to beat the odds stacked against people like herself and her community.
Veronica appreciates continued learning and teaching! She currently holds a Masters in Nursing Leadership and Management, PHN and is currently pursuing a second Masters in FNP with DNP companion.
Veronica currently lives in Pacific Grove with her husband Cirilo and youngest son Brandon, who is also starting his career in the medical field. Veronica and her husband enjoy an active lifestyle, spend time with family and friends. She is especially excited to be reunited with her eldest son Damean after serving in the military—he has been inspired to pursue medicine.
The HEAL Fellowship is an ideal fit with Veronica’s passions for working with families and underserved communities and representing her indigenous community.
Dr. Susan Karol, MD, is presently the Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs and the former Chief Medical Officer for the Indian Health Service (IHS) from 2008 until 2017. Under Dr. Karol’s leadership, 100% of IHS federal birthing hospitals became Baby-Friendly designated by December, 2014. IHS is the principal federal health care provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives. A member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation, Dr. Karol has also served as the Medical Director of The Hunt Breast Center, Hunt Hospital, Danvers, Massachusetts, and, from 1996 to 2008, as Chief of Surgery at Beverly Hospital, in Beverly, Massachusetts. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomat for the American Board of Surgery.
Dr. Susan Karol, MD, is presently the Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Tribal Affairs and the former Chief Medical Officer for the Indian Health Service (IHS) from 2008 until 2017. Under Dr. Karol’s leadership, 100% of IHS federal birthing hospitals became Baby-Friendly designated by December, 2014. IHS is the principal federal health care provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives. A member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation, Dr. Karol has also served as the Medical Director of The Hunt Breast Center, Hunt Hospital, Danvers, Massachusetts, and, from 1996 to 2008, as Chief of Surgery at Beverly Hospital, in Beverly, Massachusetts. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomat for the American Board of Surgery.
Heather McLeod Grant is a thought leader, entrepreneur, and senior advisor with more than 30 years experience in the social sector. She is the co-founder of Open Impact–a national philanthropy advising firm based in Silicon Valley–who brings creativity, strategic insight, compelling storytelling, and a racial justice lens to her work. For the past two decades, she has advised top nonprofits, foundations, and donors on scaling their impact–with an emphasis on strategy formation, organizational capacity building, leadership development, and networks for social change.
Heather is co-author of the bestselling book Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High Impact Nonprofits, and numerous other publications and reports, including The Giving Code, The Giving Journey, Pioneers in Justice, The New Normal, Building Capacity for Sustained Collaboration, and Leading Systems Change. Her work has been cited widely in the mainstream press, and she has delivered more than 150 keynote speeches or workshops at industry conferences. Heather began her career as an Echoing Green Fellow and co-founder of Who Cares magazine in the 1990s. She then worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. and helped lead Monitor Institute’s nonprofit practice before co-founding Open Impact in 2016. She has been a Venture Partner with Draper Richards Kaplan; designed and ran the Irvine New Leadership Network in California’s Central Valley for five years; has served on multiple local, national, and global nonprofit boards; and was recently named among the 25 most influential Bay Area leaders in San Francisco magazine. Heather has an MBA from Stanford University and an AB from Harvard, and lives in Silicon Valley with her husband and teen daughter.
Heather McLeod Grant is a thought leader, entrepreneur, and senior advisor with more than 30 years experience in the social sector. She is the co-founder of Open Impact–a national philanthropy advising firm based in Silicon Valley–who brings creativity, strategic insight, compelling storytelling, and a racial justice lens to her work. For the past two decades, she has advised top nonprofits, foundations, and donors on scaling their impact–with an emphasis on strategy formation, organizational capacity building, leadership development, and networks for social change.
Heather is co-author of the bestselling book Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High Impact Nonprofits, and numerous other publications and reports, including The Giving Code, The Giving Journey, Pioneers in Justice, The New Normal, Building Capacity for Sustained Collaboration, and Leading Systems Change. Her work has been cited widely in the mainstream press, and she has delivered more than 150 keynote speeches or workshops at industry conferences. Heather began her career as an Echoing Green Fellow and co-founder of Who Cares magazine in the 1990s. She then worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. and helped lead Monitor Institute’s nonprofit practice before co-founding Open Impact in 2016. She has been a Venture Partner with Draper Richards Kaplan; designed and ran the Irvine New Leadership Network in California’s Central Valley for five years; has served on multiple local, national, and global nonprofit boards; and was recently named among the 25 most influential Bay Area leaders in San Francisco magazine. Heather has an MBA from Stanford University and an AB from Harvard, and lives in Silicon Valley with her husband and teen daughter.
Dr. Fred St Goar has been practicing cardiology at El Camino Health in Mt View for 30 years. He has a passion for optimizing care, and takes a sincere interest in the long-term health and wellness of his patients. Early in his career he was involved in the development of the interventional cardiology approach for the management of heart attacks. He is also a leader in structural heart valve repairs and pioneered the catheter-based approach to mitral regurgitation (MR). In 1999, he founded the company Evalve which developed the MitraClip, the sole FDA approved percutaneous therapy of MR. Dr. St Goar serves as the Medical Director of El Camino Hospital’s Norma Melchor Heart and Vascular Institute and is also the vice chairman of the board of the non profit med tech incubator, Fogarty Innovation. More recently Dr St Goar has developed an interest in innovating therapeutics for the developing world. He thus teaches at, and serves as an advisor to, the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. He also advises the Village Health Works endeavor in Burundi. Dr St Goar went to medical school at Harvard where he serves on the Dean’s Global Health Advisory Council, and he completed his internal medicine and cardiology training at Stanford. He is married to Dr Anne Friedlander, who is a Human Biology Professor at Stanford, and has three grown children.
Dr. Fred St Goar has been practicing cardiology at El Camino Health in Mt View for 30 years. He has a passion for optimizing care, and takes a sincere interest in the long-term health and wellness of his patients. Early in his career he was involved in the development of the interventional cardiology approach for the management of heart attacks. He is also a leader in structural heart valve repairs and pioneered the catheter-based approach to mitral regurgitation (MR). In 1999, he founded the company Evalve which developed the MitraClip, the sole FDA approved percutaneous therapy of MR. Dr. St Goar serves as the Medical Director of El Camino Hospital’s Norma Melchor Heart and Vascular Institute and is also the vice chairman of the board of the non profit med tech incubator, Fogarty Innovation. More recently Dr St Goar has developed an interest in innovating therapeutics for the developing world. He thus teaches at, and serves as an advisor to, the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. He also advises the Village Health Works endeavor in Burundi. Dr St Goar went to medical school at Harvard where he serves on the Dean’s Global Health Advisory Council, and he completed his internal medicine and cardiology training at Stanford. He is married to Dr Anne Friedlander, who is a Human Biology Professor at Stanford, and has three grown children.
Savior Mendin is Last Mile Health’s County Manager. In this role, Savior oversees the the County’s implementation of the National community Health Assistant Program where Last Mile Health closely works with the Liberia Ministry of Health to manage the Program in Grand Bassa County, rural Liberia. Community health has always been a calling for Savior, who was first inspired by a compassionate nurse who cared for her during a serious illness. It was during her first job as a nurse, when she was based in a rural health facility in Rivercess County, that Savior began to recognize the value of community health work to bridge the gap between underserved communities and the broader health system.
When the Ebola epidemic struck Liberia, Savior worked at an Ebola Treatment Unit and went on to supervise a frontline Ebola investigation team in Monrovia, a job that was extremely dangerous and profoundly taxing both emotionally and physically. Committed to lending her skills to help her country as the Ebola crisis wane down, Savior was recruited to join Last Mile Health as a Medical Officer and she provided mentorship and support to the Rivercess County Health Team and local clinical staff, and was responsible for the distribution of Infection, Prevention, and Control supplies and maternal kits. She was then promoted to Training Supervisor and then Training Manager, where she oversaw training to ensure quality and provided post-training supervision to clinical supervisors and community health workers. Following the launch of the National CHA Program, Savior has played an instrumental role in ensuring community health worker and clinical supervisor trainings conducted are of the highest quality and result in impact. She also served in an Interim Director of Programs role in Malawi, supporting the Last Mile Health Malawi team to launch a new country strategy and move forward on their health system strengthening strategic objectives.
Savior has now been with Last Mile Health for seven years, during which she has become a leader in the organization valued for her commitment to quality. She holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Liverpool, and is also an alumnus of the prestigious Health Equity Action and Leadership (HEAL) Fellowship through the University of California San Francisco and Last Mile Health. In line with her role in ensuring the highest quality of Last Mile Health’s programs, Savior continues to work to build and strengthen the capacity of community health professionals to save lives at the last mile.
Savior Mendin is Last Mile Health’s County Manager. In this role, Savior oversees the the County’s implementation of the National community Health Assistant Program where Last Mile Health closely works with the Liberia Ministry of Health to manage the Program in Grand Bassa County, rural Liberia. Community health has always been a calling for Savior, who was first inspired by a compassionate nurse who cared for her during a serious illness. It was during her first job as a nurse, when she was based in a rural health facility in Rivercess County, that Savior began to recognize the value of community health work to bridge the gap between underserved communities and the broader health system.
When the Ebola epidemic struck Liberia, Savior worked at an Ebola Treatment Unit and went on to supervise a frontline Ebola investigation team in Monrovia, a job that was extremely dangerous and profoundly taxing both emotionally and physically. Committed to lending her skills to help her country as the Ebola crisis wane down, Savior was recruited to join Last Mile Health as a Medical Officer and she provided mentorship and support to the Rivercess County Health Team and local clinical staff, and was responsible for the distribution of Infection, Prevention, and Control supplies and maternal kits. She was then promoted to Training Supervisor and then Training Manager, where she oversaw training to ensure quality and provided post-training supervision to clinical supervisors and community health workers. Following the launch of the National CHA Program, Savior has played an instrumental role in ensuring community health worker and clinical supervisor trainings conducted are of the highest quality and result in impact. She also served in an Interim Director of Programs role in Malawi, supporting the Last Mile Health Malawi team to launch a new country strategy and move forward on their health system strengthening strategic objectives.
Savior has now been with Last Mile Health for seven years, during which she has become a leader in the organization valued for her commitment to quality. She holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Liverpool, and is also an alumnus of the prestigious Health Equity Action and Leadership (HEAL) Fellowship through the University of California San Francisco and Last Mile Health. In line with her role in ensuring the highest quality of Last Mile Health’s programs, Savior continues to work to build and strengthen the capacity of community health professionals to save lives at the last mile.
Jesse Abelson is a physician from Chicago, IL. He graduated from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, after which he completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Washington. He has worked as a hospitalist at the Seattle VA, at Los Angeles County Hospital, and at the University of California, San Francisco. He currently lives in San Francisco with his family.
Jesse Abelson is a physician from Chicago, IL. He graduated from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, after which he completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Washington. He has worked as a hospitalist at the Seattle VA, at Los Angeles County Hospital, and at the University of California, San Francisco. He currently lives in San Francisco with his family.
Dr. Eric Esrailian is the Chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where he is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Medicine. He attended the University of California at Berkeley and graduated with a major in integrative biology and a minor in English. He subsequently graduated from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Southern California.
He was named intern, junior resident, and senior resident of the year during all three years of his residency training. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at UCLA where he also obtained a masters of public health degree with the assistance of an NIH sponsored training grant. He is also a graduate of the Executive Program in Management from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Dr. Esrailian served on the Medical Board of California from 2010-2011 after being appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In addition to disease areas within gastroenterology and internal medicine, Dr. Esrailian has a particular interest in the development of biomedical innovations, value in health care, medical education, initiatives towards patient-centered care, and connections between health and human rights.
In 2012, DGSOM awarded him the Lincy Foundation Chair in Clinical Gastroenterology. He is closely involved in growth strategy and strategic planning efforts for the UCLA Health System and DGSOM. He also works to facilitate community engagement with a number of other schools and departments within the UCLA campus and its Los Angeles community partners, and he was on the Executive Committee for the Centennial Campaign. He is now one of the co-chairs for the university’s Second Century Council. In 2020, he launched the UCLA Leaders of Tomorrow series to emphasize essential leadership skills through some of the most influential and successful leaders in our community. Dr. Esrailian was named the 43rd Annual Lester Breslow Distinguished Scholar and Lecturer by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
He is also an Emmy-nominated film producer, investor, and entrepreneur. Most notably, he produced “The Promise” by Terry George, starring Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale. He also produced the educational companion documentary “Intent to Destroy” with Joe Berlinger, which was nominated for an Outstanding Historical Documentary Emmy. These films, and the accompanying social impact campaigns, drew unprecedented attention to the Armenian Genocide, contributed to U.S. government recognition of the historical facts, and led to the creation of The Promise Institute for Human Rights and The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA.
He is actively involved in the leadership of several philanthropic organizations within UCLA and outside of the university. In 2017, the university designated Dr.Esrailian as a UCLA Optimist — among its notable alumni and faculty dedicated to solving the world’s problems. In 2021, he was also honored by Pope Francis at the Vatican with the Benemerenti Medal for his humanitarian activities around the world.
Dr. Eric Esrailian is the Chief of the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where he is a Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Medicine. He attended the University of California at Berkeley and graduated with a major in integrative biology and a minor in English. He subsequently graduated from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Southern California.
He was named intern, junior resident, and senior resident of the year during all three years of his residency training. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at UCLA where he also obtained a masters of public health degree with the assistance of an NIH sponsored training grant. He is also a graduate of the Executive Program in Management from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Dr. Esrailian served on the Medical Board of California from 2010-2011 after being appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In addition to disease areas within gastroenterology and internal medicine, Dr. Esrailian has a particular interest in the development of biomedical innovations, value in health care, medical education, initiatives towards patient-centered care, and connections between health and human rights.
In 2012, DGSOM awarded him the Lincy Foundation Chair in Clinical Gastroenterology. He is closely involved in growth strategy and strategic planning efforts for the UCLA Health System and DGSOM. He also works to facilitate community engagement with a number of other schools and departments within the UCLA campus and its Los Angeles community partners, and he was on the Executive Committee for the Centennial Campaign. He is now one of the co-chairs for the university’s Second Century Council. In 2020, he launched the UCLA Leaders of Tomorrow series to emphasize essential leadership skills through some of the most influential and successful leaders in our community. Dr. Esrailian was named the 43rd Annual Lester Breslow Distinguished Scholar and Lecturer by the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
He is also an Emmy-nominated film producer, investor, and entrepreneur. Most notably, he produced “The Promise” by Terry George, starring Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale. He also produced the educational companion documentary “Intent to Destroy” with Joe Berlinger, which was nominated for an Outstanding Historical Documentary Emmy. These films, and the accompanying social impact campaigns, drew unprecedented attention to the Armenian Genocide, contributed to U.S. government recognition of the historical facts, and led to the creation of The Promise Institute for Human Rights and The Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA.
He is actively involved in the leadership of several philanthropic organizations within UCLA and outside of the university. In 2017, the university designated Dr.Esrailian as a UCLA Optimist — among its notable alumni and faculty dedicated to solving the world’s problems. In 2021, he was also honored by Pope Francis at the Vatican with the Benemerenti Medal for his humanitarian activities around the world.
Dr. Anant Ahuja is a partner with PFM focusing on investments in public and private medical device companies. Dr. Ahuja graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Zoology, received his M.D. from New York Medical College and his MBA from Columbia Business School. Dr. Ahuja was a resident physician at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2005-2008). Prior to joining PFM, Dr. Ahuja was a senior analyst for the Global Equities Fund at Omers Capital Markets (2011-2014) and a consulting analyst at Spencer Capital Management.
Dr. Anant Ahuja is a partner with PFM focusing on investments in public and private medical device companies. Dr. Ahuja graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Zoology, received his M.D. from New York Medical College and his MBA from Columbia Business School. Dr. Ahuja was a resident physician at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2005-2008). Prior to joining PFM, Dr. Ahuja was a senior analyst for the Global Equities Fund at Omers Capital Markets (2011-2014) and a consulting analyst at Spencer Capital Management.
Julia Pettengill is the Executive Director of the Schooner Foundation, a Boston-based private foundation that seeks to advance human rights by leveraging funds where there is the greatest need and opportunity. In her role, she oversees the vision and execution of the Foundation’s strategic direction and grant-making in social Justice, global health equity, education, livelihoods and environmental initiatives, domestically and internationally. Julia comes from a diverse background in international development, nonprofit work, capacity building, and fundraising with a strong focus on sub-Saharan Africa, where she grew up. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and currently serves on the boards of Friendship Bench and Network of Engaged International Donors. Previously, Julia served as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Steering Committee, and co-chaired the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s pediatric patient and family advisory council.
Julia Pettengill is the Executive Director of the Schooner Foundation, a Boston-based private foundation that seeks to advance human rights by leveraging funds where there is the greatest need and opportunity. In her role, she oversees the vision and execution of the Foundation’s strategic direction and grant-making in social Justice, global health equity, education, livelihoods and environmental initiatives, domestically and internationally. Julia comes from a diverse background in international development, nonprofit work, capacity building, and fundraising with a strong focus on sub-Saharan Africa, where she grew up. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and currently serves on the boards of Friendship Bench and Network of Engaged International Donors. Previously, Julia served as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Steering Committee, and co-chaired the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s pediatric patient and family advisory council.