The Cancer Center’s Community Advisory Board
The Cancer Center’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) is comprised of nine community leaders representing all racial/ethnic populations, cancer survivors (two CAB members), and rural/urban counties spanning across the Cancer Center’s 19-county catchment area. An integral group to the Cancer Center, the CAB meets bimonthly (6 times per year) to provide direct input to the Center’s director, Primo “Lucky” Lara and other leadership on the needs of the catchment area and assists with directing the Center’s research priorities.
Debra Oto-Kent, M.P.H
Founder and Executive Director, Health Education Council, a community-based organization focused on reducing health disparities, primarily for low-income, African Americans, and Latinos communities, in the Sacramento region.
(All 19 catchment counties)
Mark Meeks
Pastor, City Church of Sacramento--a socially, culturally, racially and economically diverse community in Oak Park. With a straightforward mission of loving God and loving others, City Church is focused on helping meet a diversity of spiritual, physical and societal needs. (Sacramento County)
Chester Austin, M.D.
Medical Director, Northern Valley Indian Health, Inc, a private, nonprofit tribal organization that provides Medical, Behavioral Health and Dental services. Chair of Community Advisory Board.
(Glenn, Butte, and Yolo counties and portions of Colusa and Tehama counties)
Miriam Hernandez, MD
Workforce Training Manager, Vision y Compromiso.
(All 19 catchment counties/statewide)
Kathryn A. Duun, B.S.N.
An oncology nurse with vast experiences in clinical trials and the pharmaceutical industry as she worked at Genentech for 25 years. She has led project teams, physician and nursing advisory boards, managed people, and consulted in healthcare.
(Amador County)
Jose R. Rodriguez
President and CEO of El Concilio, which is the largest Latino, community-based, non-profit agency in the Central Valley. El Concilio helps people create better futures for themselves and their families, become leaders to the community, and in turn empower others.
(San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties)
Effie Ruggles, MPH
Manager, Community Health Relations, River City Medical Group (Sacramento County)
River City Medical Group is one of the largest independent physician groups in Northern California committed to helping patients gain access to member-centered health care. She is responsible for building public/private partnerships that support RCMG’s core mission and values. Effie is a graduate of UCLA and the University of Michigan. She has worked for 30 years in the Sacramento valley to improve access to care for women and children in underserved communities. Her guiding motto is the traditional Masai greeting- “And how are the children?
Cindy Snelgrove, M.B.A., M.S.N., H.C.M., R.N., Ph.N.
Chief Clinical Services Officer at Ampla Health which is a network of community-based federally qualified health centers offering comprehensive medical, dental, mental health, and specialty healthcare services in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba counties. She is responsible for the implementation, delivery coordinating, and supervision of clinical and programmatic services provided in the clinical area’s of Ampla Health’s 13 clinical locations. She sits on the Executive Team influencing Ampla Health’s strategic direction while also ensuring clinical goals and initiatives are aligned in order to advance organizational success.
(Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter and Yuba counties)
Tsia Xiong
Asian and Pacific Islander Rural Alliance of California.
(Merced County)
Jo Ann Yee
Co-Founder, Francis Yee Fund for Cancer Health Disparities Research and a long-time resident of Sacramento, CA.
(Sacramento County)
For more information about how to become a Community Advisory Board member, please contact: hs-ucdcancer@ucdavis.edu