-
Karin Omark
Director of Health Promotion Services
Karin (she/her) has bachelor’s degrees from UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies and Spanish, a Master’s in Education from Harvard University, and a Master’s of Public Health from UCLA. She has addressed many public health concerns during her career, including alcohol and other drug misuse, domestic violence, and chronic diseases, and strives to develop programs that are relevant and responsive to participants’ needs. Before coming to UC San Diego, she spent ten years in the San Francisco Bay Area leading a medical center’s health education department. Now back in her hometown, she enjoys getting reacquainted with the area while spending time with her husband and daughter.
-
Jeanette Cruz
Administrative and Operations Assistant
Jeanette Cruz has a B.A in Human Development from UC San Diego and a M.S. in Healthcare Administration from Cal State Long Beach. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and brings her professional experience from UCLA Health. Her hopes are to use her experience from a large healthcare organization and patient care to the department in order to best service UC San Diego students. Jeanette is excited to move back to sunny San Diego, but still cheer on her LA sports teams! During her free time you can find her at the beach, on an airplane or the Dodgers stadium.
-
Christine Glissmann
Health Educator: Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs
Christine has a B.S. in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition from the University of Missouri and a M.S. in Exercise and Wellness from Arizona State University. She has experience as a health professional in multiple settings including: Higher Education, mindfulness research, and the health and fitness industry. Christine is passionate about helping to guide others to develop the skills and mindset needed to reach their health goals and discover a healthier relationship with substances. Christine is from Omaha, Nebraska and cannot be convinced that the San Diego Zoo is better than the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo. She loves spending time outside and lifting heavy things and putting them back down.
-
Melissa McGuire
Health Educator: Women's Health/Non-Binary
Melissa McGuire (she/her/hers) earned her B.S. in Health Science from San Diego State University. She began her career in public health in the nonprofit sector, where she coordinated Title X family planning program services and performed community sexual health education and outreach throughout San Diego. She has a passion for health education and aspires to create an inclusive environment to help UC San Diego students improve their sexual health, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ health, and prevention of violence. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, traveling, and spending time with her dog.
-
Mely Quiroz
Gender Affirming Care Coordinator
Mely Quiroz (he/they/él/elle) received their M.S. in Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice Education from the Community Based Block program at San Diego State University. They completed their undergraduate degree from UC San Diego in 2015. Mely grew up in a mixed status family and as the youngest of three siblings has worked diligently to reunify their family and communities. Growing up in the hood, Mely's lived experiences led him to seek healing and empowerment through education in efforts to uplift their communities.
Mely has experience working as an associate therapist providing gender affirming, culturally competent, trauma informed care to trans and nonbinary children, teens, adults, and older adults who are seeking healing and wish to live authentically as themselves. Mely believes in the liberation of all trans people across the world and has joined UC San Diego to support trans and nonbinary students to succeed academically, socially, and holistically. During their free time, Mely enjoys learning about food, riding their bike, and taking urban walks with their dog. In the summer they love the beach!
-
Tay Richardson
Gender Affirming Care Coordinator
Tay Richardson, APCC (they/them/elle), is one of our Gender Affirming Care Coordinators within the Student Health and Well-Being cluster. Tay is a Black, nonbinary/trans, and queer therapist and educator who aims to form collaborative relationships and provide liberating support services.
Tay completed their Master of Science degree in Counseling with an emphasis on Multicultural Community Counseling and Social Justice Education at San Diego State University and holds a sex therapy certificate from the California School of Integral Studies. They also earned their B.S. in Arts Management and Music: Studio Composition and an M.A. in Entrepreneurship in the Arts from the State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase College.
Tay will help undergraduate, graduate, and professional students navigate insurance, health information, community-based resources, policies affecting trans and gender-diverse communities, and holistic gender affirming care.
In their free time, Tay enjoys consuming and creating music, dissecting anything horror-related, and spending time with their dogs.
-
Laura Ross
Health Educator: Peer Health and The Zone
Laura has a B.S. in Health Science from Long Beach State and earned her Masters in Public Health from Cal State Fullerton. Laura has achieved many years of experience working in diverse public health organizations including non-profit and private sectors, secondary high school, and higher education. She is passionate about growing young adults and supporting them in making healthier choices. Laura has spent the majority of her career serving in the topic area of Alcohol and Other Drugs and training others on evidence-based, harm reduction programs. Laura loves spending time hiking with her kids and watching sunsets.
-
Jae Taylor
Health Educator: Mental Health
Jae Taylor has a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Ethnic Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Master of Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health. Jae has previously worked in higher education health with a concentration on alcohol and other drug programming, as well as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor, and a Youth Prevention Specialist. Jae is looking forward to focusing on supporting students’ emotional well-being. In her free time, she enjoys taking dance classes, cooking, and lounging at the beach.