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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.
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Christine Glissmann
Assistant Director of Health Promotion Services
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.
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Jorge Bru
Collegiate Recovery Coordinator
Jorge Bru (all pronouns) received their Community Studies B.A. from UC Santa Cruz, and worked in non-profits, County of Santa Cruz Public Health Department and at UC Santa Cruz. Jorge went to graduate school but decided to become a parent when presented with the opportunity to adopt a child, rather than completing their master's program. They would choose it again in a heartbeat!
Jorge comes from being Assistant Director, Senior Specialist of Harm Reduction and Recovery Services at UC Santa Cruz. They collaborated with students and staff to co-create and develop their Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP), and is excited to develop UC San Diego’s CRP, HEART (Harm-reduction, Education and Recovery Team).
Jorge’s loves supporting people who face barriers to access and sharing information, support and referrals for better balance, health, and well-being and mentoring student staff and volunteers in personal/professional growth and development.
Outside of UC San Diego, Jorge enjoys their part time business as a holistic health practitioner and massage therapist, time with their partner, attending live performances, i.e. concerts, plays, musicals, comedy or drag shows and finds peace in nature, from meditating in a forest to fun in the sun at beaches, hiking, camping, and traveling.
Please contact them if you would like to meet them for one-on-one support, Health and Wellness Coaching, volunteering for events, outreach, and training.
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Jaimee Davis-Kiser
Admin & Operations Assistant
Jaimee (she/her) is a San Diego native and a Triton undergraduate alumni with a B.A. in Communication, a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Houston, Clear Lake. She has a professional background in hospital administration and graduate medical education. After finishing graduate school in Texas, Jaimee chose to return to her home state with the intention of finding ways to improve and promote access to better healthcare for underserved and underrepresented communities. She has helped develop various health and wellness initiatives during her career and hopes to continue to utilize her skills to promote a healthy campus environment.
Jaimee enjoys immersing herself in new cultures, trying the newest restaurants in town with her husband, and finding all the dog friendly destinations to take their well-traveled Pekingese, Cosmo.
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Melissa McGuire
Health Educator: Sexual Health
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.
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Carina Mendoza
Health Educator: Mental Health
Carina (she/her) is a first-generation college graduate whose educational journey began at Santa Barbara City College, where she earned an AA-T in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. She continued on to California State University, Northridge, to complete her B.A. in Psychology, and afterward obtained her M.A. in Higher Education Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego. Carina has a background in higher education realms such as instructional support, mental health outreach, health promotion, and neurodiversity research. She has a passion for mental health and is committed to creating safe, empowering spaces that nurture students' academic and emotional well-being. In her free time, Carina enjoys fostering self-care through ocean adventures with her dog, Luca, exploring new coffee shops, and spending time with family.
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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!
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Marie Lea Rayo
Health Educator: The Zone
Marie Lea (she/her) has her B.S. in General Biology and Master's in Public Health with a specialization in Health Promotion. As a local San Diego resident and Triton undergraduate alumni, Marie Lea is excited to be back on campus as the Zone Coordinator. As an experienced Certified Health Education Specialist, Marie Lea has worked in multiple public health programs and provided education and training to several at-risk target populations regarding chronic disease prevention, childhood vaccines, COVID-19 emergency response, Hands-Only CPR training, and more.
Marie Lea looks forward to uplifting students and sharing resources to promote health and well-being at UCSD. In her free time, Marie Lea enjoys trying new restaurants and coffee shops, taking walks and hikes around town, and watching movies.
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Tay Richardson
Gender Affirming Care Coordinator
Tay Richardson, M.A., M.S., LPCC (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.
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Laura Ross
Health Educator: Peer Health
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.
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Jae Taylor
Health Educator: Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs
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.