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Our Team

  • Karin Omark

    Karin Omark

    Director of Health Promotion Services

    komark@health.ucsd.edu

    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.

  • Christine Glissmann

    Christine Glissmann

    Assistant Director of Health Promotion Services

    cglissmann@health.ucsd.edu

    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.

  • Jaimee Davis-Kiser

    Jaimee Davis-Kiser

    Admin & Operations Assistant

    jnkiser@health.ucsd.edu

    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.

  • Andy Hoffman

    Andy Hoffman

    Collegiate Recovery Coordinator

    aphoffman@health.ucsd.edu

    Andy (he/him/his) is a Recovery Program Coordinator at Health Promotion Services. His goal is to help students who are struggling with addiction or addictive behaviors to lead healthy, vibrant, and fulfilling lives. In this role, Andy will create opportunities for individuals to build recovery capital, sustain a peer support network, and facilitate programming that supports students’ own recovery and/or reduction goals. Andy has M.S. in Student Affairs at Florida State University, where he facilitated programs centered on identity exploration and leadership development. He also earned his B.S. degree in Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Andy enjoys catching waves on his surfboard, learning jazz piano, and exploring San Diego with his partner.

  • Melissa McGuire

    Melissa McGuire

    Health Educator: Sexual Health

    memcguire@health.ucsd.edu

    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

    Mely Quiroz

    Gender Affirming Care Coordinator

    m1quiroz@health.ucsd.edu

    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

    Tay Richardson

    Gender Affirming Care Coordinator

    t3rich@health.ucsd.edu

    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

    Laura Ross

    Health Educator: Peer Health

    l2ross@health.ucsd.edu

    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

    Jae Taylor

    Health Educator: Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs

    jat016@health.ucsd.edu

    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.

  • Rhajaa Wright

    Rhajaa Wright

    The Zone Coordinator

    rhwright@health.ucsd.edu

    Rhajaa believes in the intersection of passion and purpose, and tirelessly encourages those around her to find how the two can connect. She received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University in Public Policy with minors in Education and African-American studies, and received her Master’s in Education from Harvard University in Human Development and Education. She is excited to be able to be back in her hometown of San Diego to work alongside students.

    As a first-generation college student, Rhajaa is not only an advocate for students pursuing college, but furthermore, students pursuing their wildest dreams. As The Zone Coordinator she aims to curate a space where students can just “be” and maybe do a little soul searching as well! 

    Inspired by her late grandmother, Yvonne, Rhajaa is a revolutionary at heart, and is always asking how we can love on ourselves, and love on others a little better. She is continuously working on fine-tuning her research and counseling practices, knowledge in the wellness field, and commitment to student-driven and community-based initiatives.

    In her spare time you can find her dancing, skating, trying out new restaurants or recipes, dreaming up some crazy ideas, if not, resting and recharging surrounded by something cozy!