Utah AHEC Mentors
This is a sample of our amazing mentors, for the academic year 2022–2023. AHEC Scholars get a chance to meet and choose a mentor to work with during their time in the program, our mentors represent various geographic locations, as well as careers and different backgrounds.
Please check this list often as we keep recruiting new outstanding members of our community to serve in this program.
Ivette Lopez, PhD, MPH
Director, Utah AHEC
Professor (Lecturer), Family And Preventive Medicine, University of Utah
Jose E. Rodriguez, MD
Frank S Royal Professor and Chair of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College
Yasmen Simonian, PhD
Dean, Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions at Weber State University
Kasey DeLynn Shakespear, MHA, MPH, MA
Executive Director, Rural Health Association of Utah
Mindy Bateman, BS
Director, Crossroads Utah AHEC
Dawn Satterfield, PhD, MSN, RN
Health Educator
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Cam Torres, MD, MBA
Director, Physician-Patient Experience at Emerus Health
Fred Henderson, MHA
Director, Northern Utah AHEC
Juan Carlos Negrette, MBA
Director, Global Health at University of Utah — Health Sciences
Lisa Taylor-Swanson, PhD, LAc
Assistant Professor
College of Nursing
University of Utah
Darin T. Ryujin, PA, MPAS, PA-C
Vice Chair for Advocacy, Success and Impact
Division of Physician Assistant Education and Sciences
David Sandweiss, MD
Director of Rural and American Indian Outreach for the Dept of Pediatrics Global, Rural, and Underserved Child Health Program
Rachel Ceballos, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Utah, Family and Preventive Medicine
Senior Director for Community Outreach and Engagement, Huntsman Cancer Institute
Sonia A. Malik, MD, MHSA
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, University of Utah
Shawn Begay, MPA
Public Health Director
Utah Navajo Health System
Awais Riaz, MD, MA, PhD, FAAN, FAES
Director, Intraoperative Neurophysiologic Monitoring Services, University of Utah
Leisha Nolen, MD, PhD
Utah State Epidemiologist
Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Frankie Santos Laanan, PhD
Interim Dean & Professor
Department of Education, Culture, & Society and Educational Leadership & Policy at University of Utah
Jami Baayd, MSPH
Reproductive Health Researcher
ASCENT Center for Reproductive Health, University of Utah
Erica Torres, MPH
Community Outreach Specialist and Research Development Associate
ASCENT Center for Reproductive Health
Felix J. Roman Hernandez
DNP-PHNL, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor and Public Health Nurse
School of Nursing, University of Puerto Rico
Karen Mulitalo, MPAS, PA-C
Department Chair and Program Director, UVU Physician Assistant Studies
Michele Villalobos, PhD, MS, BSc (Hons)
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Utah
Katie Fortenberry, PhD,
Clinical Psychologist & Clinical Professor
Division of Family Medicine,
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah
Teresa DeAtley, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Division of Public Health
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah
Samira Oveson, DDS
Assistant Professor
Founder and Dentist at Lilac Dentistry
Tyler Watson, PhD
Executive Director, Southern Utah AHEC