U.S. Members

Border Health Liaison 
Arizona Office of Border Health (ADHS-OBH)
michelle.kreutzberg-martinez@azdhs.gov 

Michelle is the Border Health Liaison/Office Chief for the Department. She is responsible for forming partnerships and communicating with health officials from Sonora, Mexico, as well as other border region stakeholders regarding public health events or threats of mutual interest. She oversees the Border Infectious Disease Surveillance program at the Arizona Department of Health Services. She has been with the Arizona Department of Health Services since 2017, starting her ADHS career as an epidemiologist. Before that, she worked in mosquito abatement and surveillance for the Zika virus. She received her master’s degree in Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in 2016.

Special Government Employee, Arizona
jmelk@cchci.org
 

Dr. Jonathan Melk is a community pediatrician committed to eliminating health disparities in the borderlands of rural southeastern Arizona. Raised on a small family farm, he developed a keen drive to "make a positive impact" for rural people early in life. Later, public health work amongst children living in poverty in the United States and abroad resulted in his pursuit of a medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and training as a pediatrician at Phoenix Children's Hospital. To master Spanish, Dr. Melk led public health and community health worker projects in Costa Rica with the intention of one day practicing in a global health environment. He was long fascinated with the US/Mexico border, and that, combined with his deep interest in working with rural and medically underserved communities, brought him to Cochise County, Arizona, in 2006 to serve as the first pediatrician in the border community of Douglas, Arizona with the not-for-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. (CCHCI) (www.cchci.org). He quickly became captured by the comprehensive, community-based, mission-driven healthcare provided to everyone regardless of ability to pay, made possible by the FQHC healthcare model embodied by CCHCI. He became Director of Community Pediatrics in 2008 and then Chief Medical Officer in 2012. Beginning in 2014, he assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer and is honored to lead a team of competent, motivated professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of the people of Cochise County (a service area the size of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined). Since 2014, CCHCI has grown rapidly from an approximately $13 million budget to a $65 million budget (FY25) staffed with ~80 providers and ~465 employees. Dr. Melk's primary strategy to overcome Chiricahua's significant challenges has been to recruit a team of professionals with experience and commitment unheard of in many other under-resourced rural and board regions.

Dr. Melk and his family are not just residents of the border town of Douglas. They are deeply woven into its fabric. During his free time, Dr. Melk, along with his wife (also a pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer of CCHCI) and others, works tirelessly on an all-volunteer nonprofit development organization (Rosa Vera Fund, Inc.) (www.rosaverafund.org). This organization has provided medical treatment for children and employment/education for healthcare workers in the Republic of Bolivia since 2003. Dr. Melk's personal connection to the community is further evidenced by his love for the Arizona desert, Mexico, and beyond, which he enjoys exploring with his wife and children.

Special Government Employee, Arizona
Diana.Gomez@yumacountyaz.gov

Diana Gomez is the Chief Health Officer/ Director for the Yuma County Public Health Services District in Yuma County, Arizona. Yuma shares its southern border with Mexico, which has allowed Diana to collaborate on several binational projects with her colleagues in Mexico. She has worked in public health for over 25 years. She has served on various local, state, and national committees and workgroups to build and sustain collaborative partnerships that promote safe, healthy, and resilient communities. Her public health experience includes behavioral health, worksite wellness, maternal child health, injury prevention, health promotion, chronic disease management, emergency preparedness, program evaluation, and workforce development. Diana is a certified public manager, holistic stress management coach, worksite wellness specialist, integrative nutrition specialist, and diabetes prevention and self-management program facilitator. Diana Gomez is a leader in the field of public health. She is a member of the Arizona Local Health Officers Association and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security Regional Advisory Council. As a Flinn-Brown Fellow, Arizona Center for Rural Leadership Alum, and Co-President of the Binational Health and Environmental Council, she has demonstrated her commitment to advancing public health. Her contributions have been recognized by the Kresge Foundation, which named her an Emerging Leader in Public Health.

Director and State Public Health Officer
Meet the Director (ca.gov)
CA State Health Officer

Dr. Aragón serves as the director of the California Department of Public Health and the State Public Health Officer, since January 4, 2021. Prior to coming to CDPH, he was the health officer for the City and County of San Francisco and director of the public health division. 

Dr. Aragón has served in public health leadership roles for more than 20 years (communicable disease controller, deputy health officer, health officer, community health and chronic disease epidemiologist), including directing a public health emergency preparedness and response research and training center at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.

As CDPH director, striving to embody and promote the universal values of dignity, equity, compassion and humility, he works through collaborative partnerships to mobilize communities and institutions to transform policies and systems towards a culture of equity, antiracism, healing and health for all people and our planet. As State Public Health Officer, he exercises leadership and legal authority to protect health and prevent disease.

Dr. Aragón graduated from University of California, Berkeley (B.A., Molecular Biology; Dr.Ph., Epidemiology), Harvard Medical School (M.D.), Harvard School of Public Health (M.P.H.), and Stanford University (certification in Strategic Decision and Risk Management in Healthcare). He completed his clinical and research training at University of California, San Francisco (San Francisco General Hospital Primary Care Internal Medicine; Clinical Infectious Diseases; and Traineeship in AIDS Prevention Studies).

Chief, Office of Binational Border Health
Center for Infectious Diseases
California Department of Public Health
april.fernandez@cdph.ca.gov

April Fernández has over 30 years of public health management experience, encompassing a variety of public health issues, including reproductive health, telemedicine, migrant health, chronic and infectious diseases, and access to health care. She serves as the Chief for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Office of Binational Border Health (OBBH), coordinating public health program efforts along the California-Baja California border, as well as migrant populations within California. Through her commitment to social change issues, she has served in leadership roles as the co-chair for the Border Health Consortium of the Californias, a binational collaborative of public, private, and academic institutions with a mission to protect and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities along the California and Baja California border and as the Center Director for Planned Parenthood, providing quality reproductive healthcare to women and men in Ventura County, CA. April holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from San Francisco State University and a master’s in health leadership from the University of California San Diego and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica.

Special Government Employee
Lawrence.Kline@hhs.gov

Dr. Kline, originally from Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was educated at Temple University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. After his internship and medical residency at the U. S. Public Health Services Hospital in New York, he completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at the University of California, San Diego. He is board-certified in internal, pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. After completing his active duty with the U.S. Public Health Service as Director of Intensive Care and Assistant Chief of Medicine in New York, Dr. Kline joined Scripps Clinic in1978. He has served as Director of the Division of Chest and Critical Care, Medical Director of the Scripps Clinic Viterbi Family Sleep Center, a member of the Clinical Translational Science Award Committee, a member of the Internal Advisory Board of the Scripps Research Institute, Trustee of the Scripps Institute of Medicine and Science, and Trustee of the Scripps Health Board. He also served as Trustee of the Beckman Foundation, Associate Adjunct Professor of the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine of the Scripps Research Institute. He is currently an Associate Professor of the Department of Medicine Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of California School of Medicine.

Special Government Employee
powaym@aol.com

Dr. Kathleen Moser, originally from Washington, D.C., has resided in San Diego, California, for over 40 years. She received her M.D. degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, had internal medicine training at the University of Massachusetts, and obtained a Master's degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. She is Board-Certified in Preventive Medicine. 

Her career in public health has spanned 30+ years as the Director of Tuberculosis Control Services in the San Diego County's Health and Human Services Agency, where she oversaw clinical care and community-based outreach services for diverse populations. Her responsibilities expanded to include the County's Refugee Health Assessment Program, assuring medical screening and referral services for newly arriving individuals and families. In 2016, Dr. Moser joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine as Chief of the US-Mexico Unit. She is currently a CDC Guest Researcher. 

During her career, Dr. Moser has participated in infectious disease investigations and research projects ranging from proof of concept for video-based observed therapy for T.B. patients to identifying factors in pseudomonas exposures among medical tourists. She has also focused on bringing practical solutions to public health problems, including CureTB, a program that strengthens the continuity of care for transnationally mobile patients.

New Mexico Department of Health
Cabinet Secretary (nmhealth.org)
NM State Health Officer

Allen oversees the New Mexico public health system, statewide epidemiology and emergency response services, the state scientific laboratory, services for New Mexicans with developmental disabilities, statewide health facility regulation, and the operation of seven residential care facilities, including the Behavioral Health Institute and the New Mexico State Veteran's Home. For five years before his appointment, Allen held the position of Director at the Oregon Health Authority, the state's primary health agency. He was responsible for providing health insurance to more than 40% of Oregon's population through Medicaid and the state's health insurance marketplace and managing health insurance benefits for state and education employees throughout Oregon. He was also responsible for the statewide behavioral health system, including the Oregon State Hospital, a two-campus, 700-bed psychiatric facility. Allen also oversaw the state public health system, health policy, health facility regulation, and systems to regulate mergers and acquisitions and other health care costs. Allen was responsible for leading Oregon's overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which the Commonwealth Fund rated as the fifth best in the United States.

Interim Director, Public Health Division – Southwest Region
Director, NM Office of Border Health
Travis.Leyva@doh.nm.gov

Travis C. Leyva serves as the Office of Border Health Director and the Interim Public Health Division Director – SW Region within the New Mexico Department of Health. He is the NMDOH Health Secretary’s Delegate to the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission. As the Health Secretary’s Delegate, Mr. Leyva works closely with the Southwest Public Health Division in all eight state counties on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Office of Border Health is in the NMDOH Public Health Division and actively participates across the broad spectrum of public health activities in the Southwest Region. The activities include binational epidemiological surveillance, public health prevention services, and public health promotion. The Border Infectious Disease Surveillance Program is in the Office of Border Health and serves as a primary point of contact for binational infectious disease surveillance between New Mexico and Mexico.

Mr. Leyva earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from New Mexico State University and a Master Certificate of Business– Real Estate/Real Estate Law from Kaplan University. He has been published for his work with the 2006 binational border influenza surveillance system between the US and Mexico, has also been recognized statewide for his creation of the intervention tool “iHEAL - Integrated Health Education for Addictive Lifestyles” and was named the NMSU - 2021 Health and Social Services Distinguished Alumni. He has worked for the NMDOH employee for 19 years, 12 of which as the Southwest Region Disease Prevention Program Manager.

Mr. Leyva currently resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with his supporting wife of 23 years. They have 3 children that keep them on their toes, and they all enjoy living in New Mexico.

Special Government Employee
Bruce.Sanfilippo@hhs.gov

Dr. San Filippo served as the Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, from 2000 until his retirement in 2016. Dr. San Filippo previously served as chief of staff, interim president, and chief executive officer. Dr. San Filippo received his medical degree in 1973 from Albany Medical College in Albany, New York, and pursued neurosurgical training at the University of Iowa and Albany Medical College of Union University in Albany, New York. He was engaged in the private practice of neurologic surgery in Las Cruces from 1982 until 2005. In 2008, he obtained a Master of Medical Management from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He is an active member of the American Medical Association and a lifetime member of the American Association for Physician Leadership. In support of the New Mexico Office of Border Health, Dr. San Filippo is an ex-officio member of the New Mexico Border Health Council. Dr. San Filippo was appointed as a private member from New Mexico to the U.S.–Mexico Border Health Commission by President George W. Bush in 2006.

Special Government Employee, New Mexico
Susan.Forster-cox@hhs.gov

Dr. Sue Forster-Cox is a Professor Emerita with the Department of Public Health Sciences at New Mexico State University (NMSU). She taught various courses, including U.S. - Mexico Border Health Issues, Rural Health, and Foundations of Public Health Education, and oversaw the Field Experience requirement for all the Department’s students. Her research and community interests include public health workforce development and addressing food insecurity in New Mexico.

Her career spans 40+ years, beginning as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia, So. America, working as a malarial parasitologist, and later helping an American nurse to manage her small community clinic. She started the shelter and program for people experiencing interpersonal violence in Gallup, NM.

She has worked with various tribal communities in Nevada and New Mexico, directing their health programs. Her last 18 years found her as a professor of public health at NMSU, on the U.S. - Mexico border. Dr. Forster-Cox was an Obama appointee 2014 to the U.S. - Mexico Border Health Commission, serving as a private member from New Mexico. She serves on the Boards of the Roadrunner Food Bank and the National Peace Corps Association.

Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner
Commissioner | Texas DSHS

Dr. Shuford currently serves as the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. Under her leadership, the agency strives to achieve the vision of “A Healthy Texas” and fulfill the mission of improving the health, safety, and well-being of all Texans.

Dr. Shuford worked in Austin, Texas, as an infectious disease physician in private practice prior to joining Texas Department of State Health Services in 2017. Before becoming Commissioner, Dr. Shuford served DSHS as the Chief State Epidemiologist.

Dr. Shuford graduated from Colorado College in Colorado Springs with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. She completed an internal medicine residency at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, where she served as chief resident. She completed an infectious disease fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and earned her Master of Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Shuford serves on the faculty of the DSHS Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residency Program. She is a member of Travis County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, and Infectious Disease Society of America.

Delegate: Vacant

Special Government Employee

Dr. Benavides was born and raised in Laredo, Texas. He graduated from Saint Augustine High School, when it was in Downtown Laredo next to the Cathedral. He left for ten years to get his bachelor's degree in Microbiology at the University of Texas in Austin, his Medical Doctorate at the University of Texas in San Antonio Health Science Center, and his Residency program in Family Medicine at Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi. He is board-certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine, hospice, and palliative care medicine. He has been practicing Medicine in Laredo for over 40 years. He is active at Doctor's Hospital of Laredo and is the Medical Director of two nursing homes, Regent Care Center and Las Alturas Nursing and Rehab Center. He has been active in the community and is currently an Elder at Emmanuel Church. President Obama appointed him, and he continues to serve as one of two Texas physicians at the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission.

Special Government Employee, Texas
jose.delarosa@hhs.gov

Dr. de la Rosa, Vice President for Outreach and Community Engagement, is the liaison between the university and the El Paso community. He is charged with fostering relationships that will advance education at TTUHSC El Paso. He also works closely with Federally Qualified Health Centers, the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission, the Hispanic Chamber, school districts, and medical societies to strengthen and develop community relations and partnerships. In 1997, soon after his appointment as Regional Dean for the School of Medicine at TTUHSC-El Paso, Dr. de la Rosa set a goal of bringing a full-fledged four-year medical school to the El Paso community. He was appointed the Founding Dean of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in November 2007. With the establishment of the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing, Dr. de la Rosa was appointed vice president for health affairs in May of 2011. Before he served as the Founding Dean of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and as a professor of pediatrics, Dr. de la Rosa's involvement with the community led to the establishment of the Kellogg Community Partnership Clinics, which were four school-based clinics that provided interdisciplinary education and funded health services to colonia residents in El Paso's Lower Valley. To focus the nation's attention on health issues on the border, he served many times as a spokesman in various media outlets, including National Public Radio Broadcasts, Life Magazine, and the Dallas Morning News.

Appointed by former President George Bush in 2003, Dr. de la Rosa continues to serve as a member of the U.S. - Mexico Border Health Commission, where he advocates addressing health issues on the border. Dr. de la Rosa remains active as a member of the American Association of Medical Colleges, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and various other national organizations. At the local level, he serves as a member of the Executive Committee and Board of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso.