An integral part of The Health Trust’s grantmaking process, the Grantmaking Committee is made up of board trustees and community members with a passion for health equity. As experts in their respective fields, committee members work closely with staff to provide important insight on project proposals and funding initiatives.
A word from our Committee Chairman
“I feel very fortunate to have met and learned from amazing people while working with the Grantmaking Committee. This includes staff and leadership of The Health Trust, and of the many great community-based organizations that we fund, as well as in the communities we all serve. The other folks on the grants committee are also a pleasure to work with, and I’m truly honored to be able to contribute my time to helping the Health Trust deploy funds strategically to promote health equity in our county.” Craig Stephens, Ph.D.
Grantmaking Committee Members
CRAIG STEPHENS, Ph.D. – Board Trustee and Grantmaking Committee Chairman
Craig Stephens has 25 years of experience in administration, research, and teaching in higher education. He is a Professor of Biology and Public Health at Santa Clara University, where he teaches courses on microbiology, infectious diseases, and public health. He is the founding Director of the Public Health Program at SCU, which is ranked in the top 10 nationally for undergraduate public health education. Dr. Stephens has won awards for curriculum innovation, program development, and community outreach. His research is focused on the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria associated with human health and disease. Dr. Stephens holds a B.S. in biology from Roanoke College and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Virginia.
ANDREA FLORES SHELTON – Grantmaking Community Member
Andrea is a Deputy Director in the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department for the City of San Jose. She oversees BeautifySJ and Youth Intervention Services and is passionate about living and working in a city where everyone belongs. Prior to 2018, Andrea worked for the County of Santa Clara and served as the Public Health Violence Prevention Manager where she created the East San Jose PEACE Partnership. Andrea has an extensive policy and systems change portfolio including juvenile justice reform, immigration and safety, land use and community inclusion strategies through a racial equity approach. Andrea is a proud graduate of Notre Dame High School and San Jose State University with a BA in Sociology.
EMILY LAM, M.P.P. – Board Secretary
Emily Lam is the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), a $1 billion/year San Francisco department that provides water, power, and sewer services to 2.6 million Bay Area residents. In this role, she oversees the agency’s public policy and political strategy at the local, state, and federal levels around water, wastewater, energy, climate change, infrastructure financing, and workforce development. Emily is a San Francisco native and received a B.A. with Honors in Community Health from Brown University and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard.
ROBERTA L. ROBINS – Grantmaking Community Member
Roberta L. Robins has practiced intellectual property law for over 35 years and specializes in biotechnology, including in the areas of vaccines, therapeutics, molecular biology, immunology, and genetics. Ms. Robins founded several patent law firms and has trained and managed partners, associates, interns, and patent paralegals. Prior to practicing law, Ms. Robins did graduate research in cell and molecular biology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and at San Francisco State University, and worked in the Department of Pediatric Genetics at the UCSF Medical School. Ms. Robins has a wide range of interests and is a long-time advocate of women’s issues, including women’s health, gender abuse, and gender bias.
EFREN ROSAS, MD – Board Vice Chair
Efren Rosas, MD, Physician in Chief of Kaiser Permanente San Jose, is a surgeon who has dedicated his medical career to removing barriers for colleagues, patients, and his community. Dr. Rosas’ passion for fixing complex problems led to significant performance improvements in hospitals and operating rooms throughout Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Rosas believes in cultivating an environment where people feel encouraged and can actively participate. His passion for his community is demonstrated by his resolve to help under-represented students have a chance in medicine and a career in healthcare. In addition to being the Physician in Chief, he also continues his medical practice doing abdominal, liver, and pancreas surgeries. Dr. Rosas attended the University of California, Los Angeles for his undergraduate studies and Stanford University for medical school, attending the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) for his surgical residency in general surgery.
ALICE VILLATORO, Ph.D. – Grantmaking Community Member
Alice Villatoro is a mental health disparities researcher with training in health services, psychiatric epidemiology, and medical sociology. She is an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Program at Santa Clara University. Dr. Villatoro’s research is centered on health equity and studying populations that have been historically underrepresented in public health research. Her research is interdisciplinary in that she fuses theory driven-basic research with an applied population health orientation to understand the ways in which structural, social, cultural, and psychological factors shape mental health care disparities in Latinx communities and other diverse populations. Dr. Villatoro received her Ph.D. from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and completed postdoctoral training at Columbia University in New York City.
JOANN ZIMMERMAN, R.N. – Board Trustee
Joann Zimmerman is an experienced health care CEO and community health care advocate. Joann’s leadership over the past 30 years has focused on improving the patient care experience, providing access to health care for everyone, and health care equity for all citizens. Joann has a burning passion for developing health care leaders who represent the communities they serve. She has assisted numerous emerging leaders reach their professional goals and maximize their capabilities. Joann is knowledgeable about health care delivery system operations and she is sought out to speak about them in community forums. Joann received a BA in Communications and Public Policy from UC Berkeley; a Diploma in Nursing from St. Luke’s School of Nursing; a MS in Health Education from San Francisco State University, and a Certificate of Completion of the Stanford University Business School Executive Program.