Melissa Santos-Martinez is a Operations and Policy Coordinator at CAC and a Fellow at CBHA. She began with CBHA as an intern through Health Career Connections (HCC), a program that encourages individuals to find empowerment in their passion for advocacy for reducing health disparities. She is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Davis, where she will obtain a Bachelor's of Science in Human Development with a focus on health and wellbeing.
Prior to CAC, Melissa was a research assistant for the California Babies Project, a longitudinal study that aims to increase the representation of Mexican origin children in developmental research. She assumed responsibility for leading and conducting play-based tasks between mothers and their child, while upholding research integrity during all lab visits. Currently, Melissa also serves as a doula volunteer, empowering the birthing community while creating positive birthing experiences. She recognizes that services to treat mental health conditions such as perinatal or postpartum depression are not easily accessible for underrepresented communities. Melissa will be pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy in future to further advocate for the quality of integrated services to help mothers live a functional and purposeful life. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys being active and spending time with her family and friends.