Dr. Erica Pan, MD, MPH, FIDSA, FAAP serves as director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health, a role she assumed on February 1, 2025. As CDPH director, Dr. Pan strives to embody and promote the values of dignity, equity, compassion, and humility. She works with collaborative partnerships to communicate and empower communities and institutions to transform policies and systems to include a “health in all policies” approach, acknowledging that addressing the social determinants of health are fundamental to achieving healthy communities with thriving families and individuals.

As California’s public health officer, Dr. Pan exercises leadership and legal authority to protect health and prevent disease.
Prior to becoming director, Dr. Pan was the deputy director of CDPH’s Center for Infectious Diseases and state epidemiologist beginning in July 2020. Dr. Pan was also the CDPH acting state public health officer from August 10, 2020, to January 3, 2021.
Before joining CDPH, Dr. Pan gained experience at the local level with a focus on infectious disease control & prevention, and public health emergency response. She served multiple roles at the Alameda County Public Health Department between 2011 and 2020, including health officer, director of communicable disease control and prevention, and deputy health officer. Dr. Pan also held several positions at the San Francisco Department of Public Health between 2004 and 2011.

Dr. Pan is a clinical professor for pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. She maintained her clinical work in infectious diseases at San Francisco General Hospital and at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland.
Dr. Pan received her MD and MPH degrees from Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University.

Dr. Atul Nakhasi, MD, MPP is a transformational physician executive recognized for his leadership in advancing public health and healthcare policy at the national, state, & local levels.

He was appointed Director of Science & Policy by 21st U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. As Director, Dr. Nakhasi led scientific and policy direction, strategy, and core operations including the development of landmark U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisories on social media, alcohol and cancer risk, firearm violence prevention, tobacco control, and loneliness and social isolation. During his tenure, he navigated the federal health ecosystem, building scientific and policy consensus for key health priorities of the Office across the administration. Dr. Nakhasi’s leadership influenced national health priorities and policies affecting 340 million Americans.

Previously, Dr. Nakhasi served as a key advisor to LA County’s Department of Public Health ($1.6B budget, 5,500 employees). He led the County department’s scientific messaging during the COVID-19 Omicron wave and the translation of complex epidemiological data and public health policy into clear public health guidance for LA County’s 10 million residents. Prior to that, he served as a policy advisor for LA County’s Department of Health Services ($6.2B budget, 23,000 employees), the nation’s second largest municipal safety-net health system. He led the health system’s policy operations to assess legislative and regulatory proposals that impacted public hospitals and Medicaid.

Additionally, Dr. Nakhasi co-founded, built, and scaled a nationwide healthcare movement, ThisIsOurShot, from concept to full operation that mobilized +25,000 healthcare workers and generated +1.1 billion digital impressions to combat COVID-19 misinformation. The campaign garnered major national media coverage, including prominent features in MSNBC, CNN, NPR, LA Times, Washington Post, Politico, & USA Today; secured major institutional partnerships with in-kind support from the WHO, UN, CDC, and Google; and was successfully acquired by the Public Good Projects.

Dr. Nakhasi previously served on the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), American College Health Association (ACHA), & California Medical Association Political Action Committee (CALPAC) boards. He continues to serve as a primary care physician for the communities of Watts/Compton in South LA. Dr. Nakhasi holds degrees from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was named a Fellow at the Harvard Center for Public Leadership.

Fariha Chowdhury serves as the California WIC Director at the California Department of Public Health. She leads a dedicated team of more than 200 public servants who manage the largest Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in the country, providing support to WIC families, local agencies, grocers, and farmers throughout the state. In previous roles, Fariha directed and supported multidisciplinary teams in policy, regulatory and legislative development, communications, program outreach, crisis management, strategic planning, and modernizing the WIC program. Her responsibilities included overseeing California WIC program platforms, such as the MyFamily website and the CDPH/WIC Learning Management System, as well as developing program materials, translations, digital media campaigns, eLearning, and coordinating the California WIC State Plan submission. She has managed programmatic responses and communications regarding federal budget impacts on the WIC program, the 2022 infant formula shortages in the United States, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work leading WIC’s vendor policy and regulatory development included major amendments to California WIC regulatory requirements to facilitate a successful transition to a WIC Electronic Benefit Transfer system. Prior to that, she coordinated legislation with the Department of Health Care Services, focusing on Tribal and Indian health programs, rural health care, long-term health care services, and child and youth health care services. She has held positions with the United States Congress and within the energy and arts sectors. Fariha holds a master’s degree in public policy from University College London and a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in philosophy, politics, and economics. In her current role, Fariha is committed to promoting innovation and improving access to WIC services. She has prioritized enhancing the California WIC program’s adaptability in meeting emerging challenges and establishing partnerships across various sectors, ensuring that the WIC program continues to be a foundation of community support, maternal and child health, and public health in California.

Renata Simril’s career is characterized by her positive impact, service to others and leadership. As President & CEO of the LA84 Foundation, she is focused on building pathways for youth to be involved in physical activity for their lifelong health and well-being – particularly those who have the least access to sport, play and movement. Simril has elevated LA84 into a national leader in positive youth development through sport and is a respected advocate for the value of sport & play as essential in young lives. Simril directs her efforts toward advancing how tangible issues today impact future generations, with a commitment to challenges facing children and communities.

She was honored with The Hero Award by The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, and was appointed by Mayor Karen Bass to serve on the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Board of Commissioners, where she serves as president. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Simril to California’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being in 2021, established to explore healthy strategies to ensure citizens of all ages can thrive.

Under her guidance, LA84 commissioned the 2024 California Play Equity Report, the first statewide research detailing the challenges youth face to engage in sports and physical activity. The Play Equity Report is an effective tool for policymakers, and a baseline for the support for public investment in sport, play and physical activity. The report shows how critical play and movement are in the healthy development of kids – physically, emotionally, socially and academically. The research also indicated parental physical activity is an amplifier helping children reach the CDC’s recommendation of participation in physical activity five times a week or more.

Previously, Simril was Senior Vice President & Chief of Staff of the Los Angeles Times, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and for over a decade in real estate development with Jones Lang LaSalle, Forest City Development and LCOR, Inc. As Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Housing in the Hahn Administration, she expanded rental and affordable housing in Los Angeles.

As Development Deputy to City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, Simril helped rebuild South Los Angeles communities after the 1992 civil unrest. She began her career in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer, serving in the U.S. and Germany. A third-generation Angeleno who grew up in Carson, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s in real estate development from USC. Simril lives in Studio City with her husband and two sons.

Miriam Hernández was Director of the Health Unit of the Community Center of the Ibero-American University. During this time, she designed and implemented Health Promotora Programs. For 14 years she worked for Providence Health & Services in the Health Promotora Program for the Latino Community where she had the opportunity to visit Guatemala and work in the Mothers Advisor Program. For seven years she was the Career Development Manager for Visión y Compromiso and is currently the Director of the Career Development Department.

Jenylyn Carpio is a Sudden Cardiac Arrest survivor, diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome and Complete Heart Block when she was 22 years old. She’s a wife and mom to one daughter, residing in Murrieta California.

Antoinette Martinez, MD, is Chumash and resides in Northern California serving as a Family Medicine/Obstetrics provider for United Indian Health Services, Inc. This is a PL-638 tribal health clinic which provides primary care services to numerous indigenous tribes within Humboldt and Del Norte counties including the Yurok, Wiyot, Tolowa, Karuk, Hupa, and numerous others. Antoinette is an active member at large within the AAIP (Association of American Indian Physicians). Dr Martinez is also Co-Director of the University of California Davis School of Medicine Tribal Health PRIME (Program in Medical Education) and Huwighurruk Postbaccalaureate Program at Cal Poly Humboldt. She continues to serve as preceptor for numerous medical students and Family Medicine residents. Dr Martinez currently services as Vice Chair of the California Medical Association EMOS (Ethnic Minority Organizational Section). She also remains active in cultural and traditional ceremonies and cultural practices.