Meet the Team

Jacob A. Bailey, M.D., M.A.

Co-Director, Region X California Medicine Scholars Program
Assistant Director, Program in Medical Education – Health Equity

Dr. Jacob Bailey was raised in a bicultural home in the Los Angeles area. A circuitous route led him from factory work to construction and finally to the research laboratory where he was introduced to the field medicine.

His clinical interests include transitions of care for adolescents and young adults with chronic lung disease and the intensive care unit’s role in the social safety-net. Throughout his career Dr. Bailey has held regional leadership positions in affinity groups, national leadership positions in organized labor and is actively engaged in medical education research and service.

Dr. Bailey earned his doctor of medicine from University of California San Diego School of Medicine and a master of arts in education from University of California Los Angeles. He completed his residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at UC San Diego.

Ramón A. Hernandez, DrPH, M.P.H.

Co-Director, Region X California Medicine Scholars Program
Director, Pathways and Community Partnerships, School of Medicine
Section Chief for Community Health, Department of Pediatrics

Dr. Ramón Hernandez has more than 25 years of local and national experience in adolescent and young adult development; minority and urban health; adolescent mental health; and academic diversity and retention programs. His work focuses on increasing the diversity of the health care workforce by nurturing and supporting underrepresented and disadvantaged students along their personal, academic and professional paths. He is the project director for the Hispanic Center of Excellence and the Health Career Opportunities Program (HCOP) and oversees the University Link Medical Science Program (ULMSP), a pathway program for community college students interested in pursuing careers in health care.

Dr. Hernandez serves on the boards for several organizations including the San Diego Chapter of the American Heart Association, California Medicine and Latinas in Medicine. He also sits on the advisory board for Scripps San Diego Border Area Health Education Center (AHEC); Imperial Valley AHEC; UC San Diego’s Hispanic Serving Institution Workgroup; the Environmental Justice committee on San Diego County’s COVID Task Force; and the Mayor’s COVID Work Group Task Force for the City of Imperial Beach.

He received his doctor of public health in maternal child health and master of public health in health service administration from Boston University School of Public Health.

Sarah Gierok

Co-Assistant Director, Region X California Medicine Scholars Program
Second-Year Medical Student - PRIME-TIDE

Sarah was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in a single-parent household, gaining an up-close appreciation for both the challenges and blessings of getting by with limited means. Sarah became a mom in 2002 at age 19, and has been a solo mom to her daughter Epiphany since that time. Sarah worked as a civil engineering technician and bartender prior to pursuing her medical education. She attended community college at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to UC Berkeley, from which she graduated with honors in December 2022 with a BA in Molecular & Cell Biology/Neurobiology. She worked as lab manager and research assistant at the Robert H. Edwards Lab at UCSF while pursuing her undergraduate degree.

Sarah’s reflections on the struggles of family members to access needed healthcare has fueled a drive to work towards improved health equity and access to care for patients from all backgrounds. Sarah is a registered member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Sarah is enrolled at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine as a member of Programs in Medical Education—Transforming Indigenous Doctor Education (PRIME-TIDE), a small cohort within UCSD School of Medicine that focuses on healthcare issues facing American Indian and Alaska Native populations. She is excited to build a medical career that prioritizes health equity, hopes to work to diversify the medical profession, and hopes to make use of her varied life experience to relate with patients, mentees, and colleagues from all backgrounds.

Erik Salazar

Co-Assistant Director, Region X California Medicine Scholars Program
Second-Year Medical Student - PRIME-HEq

 Erik Salazar is a lifelong resident of Southern California and grew up in the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley communities of Greater Los Angeles in a proud Mexican immigrant household. Erik attended UCLA for undergrad where he completed his medical school prerequisite coursework and graduated magna cum laude with a BA in History. During his time at UCLA, he volunteered with and ultimately led several student organizations including the Latino Student Health Project (LSHP) and Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine (CCM). Concurrent with his undergraduate studies, he was also employed by the Community Programs Office (CPO), the multicultural center at UCLA, as a tutor for the Math Success Program (MSP). Following graduation, Erik spent nearly four years working at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) across Greater Los Angeles, at first via the CCALAC AmeriCorps Health Fellows program and then through formal employment. 

Erik’s personal background and years of volunteer and work experience in the health care safety net have made him a passionate advocate for medically underserved patients and populations. Moreover, his extensive experiences working with and administering educational support and pipeline programs have given him further insight into the multi-faceted endeavor that is the pursuit of health equity. Erik is proud to be attending the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine as a student in the Program in Medical Education - Health Equity (PRIME-HEq). This small cohort-based program gives its students the training and knowledge to work with any medically marginalized groups and communities they are passionate about, and ultimately equips them to improve health equity in accordance with their individual passion areas and professional aspirations. Erik is highly motivated to continue developing his medical career into one grounded upon the pursuit of health equity, especially as it pertains to education and policy. He is committed to using his experiences and passions to serve the students of CMSP and do his part to nurture the equitable development of California’s physician workforce, and thereby improve health equity in our communities.

Kenneth Bush, M.S.

Project Manager, Region X California Medicine Scholars Program

Kenneth Bush has dedicated his career to promoting health equity, minority health, and diversity and inclusion in health care. As a California Community College graduate, he intimately appreciates the significance of tailored guidance and individual support at the beginning stages of one’s academic journey. He has participated in and contributed to multiple mentorship programs that promote the success of underrepresented students in health professions, and understands the impact they have on a career development.

Originally from Calexico, Kenneth attended Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA where he began his involvement with Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine (CCM), MiMentor, and Medicos Enfermeros Y Dentistas Para El Pueblo (MED PEP). After transferring to California State University, Long Beach, he joined the NIH BUILD (BUilding Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) Scholars Program where he continued his health equity advocacy work and began his career in health outcomes research. He completed a Master of Science in Health Promotion from the University of Oklahoma and returned to Southern California with the skills he developed to advocate for health improvements in his community. Through these experiences, Kenneth has strengthened his belief that there is power in lifting members of the community into positions of leadership and influence to achieve favorable community health outcomes, which is a crucial aim of CMSP.

Sedtavut D. Nilaad, M.S.

Project Coordinator, Region X California Medicine Scholars Program

Sedtavut Nilaad was born and raised in Thailand before moving to the U.S in sixth grade. He began his community college career in Riverside, California and later transferred to UC San Diego to complete his bachelor’s and master’s degree in microbiology. Sedtavut has always been engrossed in education and mentorship, receiving the Excellence in Teaching Award by UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences. He later began working at the UC San Diego School of Medicine providing academic and organizational support to faculty during the COVID-19 lockdown.   

Using his experience from serving as director of recruitment for the Palomar Health Pathmaker Internship, medical student research studies, and his journey through community college himself, he is committed to provide CMSP scholars his support and encouragement to help develop future healthcare leaders.