May 9, 2025
Heidi Frank is the Division Manager for the Division of Gastroenterology at UCSF Health. In this role, she oversees all administrative and operational functions of the division, partnering with faculty leadership to support financial stewardship, clinical and research operations, and personnel management. This is a new role for Heidi as of March 2025. Prior to this, she spent 18 years in various roles within the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences.
Heidi has been part of AMP for three years—and wishes she had joined sooner! She especially enjoys the Leadership Series, where members share their career journeys at UCSF, along with personal triumphs and valuable lessons learned. There’s always something that resonates and advice to be gained. Heidi also appreciates the in-person events, which offer great opportunities to connect with other AMP members and grow both her personal and professional network.
In addition to AMP, Heidi is a UCSF Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program alum, a UCSF Wellness Champion, a member of the Women of UCSF Health, and part of the UCSF Post Award Managers Committee. Heidi’s involvement in these committees has deepened her connection to the UCSF community.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
~ Audre Lorde
Connect with Heidi on LinkedIn
Griselda Thomas
December 2, 2024
Griselda is a Health Education Specialist for the Pediatric Programs within Family Health Care Nursing. Currently, Griselda is working on the DART (Diversity Antiracism Taskforce) within Family Health Care Nursing and is also working with the PRIDE Response Team in the School of Nursing DIO-Office.
Griselda has been at UCSF for over 22 years and an AMP member for just one year now. During this past year, Griselda has attended several AMP events, with a favorite so far being the UC-wide AMP Conference in Riverside. "It was a great in-person networking and learning opportunity...a Class A event." The conference made Griselda so proud to be an AMP member!
Griselda is currently a student at Cal State University East Bay and expects to graduate in the Fall of 2025.
"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." ~ Maya Angelou
Rachel de los Reyes, PhD
August 19, 2024
Rachel (she/her/hers) is the Foundations 2 and Career Launch Curriculum Manager for the School of Medicine. She supports faculty and staff in the development, implementation, and improvement of two phases of the SOM Bridges Curriculum-F2 and Career Launch. In a highly collaborative work environment, she and her team design, conduct, and evaluate teaching and learning activities, scheduling, core competencies, assessment, and evaluations across the 3rd and 4th year of medical school.
She has been at UCSF just a little over two years now, and that entire time she has been an AMP member. She is also on the AMP Steering Committee. The AMP events she's enjoyed the most are the fall kick-off, the socials, and the professional development webinars.
She is currently part of the inaugural cohort of staff that is completing The Academy of Healthcare Leadership program with the UCSF Leadership Institute. See this link for more info: Leadership Development Programs | Center for Nursing Excellence & Innovation (ucsf.edu)
"Have courage and be kind."
Darlene Mergillano Nguyen
May 8, 2024
Darlene is a Graduate Affairs Officer in the UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences. She supports masters and PhD students throughout their time in the Global Health Sciences programs. She also supervises the Course Assistants who support the masters program. Essentially, she works with an incredible team of staff and faculty with the shared goal of helping students reach their goals towards completing their degrees.
Darlene began her time at UCSF in May 2018 at the School of Pharmacy and then shortly after starting, she joined AMP, which was ABOG at the time.
She really enjoyed the AMP Winter Social that occurred in February of 2023. She believes this may have been the first in-person event in some time, and it was so refreshing to see familiar faces and meet new ones!
In addition to her "day job," Darlene serves as a member of the Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance as well as a member of the United Filipinx Association at UCSF. As we're in the month of May and celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, she encourages folks to consider attending any of the upcoming events.
"Our whole journey of our life is becoming our ideal selves" ~Viola Davis
Connect with Darlene on LinkedIn
Marisa McFarlane, MA
February 16, 2024
Marisa is a Strategic Initiatives Specialist in the Office of Graduate Medical Education. She works in collaboration with administrative leadership, faculty, trainees, and the Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education to manage diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), well-being, quality improvement, curriculum and assessment. She also works on multiple strategic initiative projects within the Office of Graduate Medical Education in the School of Medicine at UCSF. She started at UCSF as a temp worker in 2012 and has been working in a full career position since December if 2014. Almost 10 years! Marisa became an AMP member in September 2020.
She has attended many AMP events, mostly virtual, but has enjoyed the community, discussions, educational themes, and professional development tips she's encountered. She attended an inspirational AMP Kickoff event, which was highly motivating, joyful, and diverse! She also attended the AMPlify Your Day Seminar Series, “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging” with LASANA HOTEP,” and “Understanding Bias and Microaggressions” with Mikael Villalobos; AMP Leadership series with Corey Jackson, JD, SPHR, CCP, CBP, with Sheila Antrum, RN, MHSA, and with Renee Navarro, MD, PharmD; “Building Your Emotional Toolbox During COVID-19”; Faces of Ability Part II – Mental Health Resilience; and Resignation and Role Transition with Saiqa Anne Qureshi, PhD, MBA among others. She loves the range of concepts shared, the guest speakers, and being part of a professional community that shares some amazing resources, news, and events! (Thanks, Marisa!)
Aside from AMP, Marisa would like to share links to campus organizations that she is a part of: the Black Caucus and the GME Diversity page, which have info, initiatives, and events that build and support our UCSF community. She is also part of the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program (DICP) Alums group, a cohort of people who have graduated from the DICPA program, which she highly encourages people to join.
"Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best." ~ Baden-Powell, Farewell Message (1941)
Connect with Marisa on LinkedIn
Solomon Joseph
September 25, 2023
Solomon is an Administrative Officer with the Department of Hospital Medicine. He provides support to 30 doctors at UCSF Parnassus and St. Mary’s. Administrative support includes scheduling meetings and calendar management, preparing reimbursements, maintaining inventory of office supplies, submitting facilities tickets, resolving computer/pager issues, and more. He is the first person to be in this specific role, which has given him lots of opportunities to learn more about Operations Management while also staying involved in patient care and support. At the moment, he is co-leading a Quality Improvement Project, which will improve the Primary Care Physicians communication between the hospitalists at St. Mary's and the PCPs of admitted patients.
During his 10 years at UCSF, Solomon earned his Bachelor's in Healthcare Management and Administration, and Master's in Management, with an emphasis in organizational leadership and change management, and Population Health Management.
Since becoming an AMP member in 2019, Solomon has enjoyed many AMP events, such as the Spring Conference, Systemwide AMP Conference, and he was a mentee in the most recent AMP mentorship program cohort. He is now the lead on the AMP leadership sub-committee.
“Be humble, be hungry, and always be the hardest worker in the room." ~Dwayne the Rock Johnson
Connect with Solomon on LinkedIn
Elicia Rozic
October 28, 2022
Elicia Rozic is the Great People Development Manager and DEIA Engagement Champion for UCSF Campus Life Services, Development & 
Training. Her role is to ensure that the people of CLS can be their best selves professionally and personally and that they have the support to reach their potential. “Great People Development” is in her title, after all! Elicia provides programs and resources to benefit Campus Life Services staff on career and professional development; staff engagement; leadership development; CLS new employee orientation; mandatory and optional trainings; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Anti-Racism (DEIA-AR). She has been with UCSF since May 2017 and has been a member of AMP since starting her career at UCSF.
Since becoming an AMP member, Elicia has attended most of the AMP Leadership Series talks. She appreciates the willingness and openness of the leaders to share their career journeys and candid advice. Elicia shared that she has also benefitted from past conferences, the various professional development and wellness offerings, and social events -- like BINGO! Elicia said the members of AMP are incredible and the built-in network that AMP provides is invaluable, and making connections with engaging and inspiring colleagues is another perk of being a member of AMP!
Aside from AMP, Elicia is collaborating with Marketing by CLS on the I AM Campaign. The campaign aims to increase the knowledge of CLS staff differences and unique identities. It features CLS’s diverse staff and what makes them who they are. The aim is to create trust, a culture of conversation, strong collaborations, and everlasting connections. This is CLS' way of celebrating them, their diversity, and their identities.
“The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh
Connect with Elicia on LinkedIn
Oriol Zales
June 21, 2022
Oriol Zales supports the Academic Affairs team in the SOM Dean’s Office, which provides counsel to the Dean, Department Chairs, Faculty, and Staff on academic matters related to faculty personnel, policies, procedures, and faculty misconduct. Her responsibilities include daily operations such as calendaring, routing various requests for review/approval, coordinating/processing some faculty awards (e.g. Faculty Travel Awards, Irene Perstein Award, AAMC seminar registration sponsorship), managing and coordinating the annual awards and reception for the Gold Headed Cane Society to honor students and faculty inductees, scheduling Building Community Through Professional Development seminars for SOM Chairs/ORU Directors, along with other office management tasks. She has been in her current role for 4 of her 5.5 years at UCSF.
Since becoming an AMP member in 2019, Oriol has enjoyed attending many of AMP's virtual events such as the Leadership Series, Bingo, and Trivia nights.
Aside from AMP, she is learning a lot about anti-oppression work and connecting with others via UCSF’s DICP Alumni network as well as public speaking via UC Oracles Toastmasters. Outside of work, she enjoys walks in Golden Gate Park, spending time with her partner and her dog, watching various competition shows (e.g. RuPaul’s Drag Race, Top Chef, Survivor, So You Think You Can Dance), dancing (belly/cumbia/merengue/salsa), and cultivating a mindfulness meditation practice.
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou
Connect with Oriol on LinkedIn
Stuart Gaffney
January 6, 2022
Stuart Gaffney is the Science Coordinator at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) and Program Coordinator at the new UCSF PRISE Center (Partnerships for Research in Implementation Science for Equity). He has been with UCSF almost 21 years. He oversees many day-to-day operations at CAPS, and built on his years working for the Implementation Science Training Program to help launch the new PRISE Center.
Since becoming an AMP member in 2019, Stuart has enthusiastically joined as many AMP events as his schedule allows. Through AMP, Stuart feels he's able to remain vitally connected to the campus community even while working from home.
In his spare time, Stuart and his husband John are active in many social justice causes, including international education around marriage equality and LGBTQ rights. They were one of the plaintiff couples in the case that brought marriage equality to California in 2008. Stuart received the UCSF Chancellor's Award for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and/or Transgender Leadership in 2009. More recently, Stuart and John have partnered with Tokyo Gakugei University to bring their outreach to university students in Japan.
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ~Albert Camus
Connect with Stuart on LinkedIn
Lia Banie
September 13, 2021
Lia Banie is a Staff Research Associate IV in the Department of Urology. She works as a manager and technician in the lab of Tom Lue and Guiting Lin. Their lab works to create regenerative therapies to treat urologic issues, including stress urinary incontinence, pelvic floor disorder and erectile dysfunction. She has also performed anatomical research in order to allow for better surgical outcomes for Gender Affirmation (Sex Resassignment) surgery. She manages the day-to-day operations in the molecular biology lab, while performing experiments and training researchers to perform in vivo surgical procedures. Lia has worked at UCSF for almost 17 years, and she has coordinated numerous laboratory moves (from Mount Zion to UC Hall to Health Sciences West) during that time. She has been a part of AMP for one year and greatly appreciated the input she received during the Marketing You Series. In addition, she is a long-time member of UC Oracles Toastmasters and thoroughly enjoys meeting UCSF faculty, staff and students from all across the University.
“Do or do not. There is no try.” Yoda
Alvin Ozawa
April 28, 2021
Alvin Ozawa is an Operations Supervisor for the UCSF Medical Center support services help desk. He is responsible for maintaining and improving the help desk operations. Alvin has been with UCSF since 2007 and has been an AMP member since 2018. He became a member around the same time as joining the AMP mentorship program, which he describes was “wonderful.”
In addition to participating in the mentorship program, Alvin has enjoyed attending AMP talks to listen to advice from leaders in the organization. Currently, Alvin is a volunteer for the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee at the Benioff Children’s Hospital. He is specifically helping underrepresented workers to get into management positions at UCSF.
His favorite quote is “You never lose by loving, you lose by holding back,” by Barbara De Angelis.
Connect with Alvin on LinkedIn
Clarice Estrada
February 8, 2021
Meet Clarice Estrada, the new Executive Director in the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost (EVCP)’s Finance and Administration unit. She will manage and lead the administrative and financial services and operations of the EVCP, Chancellor’s Office and Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Outreach organizations. These services include finance, HR, IT, facilities, and indirectly, student services.
Clarice has worked at UCSF for almost 19 years and has been an AMP member the entire time! She loves AMP and when it comes to her favorite AMP events, she says, “I’ve attended pretty much all of them! I especially enjoy the Leadership Series and the intimate venue to provides for us to hear about the various career paths our amazing leaders have taken.”
When asked about her favorite quote, she thinks of this one from Billy Cox – “The two things in life you are in total control over are your attitude and your effort.”
Connect with Clarice on LinkedIn
Kathleen Yumul
October 16, 2020
Meet Kathleen Yumul, a Wellness Coordinator at UCSF. She manages the wellness programs and initiatives for our UCSF community. Some of these include our UC Walks Day, Step It Up online physical activity Challenge, and Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). She is especially loves that her role “allows her to interact with a wide variety of folks in various roles and departments across Health and Campus”.
Kathleen is a part of the mentee cohort for the Administrative Management Professionals (AMP) mentorship program. Clarice Estrada, Chief Administrative Officer of the Cardiovascular Research Institute and Division Manager of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine and Lung Biology Center serves as her mentor.
Kathleen has this to say about her mentor: “Clarice has been instrumental in teaching her about navigating the vastness of the UCSF enterprise, providing insight on projects I am working on, and strategizing on how to grow my career and become a more effective leader. It is so great to have someone further along in their career to help guide me and navigate UCSF. What I appreciate most about Clarice is the honesty and candidness she brings to our conversations which allows me to feel comfortable asking her any questions I have”.
We are proud to highlight some of the great work she has put together in response to COVID: tiny.ucsf.edu/wellnessresources
Wellness Webinars: Step It Up physical activity and walking challenge
Connect with Kathleen on Linkedin
Angela Shoga
August 14, 2020
Read the story that inspired the AMP Membership Spotlight. Angela is now an AMP Steering Committee member!