Managing in Turbulent Times: Emerging Leaders in Public Health

Current Scholars

Katherine LaoKatherine G. Lao, BA
Program Assistant, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine

I graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Public Health, and now work as a Program Assistant for the UC San Francisco School of Medicine Department of Outreach and Academic Advancement. My first "real-world" experience in Public Health was with an internship organization called Health Career Connection (HCC) at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Through HCC, I worked as a Summer Bridge Coordinator at Children's Hospital Oakland's FACES for the Future where I planned and coordinated their first Summer Bridge program for low-income, disadvantaged students with a keen interest in pursuing health professions. My work with FACES led me to become involved with the Biology Scholars Program (BSP) - a diversity program supporting the success of traditionally underrepresented students in the sciences and health professions at UC Berkeley. In BSP, I worked on the development of a Pre-Public Health Pathway to facilitate and support the pursuit of public health professions amongst BSP students. Last summer, I joined AMIGOS de las Americas to rural South America as a youth development and community volunteer. Aside from UCSF, I am also a part of the Clinical Research Initiative team with the Surgery Department at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA.

Personal Information

I am a Filipino-born Chinese who moved to Northern California at 14. I am the youngest of four kids, and a proud aunt of four. I am passionate about public health and plan to apply to graduate schools in the fall, and hopefully pursue medicine at some point in the future. Aside from English, I also speak Tagalog and Fookienese (Mandarin dialect) fluently and I am in the process of learning Spanish as well. I enjoy the many cultures of the Bay Area and the abundance of good food. I have a soft spot for frozen yogurt, good books, flying kites and meeting new people. I am excited to meet all of you!

What I would like to get out of this program

I would like to become a well-prepared, capable public health leader through the personal and professional development skills that ELPH offers. I hope to establish a network of potential colleagues that will hopefully become allies in tackling the pressing health issues of our time.