Conference Speakers

2024 Conference Speakers

 

Mycah Lee Arellano

For more than 25 years, Mycah Lee Arellano has been a dedicated community leader and advocate for adequate healthcare and education to support those who don't have a voice due to fear, brief system, or religion constraints that have hindered them to engage in the health well-being.  He has served with numerous local and internally nonprofits to enhance stakeholders and community leaders in the value of diversity and breaking stigma in mental health, active older adults aging, and HIV/AIDS awareness.

In the Fall of 2020, he was exposed and diagnosed with HIV during a medical procedure in a third world country. Despite this adversity, he continues to advocate for educating the local and international government to assure all universal measures are provided to health departments regulations. Mycah says “we all have the duty of the VOICE to act as leaders to assure our community has adequate healthcare and education and have dialogue of breaking stigma barriers.”

Mycah’s leadership and dedication highlight the importance of using our voices to enact positive change, breaking down barriers, and fostering inclusive communities. “By working together, we can create a world where everyone has equal access to quality healthcare and education.”

 

Dr. Jacqueline M. Champlain, MD - WellMed

Jacqueline Champlain, MD, is a family medicine physician. She pursued a career in family medicine because it was the best combination of her top interests: people, teaching and biological sciences.  Born in California and raised in Illinois, Dr. Champlain earned her medical degree from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine with Honors in research and continued on to complete her residency in the AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale Family Medicine Residency Program. She has been board-certified as a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine since 2014.

Dr. Champlain recognizes that patient collaboration often leads to the best outcomes. Listening to patients and fostering mutual respect is key to unparalleled patient care, and she genuinely treasures the one-on-one time she spends with patients. Preventive care, women’s health, thyroid disorders, diabetes, and geriatrics are her top clinical passions and interests.

Dr. Champlain currently lives in Georgetown, Texas, with her family. When she is not at the clinic, she can be found cheering for her children at the gymnastics studio, various hockey rinks, and baseball diamonds around town.

 

Dr. Deborah Jennings

Dr. Jennings is a seasoned nursing leader with more than 20 years of experience, including more than 10 years in nursing administration. She has held impactful roles such as Regional Chief Nursing Officer at Select Medical, where she mentored nursing leaders, led hospital transitions, and implemented safety and quality initiatives. Debbie’s expertise extends to hospital operations, including preparing facilities for accreditation surveys and supporting hospitals in achieving excellence through programs like the Beacon Award. Her work also includes developing and teaching charge nurse training and patient rounding curriculum, ensuring compliance with safety practices, and addressing critical healthcare challenges, such as establishing pop-up COVID-19 hospitals.

In academia, Debbie serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Health Economics, Population Health, and Leadership. She is actively involved in curriculum design, student mentorship, and rural health projects aimed at creating health hubs in underserved areas. As the founder of Doin Well, LLC, Debbie has extended her expertise to community health by developing workshops and assessments focused on youth health needs, health literacy, and mental well-being. Her diverse background reflects her dedication to improving healthcare delivery, fostering professional growth, and advancing health equity through both leadership and education.

 

Faith Lane

Faith Lane is the Program Director at the Alzheimer's Association, Capital of Texas chapter based in Austin, Texas. She joined the Alzheimer's Association in 2021 after more than 15 years serving with various nonprofits across Texas. She holds an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University, and a Masters from Penn State University in Economic & Community Development. She also serves as a commissioner on the City of Buda Commission on Aging.

 

Dr. Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH, MPA

Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH, MPA is Associate Dean for Health Equity and Associate Professor of Population Health and Internal Medicine at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. She also serves as Director of Health Equity at Ascension Seton and Director of Health Equity and Quality at Central Health, the Travis County, Texas Health District. She has applied her expertise in clinical care, research, education, public health, and administration to advance policies to improve the health of all people, especially the underserved.

Prior to joining Dell Med, Mullen served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and Director of the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention at the Massachusetts DPH. A former president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, she used her platform to launch Living Longer Better, an initiative that advanced policies and programs to support healthy aging nationally. She is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in building effective community-based chronic disease prevention programs and for her commitment to improving individual and population health by strengthening coordination between community, public health, and health care systems.

Dr. Mullen often remarks that 1981, the year the first cases of illness that were eventually attributed to HIV, was also the year she graduated from medical school. Accordingly, she has engaged in developing policies and programs related to HIV prevention and treatment, and equity for people who are at risk and infected, throughout her career. That has included highlighting the particular needs of older adults.

 

Ivry Newsome

Ivry Newsome has been a healthcare thought leader and community advocate in Central Texas for more than 30 years.  Locally, he has worked with Interfaith Care Alliance and The Care Communities, and was the Behavioral Intervention Specialist for The Wright House Wellness Center, where he conduct targeted CDC prevention-based intervention for community members living with HIV/AIDS.  He also served as the Assistant Transportation Coordinator for Connections Transportation, where he coordinated more than 3,000 rides per month to medical and/or mental health appointments – as well as return home trip from food banks – for vulnerable residents in Central Texas, while also providing outreach in the community.

Ivry is also the Vice President of the Board of Directors and Dance Company Member for Pointe West Performances/Pointillism Jazz Consort.  He ensures the vision and mission of organization is preserved and advanced, in addition to performing in each production.

He has as Bachelor's of Arts in Fine Arts with a focus on dance from the University of Texas at Austin and an Associates of Arts in Software Engineering from Lon Morris College.  Ivry will complete his Master’s of Public Administration in May 2025.

 

Maria D. Saldiva, DNP, APRN, FNP-C - University Health San Antonio, School of Nursing

With a profession in nursing spanning more than 20 years, Maria D. Saldiva focuses on the health needs of underserved populations in domestic and global settings. She works in community health, providing care to vulnerable populations – including HIV/AIDS care and refugee/immigrant care, working with patients experiencing homelessness, in leadership and in academia, and in advanced practice nursing positions.

As a Clinical Assistant Professor, she teaches in the graduate nursing program and as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at Wellness 360, the practice arm of the School of Nursing at UT Health San Antonio. Addressing health disparities and making health care culturally, geographically, and financially accessible to under-represented populations of Texas, she serves as lead provider at Wellness 360 at San Antonio College – a collaboration between Alamo Colleges and the School of Nursing – and as a provider at the Housing First clinic for adults aging out of the Texas foster care system to aid in community-based strategies that prove the delivery of high-quality health care in a health setting.

She has served on the boards of the Medical Assistant program at San Antonio College, the American College Health Association, Broken Warriors Angels, UTHSA Infectious Disease Committee, UTHSA Committee on International Programs, UTHSA Presidential Excellence Award Committee, UTHSA Community Engagement Subcommittee of the SON Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, the Texas DNP Conference 2024 Planning Committee, and the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium.  Currently, she is a member of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, the Texas Nurse Practitioner, the National Nurses United, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and Sigma Theta Tau.

She has completed several mission trips including medical experiences to Haiti, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Thailand, and Africa. Last year, she traveled to Zambia, Africa, top help launch a pilot program to aid Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) students in becoming comfortable within the community health context of a developing country with limited resources and access to medical care. She serves as chair of the UTHSA School of Nursing Committee on International Programs.

Maria holds a BSN from the University of Texas at El Paso, an MSN program in Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at UTMB Galveston in 2012, a Post-master’s in emergency and Trauma Nurse Practitioner (ENP) at UT Houston in 2016, and a Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP) program at UT Austin in 2018.  Her doctoral project delivered a 2-week public health immersion program for graduate students in Costa Rica, which continues today.

 

Dr. Michael Williams, MD - Austin Black Men’s Health Clinic

Dr. Michael Williams is a board-certified Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). As an Afro-Latino bilingual (English, Spanish) APRN specializing in Internal Medicine and HIV-PrEP, he has cared for a culturally and socio-economic diverse patient population for more than eight years. Along with clinical practice, Michael has been a clinical instructor at several institutions- Yale University, Texas State University, Concordia University, and Texas A&M.

Michael credits his love for healthcare to growing up in New York City and his parents. His upbringing exposed him to many healthcare challenges and obstacles to care firsthand. Being of Panamanian descent allowed him to see the importance of understanding culture and its impact on delivering care. These experiences led him to the field of Nursing, where he ultimately obtained a Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2023 from Baylor University. He has been a guest speaker for various nursing courses and community events. He was a team leader on an international mission trip to Zambia and for a collaborative health fair with Austin Street Center in Dallas. As a first-generation college graduate, he and four friends initiated an endowment scholarship for first-generation college students at their alma mater.

Michael believes community care is essential to the advancement of society. The philosophy guiding his practice is to provide the highest level of care through meaningful and collaborative relationships with all community members. He is a board member of DNPs of Colors, Black Men’s Health Clinic, and the Austin chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. He has also authored peer-reviewed poems related to social issues in the community. Michael firmly believes that improving healthcare outcomes begins with educating and empowering the community that he serves.

 

Dr. David Wright, MD - Dell Seton Medical Center

Dr. David Philip Wright is a Family Medicine Specialist in Austin, Texas. He graduated with honors from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1980. Having more than 40 years of diverse experiences, especially in Family Medicine, Dr. Wright affiliates with Dell Seton Medical School UT, cooperates with many other doctors and specialists in medical groups, and with Moody Medical Clinic operated by Vivent Health – Austin. Dr. Wright has been a family medicine physician in Austin for more than 40 years, and is involved in graduate medical education during this time. Dr. Wright has won numerous teaching awards, and was honored as Texas Family Physician of the Year by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.