Meet the Health Promotion Staff

Health Promotion

The UHS Health Promotion team promotes a campus environment that supports the ability to thrive physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. They educate and advocate for optimal health, from personal wellness improvement to institutional and policy change.

Our Health Coaches, Robin, and Jen, provide 45-minute coaching sessions that will help you make simple changes in your lifestyle that support your overall health, as well as your personal and academic success.

	Min Choi Office Manager Pronouns: she/her/hers	Min Choi joined UHS as the Health Promotion Office Manager in 2019. Prior to assuming this role, Min served three years as the Administrative Assistant in the UHS Administrative department following her graduation from Berkeley with a bachelor's in Public Health.
	Jennifer Guerra Health Educator
	Karen Hughes, MPH Health Educator -PartySafe@Cal -Health Worker Program -CERC Sub-Committee on Student Risk Pronouns: she/her/Karen	Karen Hughes joined UHS in 2006 as a Health Educator. She earned both her BS in Women's Studies and her MPH in Community Health Education from UC Berkeley. "A small house will hold a hundred friends." (African proverb) See Karen's Staff Highlight.
	Cathy Kodama, MPH Director -Grant-writing -Organizational development -Public health strategies Pronouns: she/her/hers	Cathy Kodama came to UC Berkeley as an open-minded but (mostly) inexperienced freshman in 1973. Being in, and at, Berkeley was a life-changing experience that she's still experiencing. Cathy was pre-law, but in her sophomore year she fell into being a peer educator in women's health and never looked back. Cathy had her first full-time job at UHS in Medical Records. From there, she hopscotched to the Health Education unit, to graduate school in public health, to various community volunteer projects, and back to Health Education (now called Health Promotion) at UHS. Cathy is a baby boomer, UC Berkeley alum, health educator, and firm believer in health, happiness, equality, and social action. She is a third-generation Japanese-American with all the cultural richness and assimilation experiences that come along with that. Cathy has been involved in numerous regional and national organizations, including serving as President of the Pacific Coast College Health Association and on the board of the American College Health Association. Cathy's passionate interests are: 1) the role of drugs in society, 2) sexuality and relationships, and 3) some TV shows. Her particular abilities tend to be daydreaming (in the professional world we call it "visioning") and administrative work. She loves talking about life with students, whose perspectives are so enlightening and inspiring. "Be happy. It's one way of being wise." (Colette) "Life is either a great adventure or nothing." (Helen Keller)
	Lauren Magdaleno, MPH, CHES Health Educator Health Worker Program Exercise is Medicine Pronouns: she/her/hers	Lauren joined the UHS Contact Tracing Team in late 2021 and transitioned as a Health Educator in 2022. Lauren Magdaleno spent the previous year doing COVID-related work with San Diego State University’s Health Promotion department. In 2016, she received her BA in Sociology & Anthropology at the University of Redlands and in 2020, she received her Master of Public Health in Health Promotion & Behavioral Science from San Diego State University.
	Tiffany Melendez, MS Health Educator -Underrepresented communities -Marginalized populations -Balance and wellness Pronouns: she/her/hers	Tiffany Melendez joined UHS in 2018 as a Health Educator. She received her BA in Psychology from Hofstra University and her MS in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University. Prior to coming to Berkeley, Tiffany was the Assistant Director for Education and Outreach at MIT in Cambridge, MA. She has extensive prior experience in community nonprofit settings, including working with individuals impacted by domestic violence, HIV, and alcohol/drugs. Tiffany's priorities are to work in support of marginalized/underrepresented communities and to inspire balance and wellness in people's lives. "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path." (Buddha)
	Robin Mills, MA Health Educator -Sexual Health Education Program -Health coaching -Black student health Pronouns: she/her/hers	Robin Mills joined UHS as a Health Educator in 2008. She received her BA in Psychology from Mills College (2001) and her MA in Human Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University (2007). Robin sees clients for sexuality/sexual health issues including relationships and communication, sexual health/birth control education, and sexuality concerns and issues. "Life is sexually transmitted..." (RD Laing) See Robin's Staff Highlight.