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Yaruska Ordinola, MPH, is a public health researcher and research coordinator at UC San Francisco, specializing in environmental health equity, toxic exposures, and community-engaged research. Her current work focuses on evaluating pesticide exposure risks and leading culturally responsive, bilingual report-back models alongside family childcare providers in California’s Central Valley. As a policy fellow in the UCSF EaRTH Center Reach the Decisionmakers program, she translates data into evidence-based policy briefs to target state regulatory bodies, including CalEPA and the Department of Pesticide Regulation. Yaruska holds a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology from Brown University and is passionate about advancing science-to-policy interventions that protect vulnerable families, agricultural workers, and frontline communities.

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Elise Pohl, PhD student, is a public health researcher and advocate who serves as co-program planner of the Peace Caucus, in affiliation with the American Public Health Association. Through the Peace Caucus, she has helped develop programming that addresses the public health consequences of war and militarism, armed conflict, and threats to civilian health. She also serves as coordinator for the Beyond the Battlefields webinar series, which is co-sponsored by Physicians for Social Responsibility. Elise is a doctoral student in Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, where her research focuses on agriculture and farmer health. She is also a fellow of the Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety and a former fellow of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement.

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Cara Schulte, DrPH, is a researcher at Climate Rights International, where she leads the organization’s work at the intersection of climate change, health, and human rights. She is also a postdoctoral research associate at the University of California, Berkeley and a contributing scholar with the Sabin Center for Climate Law’s Global Network on Climate Litigation. Cara recently earned her doctorate in public health from UC Berkeley, where her research and advocacy focused on the health and human rights impacts of extreme heat among high-risk populations in low- and middle-income countries. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Health Science from Johns Hopkins University and is a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. Prior to her doctoral studies, Cara spent five years at Human Rights Watch.

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Mira Youssef is a high school Junior in San Mateo County. She is passionate about organizing grassroot initiatives that influence local climate policy and collaborating with youth in her community. As Chair of Sustainable San Mateo County Youth Advisory Council, she’s leading an effort to ban black plastics from San Mateo County schools, engaging with over 9,000 students and 200 physicians in the process. As Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the county’s Youth Commission, she worked closely with the Civil Grand Jury to issue reports showing noncompliance with environmentally related senate bills. By elevating youth voices, Mira strives to empower the next generation of leaders to build a sustainable and equitable future.

Wednesday, Sept 30, 2026, 6:30pm-8pm, online
GALA: Gathering for Action, Leadership, and Advocacy

Democracy in Crisis and the Courage to Act

BUY or RESERVE Your Tickets here!

The Gala is an online event. General tickets are only $25.
Students, trainees, and community members are all FREE.

Hope you can join us to celebrate these inspiring young leaders!