Welcomes and Farewells!
SEPTEMBER 2022
We are thrilled to welcome our new staff members Alfredo Angulo, Giselle Bergmeier, Anlan Cheney, Brandy Khansouvong, and our new intern Lilah Blalock! And we say farewell and best wishes to our interns Alma Hernandez and Jasmine Campos. Please take a moment to read about what our former interns loved most about their time with us and where their careers will take them next. And learn more about our new team mates!
Farewell to Intern Jasmine Campos
I learned/appreciated so many things about my internship, but here are the top three.
1. The supportive and validating environment. Even though I didn’t know much about nuclear weapon abolition when starting this internship, everyone was very open to questions I had and would also ask for my thoughts on topics.
2. Working on new projects during the internship. I’ve never worked with legislation before so tracking policy and searching for representatives to contact was an interesting new experience.
3. Learning about important issues such as electrification and nuclear weapons abolition and just how intersectional these issues are.
As for my next career steps, I’m currently applying to research and health education positions.
Farewell to Building Electrification Intern Alma Hernandez
During my internship for the past year, I have learned so much about various things, not just about building electrification.
1. I learned that building electrification is the intersection between health, the environment, policy and equity. There are many things that intersect, and within the last year I have learned this and to look deeper and past the visible issue. I hope to take this and apply it to future issues I hope to be involved in.
2. I also learned with the help of Patrice Sutton the importance of scientific accuracy and writing. Writing has never been a strength but it is something that I will continue to work on and hope to improve. Having someone that can guide me in something new or something that I know but can expand on is always very helpful and appreciated.
3. I learned from different members about different environmental issues. The issues and involvement SF Bay PSR members are part of is inspirational and appreciated. Many times this is not seen in a more strict/ academic setting and this brings the more humane and needed approach. This helps me envision future work and the intersection of interests I enjoy.
My next step is to take some classes this year, physiology at Berkeley Extension, and then apply to a program. Some programs I am considering are, master’s in Health Policy or Public health. I hope to work toward combining ethnographic, community-based research and medicine to provide equitable health care.
Welcome to Membership Associate Giselle Bergmeier
Welcome to Intern Lilah Blalock
Lilah Blalock is a medical student at UCSF. She will be working on a series of infographics to share our building electrification and health harms of gas stoves talking points, fact sheets, patient brochure, animated video, and more resources! She is also helping to organize the NorCal Symposium on Climate, Health, Equity, organized by Stanford, UCSF, and UC Davis medical students. As a medical student and PSR Intern, Lilah looks forward to improving her science and health communication skills to advocate for and defend environmental justice and its intersections with health equity.
Welcome to Nuclear Weapons Abolition Organizer Anlan Cheney
Our new Nuclear Weapons Abolition Organizer Anlan Cheney will be expanding SF Bay PSR’s capacity to attract and equip health professionals to be effective anti-nuclear activists through communications, resource development, and outreach. She will be working especially to connect youth and students to SF Bay PSR’s work while advancing an intersectional approach to local organizing around nuclear issues and militarism.
Anlan has for the past few years emerged as an important leader within the Peace Caucus in affiliation with the American Public Health Association (APHA), serving as communications chair and program co-chair. She is also a member of PSR National’s #Demand Access campaign steering committee, working with a group of other young health professionals to educate and mobilize their peers to take action on national budget priorities regarding health, the military, and intersections of climate harm, nuclear threat, and issues of social justice.
Welcome to Project Organizer Alfredo Angulo
Richmond Healthy Alliance Project in collaboration with Richmond Shoreline Alliance
Hello! My name is Alfredo Angulo (they/them), I’m an Environmental Justice Organizer from Richmond, CA. I’m a first-generation graduate from U.C. Berkeley where I received my B.A. in Political Science. As a lifelong resident of Richmond, the city of pride and purpose has made me who I am today. Growing up in Richmond, I’ve witnessed every oil spill, fire, and gas leak from the second largest refinery in California. Through my work in projects like creating a Community Emissions Reduction Plan for Richmond with BAAQMD, and documenting the stories and visions of those most harmed by generations of fossil fuel operations with the Richmond Progressive Alliance’s Listening Project, I’ve grown to understand how the experiences of underserved communities like Richmond have been shaped by the legacies of racist policies like redlining that fueled generations of disinvestment and neglect by government.
I am passionate about creating positive change for my community though fighting those legacies, and putting decision-making power back into the hands of our community. I work to ensure an equitable and just transition away from fossil fuels towards a sustainable, regenerative society and economy that works for everyone while ensuring that the voices of those most harmed by Richmond’s industrial roots are amplified and heard.
UC Berkeley: Othering & Belonging Institute: Taking Stock: Visioning Beyond the Refinery, by By Alfredo Angulo, Marisol Cantu, Tera Johnson, Eli Moore, Natalia Urzola & Mylanah Yolangco
Welcome to Project Organizer Brandy Khansouvong
Richmond Healthy Alliance Project in collaboration with Richmond Shoreline Alliance
Hello, my name is Brandy Khansouvong. I am twenty-nine years old, and I am also a mother to a eight-year-old boy. I’ve been living in Richmond my whole life. Living in Richmond with my parents it was hard to explain what’s going on around us in Richmond. My parents are refugees from Laos. I want a safe place to live in for my family and community. What is important to me is to keep my community safe from all the harmful chemicals that are nearby my community. I took this job to help my community out, so they could know what’s happening around our community and make a better environment for the people who live in Crescent Park.