HOP Staff
Executive and Administrative Staff
Cynthia (Cindy) Selmi
Executive Director
Cindy joined Health Outreach Partners as Executive Director in November 2019, bringing over 30 years of health center and non-profit leadership experience. Prior to joining the HOP team, Cindy worked for Planned Parenthood Northern California, most recently as Senior Regional Director for Contra Costa and San Francisco health centers. Cindy is a recent graduate of the Clinic Leadership Institute, a joint venture of the Healthforce Center at the University of California at San Francisco and the Blue Shield Foundation of California. Cindy is a native to the Bay Area, originally from San Francisco. Cindy has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz in Biology. She started her health center career volunteering for the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, which fueled her dedication to health equity and assuring access to health care for all. Cindy’s other passions, are her two boys Justin and William, listening to live music, and the San Francisco Giants baseball club.
Christina Mestas
Manager of Executive and Board Affairs
Christina joined Health Outreach Partners in the Fall of 2014 with over 15 years of administrative experience. Christina earned her BA in Liberal Studies from California State University, Sacramento with an emphasis in early child development. In 2012, Christina relocated to the Bay Area to pursue her desire to do service and give back to her community. Christina worked for a local non-profit in Berkeley helping to empower local Bay Area residents through education and outreach in energy conservation; as well as, aiding and training local disadvantaged youth through developing green job skills. Before joining Health Outreach Partners, Christina volunteered at Berkeley Acupuncture Project educating clients on acupuncture and orienting clients to the community acupuncture model. In her free time, Christina enjoys riding her bike, practicing yoga, cooking, and spending as much time as possible soaking up the joys of parenthood with her family and pets.
Program Staff
Aba Anison-Amoo, MPHc
Project Manager
Meghan Erkel, MPH
Senior Project Manager
Meghan Erkel joined Health Outreach Partners as a Project Manager in June 2022 and brings over 8 years of Public Health experience using project management, data, and research to drive health equity and systemic change to under-served, marginalized populations. In this role, she will manage projects that expand and improve access to care at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other community-based organizations nationally. Prior to HOP, Meghan’s experience was primarily internationally based in Latin America, the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa working on various health projects with both bilateral and multilateral agencies. After graduating with an MPH in Global Health from the University of Washington, Meghan spent two years in Peru as a Fulbright-Fogarty KUSKAYA Fellow conducting research on early childhood development. She’s particularly passionate about improving the health and wellness of families and children. Meghan has a BA in English from Rice University. She’s a Sacramento native who in her spare time enjoys weekend trips to Tahoe, soccer, pretending she’s on the Great British Bake Off, and pilates.
Smruti Shah, MPH
Deputy Director
Smruti joined Health Outreach Partners as a Program Director in August 2023 and mainly works on supporting HOP’s HRSA funded programs and organizational evaluation strategy. Prior to joining HOP, her work with Coaction Institute focused on capacity building for organizations focused on improving population health, including community health centers. As a consultant with Biel Consulting she worked with hospital stakeholders to identify gaps in community benefit programs across a large Texas health system. From 2012-21, Smruti lived in India where she co founded Lighthouse Health Solutions, a public health consulting company that provided technical support to foundations, NGOs, and health research organizations focused on maternal child health in and around Delhi. Prior to moving to India, Smruti worked at Public Health Institute where she was part of the Advancing the State of the Art in Community Benefit (ASACB) demonstration project which was aimed at developing best practices in tax exempt hospital community benefit programs. Her international experience includes stints in El Salvador and Gujarat, India as a qualitative researcher addressing inequities in maternal/child health service delivery. Smruti earned her MPH in International Health and Development from Tulane University School of Public Health. In her free time, Smruti enjoys listening to pop music, adding to her cookbook collection (already at 75!) and travelling with her family to beautiful destinations, both local and far-flung.
Nadeen Mekhael, RDN, MPH
Program Manager
Interns
For current internship opportunities and a feature on past interns, check out our Internships page!
Litzi Bravo
Spring 2024 Intern
Litzi Bravo, from the Bay Area and proud Latina, embodies passion and purpose in her pursuit of higher education. Currently, in her fourth year at San Francisco State University, immersed in the study of Public Health with a focused minor in Women’s Health Issues. She not only delves into the intricacies of Public Health but also holds the distinguished position of President within a student-led association, Health Education Student Association and a dedicated swim teacher. In the role as President, Litzi organizes initiatives aimed at raising awareness of available resources for fellow students while fostering meaningful relationships between students and faculty. As a swim teacher, she can share her expertise in swimming, imparting valuable skills and promoting a healthy lifestyle among her students. Raised with a compassionate heart and a relentless dedication to service, Litzi’s journey in Public Health is deeply rooted in her upbringing. From a young age, she has been drawn to helping others, and now, as she navigates her academic path, she is driven by a profound desire to make a meaningful impact on her community. Litzi approaches her studies and her future career with an open mind and thirst for knowledge. She is committed to expanding her understanding of Public Health and is eager to apply her growing expertise to address pressing health disparities and promote wellness among diverse populations. With each step she takes, Litzi is determined to contribute positively to the world around her, striving to create a brighter, healthier future for all.
Yasmin Sallak
Spring 2024 Intern
Yasmin joined as an Associate Program Manager Intern in March 2024. Yasmin is a Public Health graduate student at San Jose State University, specializing in Community Health Education. She also holds a Master’s degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Yasmin is passionate about making health information more accessible to all by exploring creative ways to make the language around health and the health system easier to understand and navigate. This is because she believes that her public health knowledge is meant for sharing with others in order to make the world a better place. Aside from pursuing her professional passions, Yasmin cares deeply about standing up against oppression, with over 12 years of community and social justice organizing experience.