Director of the CHW Academy, is professor in the Department of Preventive & Social Medicine, at Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles. She is course director of the “Medicine and Society” Longitudinal Pre-Clerkship Course in the CDU College of Medicine. She is Program Director of the CDU Health Careers Opportunity (HCOP) Pipeline Program.
Hector Balcazar | PhD, MS
Co-Founder and former Director of the CHW Academy, was also Dean of the College of Science and Health at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Dr. Balcazar has extensive experience as a leader in public health education, research, service and community outreach working with community health workers. Dr. Balcazar has over 180 publications including 100 peer-reviewed journal articles.
Sydni Brown
Sydni Brown serves as the Master Trainer of the CHW Academy. Sydni received her B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2021 and began her journey in the Academy as an intern shortly after graduating.
During these recent years, Sydni has gained a vast amount of experience in community health initiatives, which fuels her passion to train those aspiring to become Community Health Workers. Her interests in Public Health include Maternal and Child Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Health Equity, and Social Determinants of Health. Sydni is excited to continue to advocate for and empower underserved communities while also exploring opportunities that contribute to the Academy’s growth.