Friday common lunches with an extra space for you
Prevention Institute Staff
Executive Director: Larry Cohen
Executive Assistant: Anna Realini
Managing Directors: Rachel Davis, Leslie Mikkelsen
Program Directors: Manal Aboelata
Program Managers: Jeremy Cantor, Sana Chehimi, Virginia Lee, Annie Lyles, Linda Shak, Ann Whidden
Administrative Manager: Justin Probert
Program Coordinators: Dalila Butler, Kion Jordan, Juliet Sims, Janani Srikantharajah, Sandra Viera
Bookkeeper: Linda Benson
Program Assistants: Christine Chang, Carmen Johnson, Janet Pan, Omar Sahak, Shakirah Simley, Lily Swartz, Erica Valdovinos
Graduate Student Fellow: Nicole Schneider
Presidential Management Fellow: Andy Riesenberg
Research Fellow: Shivani Mohan
Administrative Assistants: Christina Jiang, Quoc To, Carol Yur
Staff emails are available with individual staff bios.
Larry Cohen, Founder and Executive Director, MSW
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Larry Cohen, founder and Executive Director of Prevention Institute, a non-profit national center dedicated to improving community health and equity through effective primary prevention: taking action to build resilience and to prevent illness and injury before they occur. With an emphasis on health equity, Larry has led many successful public health efforts at the local, state, and federal level on injury and violence prevention, mental health, traffic safety, and food and physical activity-related chronic disease prevention. Larry helped to define violence as a preventable public health concern, and developed one of the nation's first courses on violence prevention. Prior to founding Prevention Institute in 1997, Larry formed the first U.S. coalition to change tobacco policy and created the nation's first multi-city smoking ban. He established the Food and Nutrition Policy Consortium, which catalyzed the nation's food labeling law. Larry also helped shape vehicle safety policy, including strategy to secure passage of bicycle and motorcycle helmet laws, and strengthen child and adult passenger restraint laws. Larry has received numerous awards, including the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section Public Service Award from the American Public Health Association. He received his MSW from SUNY Stony Brook. To learn more about Larry, please click here.
Anna Realini, Executive Assistant
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Anna Realini, Executive Assistant at Prevention Institute, is the principle contact for the Executive Director and provides support to the organization in all program areas with an emphasis on communications, outreach, writing and editing. She coordinates consultation services to government agencies, community collaboratives, nonprofit organizations, and foundations on sustainable strategies to improve health and health equity. Anna also serves as liaison to the Board of Directors. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2007, Anna was Membership Director for Media Alliance, a national media justice organization where she directed a health program for independent media workers. Anna's background is in legal services and social justice policy and advocacy.
Rachel Davis, Managing Director, MSW
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Rachel Davis, Managing Director at Prevention Institute, oversees management of projects related to prevention violence, community health and reducing inequity, health care reform, and mental health. She creates tools and materials to support local and state initiatives and educates government agencies, foundations, and community groups throughout the country. Rachel serves as Project Director for UNITY (Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth through Violence Prevention), Prevention Institute's CDC-funded national initiative to strengthen and support the 45 largest U.S. cities in more effectively preventing violence. Rachel co-developed THRIVE (Toolkit for Health and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments), an interactive web-based tool to help identify and foster factors in the community environment that improve health outcomes and reduce inequity. She has written numerous publications, including First Steps: Taking Action Early to Prevent Violence. Rachel also co-authored A Time of Opportunity: Local Solutions to Reduce Inequities in Health and Safety, Health for All: California's Strategic Approach to Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health, and Good Health Counts: A 21st Century Approach to Health and Community for California. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 1997, Rachel had extensive experience as a social worker for the San Francisco Unified School District. Rachel received her MSW from UC Berkeley's School of Social Welfare. To learn more about Rachel, please click here.
Leslie Mikkelsen, Managing Director, MPH, RD
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Leslie Mikkelsen, Managing Director at Prevention Institute, advances the conceptual work of the organization and supervises the Supporting Healthy Eating and Active Living projects and team. She develops tools and materials to support local and state initiatives, and guides government bureaus, foundations and community organizations throughout the country on effective environmental approaches, coalition building, and interdisciplinary partnerships. Leslie is the co-founder and Project Director for the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments, a statewide advocacy network involved in creating healthy food and physical activity opportunities. Her research and publications had aided in the development of ENACT (Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool), and the ENACT Local Policy Database. She is also a Policy Consultant to the national Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership, where she directs research and helps shape national strategy related to policy priorities that support healthy food and activity environments. Leslie has written many articles, including Setting the Record Straight: Nutritionists and Health Professionals Define Healthful Food and Where's the Fruit? Fruit Content of the Most Highly Advertised Children's Food and Beverages. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 1999, Leslie worked for the Alameda County and New York City Food Banks. Leslie is the winner of the American Public Health Association Food and Nutrition Section 2008 Catherine Cowell Award for Excellence in Public Health Nutrition. She received her MPH from UC Berkeley. To learn more about Leslie, please click here.
Manal Aboelata, Program Director, MPH
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Manal J. Aboelata, Program Director at Prevention Institute, oversees management of projects related to improving access to healthy foods, preventing injuries, and increasing opportunities for physical activity. She emphasizes policy and community-based approaches in her work, and her overarching commitment is to helping under-resourced communities achieve optimal health. Manal coordinates the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments, a statewide advocacy network involved in bringing healthy food and physical activity opportunities to all Californians. She chairs the Joint Use Statewide Taskforce (JUST), whose mission is to increase community access to playgrounds through the policy of joint use agreements between school districts and local governments. Manal is principal author of The Built Environment and Health: 11 Profiles of Neighborhood Transformation, Mapping the Movement for Healthy Food and Activity Environments: Organizational Snapshots, and Cultivating Common Ground: Linking Health and Sustainable Agriculture. She is certified as a California Walkability Expert by the California Department of Health Services and CalTrans. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 1998, Manal received her MPH in Epidemiology from UCLA, where she was inducted into the Iota Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in 2001 and into the UCLA School of Public Health Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jeremy Cantor, Program Manager at Prevention Institute, oversees projects related to health equity, community health, land-use and health, and health care reform. Jeremy coordinates coalitions and partnerships, consults with government and community agencies, and does writing and editing. Major projects he manages include a health equity training series he's developing for community advocates around California, the statewide Healthy Places Coalition, and a community-driven livability initiative in Alameda County. Jeremy is involved in building the economic case for prevention and has co-authored numerous publications, including The Imperative of Reducing Health Disparities through Prevention: Challenges, Implications, and Opportunities, Laying the Groundwork for a Movement to Reduce Health Disparities, and Reducing Healthcare Costs through Prevention. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2006, Jeremy was Program Director for Destination: College, an AmeriCorps program that trains and supervises undergraduate advisors placed in under-resourced schools. Jeremy received his MPH in Health and Social Behavior from UC Berkeley.
Sana Chehimi, Program Manager, MPH, 
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Sana Chehimi, Program Manager at Prevention Institute, oversees projects related to healthy eating and active living, developing tools and strategies to promote healthier, more equitable food environments. She manages Prevention Institute's technical assistance and training work for Communities Creating Healthier Environments, a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supporting diverse, community-based organizations and tribal groups in developing local policies that build food and recreation equity and address social injustice. Sana oversees national media advocacy efforts supporting prevention and health reform. She provides guidance and support for Strategic Alliance, and its statewide Rapid Response Media Network, providing tools and resources for effective media advocacy to promote healthy eating and active living. Sana is co-editor of Prevention Is Primary: Strategies for Community Wellbeing, one of the first academic texts on primary prevention. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2003, Sana worked in the HIV field. She speaks fluent Swedish and French as well as conversational Tunisian. She received her MPH in Health and Social Behavior from UC Berkeley.
Annie Lyles, Program Manager, MSW 
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Annie Lyles, Program Manager at Prevention Institute, oversees projects in the area of preventing violence and primarily manages UNITY (Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth), an initiative designed to strengthen and support local efforts to prevent violence in the nation's largest cities. Annie has coordinated the Alameda County Violence Prevention Initiative, the Violence Against Women Prevention Connection Webinar Series, and Ms. Foundation Childhood Sexual Exploitation Prevention Project. Recently, she has begun to develop projects and present on the intersections of violence and nutrition and physical activity. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2008, Annie was a Program Specialist in the County of San Diego Office of Violence Prevention, where she focused on violence against women, teen dating and street violence, providing trainings, developing local initiatives, and assisting with contract management. Annie has over fourteen years experience coordinating and providing direct services to families and adolescents through local government, community clinics, juvenile detention facilities, and school based initiatives. She received her MSW with a concentration in multi-ethnic social justice practice from University of Washington.
Linda Shak, Program Manager at Prevention Institute, oversees projects related to healthy eating and active living, sustainable food systems, and mental health. Linda provides training and consultation to local government, foundations, and community collaboratives nationwide, helping them develop quality prevention policies and practices. She has worked with the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, Kaiser Permanente's Healthy Eating Active Living communities, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grantees. Linda has served in an advisory capacity to Health Care without Harm and is responsible for constituency building for the Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments. She also manages the ENACT Local Policy Database, which provides policymakers and advocates with examples of nutrition and activity related policies that have been adopted in local jurisdictions. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2005, Linda was instrumental in developing the St. Louis Healthy Youth Partnership, a regional collaborative working to increase healthy eating and physical activity among children. Linda received her MSW from Washington University in St. Louis and is a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs.
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Ann Whidden, Program Manager at Prevention Institute, works in Communications and Media Outreach. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2009, Ann was the Director of Communications at San Francisco State University's National Sexuality Resource Center, where she led messaging and communications efforts aimed at promoting healthy sexuality. She has eighteen years experience as a health and communications professional, working with progressive corporate and non-profit clients to create compelling strategies that amplify best practices, capture media attention, and inspire action. She has helped organizations place stories everywhere from O: the Oprah Magazine to The New York Times, and focuses on leveraging online and new media tools to connect meaningful work to the people who need to hear about it. She holds an MPH with an emphasis on Community Organizing and Social Justice from San Francisco State University.
Justin Probert, Administrative Manager at Prevention Institute, oversees financial management, human resources, technology, administration, and facilities management. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2006, Justin was Operations Director for a statewide youth-led advocacy organization that connects school-based gay-straight alliance clubs to each other and to community resources as part of the safe schools movement. He was Director of Operations for A Home Away From Homelessness, which provides educational, social, and recreational opportunities to homeless and formerly homeless families in San Francisco and Marin counties. He spent eight years at the Tides Center, the national leader in fiscal sponsorship services to hundreds of nonprofit organizations. Justin has served on many local and national boards of directors, reflecting his ongoing commitment to community service. He received his BS in social science from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.
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Dalila Butler, Program Coordinator at Prevention Institute, works in the areas of nutrition and physical activity as well as health equity. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2009, Dalila worked in cancer prevention research. She brings to Prevention Institute knowledge of advancing health equity and experience working in several different sectors, including the corporate arena and healthcare and nonprofit organizations. Dalila received her Masters in Public Health with an emphasis in health promotion from San Diego State University.
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Kion Jordan, Program Coordinator at Prevention Institute, focuses on the area of preventing violence. He provides consultation and training in preventing violence to various organizations and audiences nationwide and helps communities that are disproportionately affected by violence to develop targeted prevention strategies. One of his primary responsibilities is coordination for UNITY (Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth through Violence Prevention), an initiative that supports local efforts to prevent violence in the nation's largest cities. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2009, Kion worked with at-risk youth in violence prevention, academic and extra-curricular development, and rehabilitation for young offenders. He also has experience as a business and marketing consultant, lecturer, and international justice activist. He is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and speaks fluent Spanish. He received his BA in International Studies from Morehouse College.
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Juliet Sims, Program Coordinator at Prevention Institute, supports projects related to healthy eating and active living. She collaborates with agencies and organizations across the country, providing training and consultation to incorporate prevention strategies into their efforts. Juliet helps with Strategic Alliance, California's statewide coalition of food and activity advocates, including coordination of its Rapid Response Media Network, which enables more effective advocacy related to nutrition and physical activity. She also oversees development of the Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool (ENACT), a Web-based resource designed to give policymakers and advocates the tools to improve local nutrition and activity environments. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2008, Juliet spent three years working in clinical nutrition. She received her MPH with an emphasis in Nutrition from UC Berkeley.
Janani Srikantharajah, Program Coordinator, BA
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Janani Srikantharajah, Program Coordinator at Prevention Institute, works in the areas of healthy eating and active living, health equity, and injury prevention. Janani plays an integral role in Prevention Institute's advocacy and outreach efforts to ensure community prevention is included in national health reform. She also supports the Institute's work with the Healthy Eating Active Living Convergence Partnership, a collaborative of major health funders in the United States. Janani's efforts with the Convergence Partnership focus primarily on identifying strategies to improve the built environment and promote physical activity. She is a lead author for the transportation and land use policy resolution for the American Public Health Association. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2006, Janani graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology and a minor in Conservation Resource Studies.
Sandra Viera, Program Coordinator, BA
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Sandra Viera, Program Coordinator at Prevention Institute primarily works in physical activity, nutrition and injury prevention. Prior to joining Prevention institute in 2010, Sandra was the Associate Director of Policy at Latino Health Access, a non-profit based out of Santa Ana, California. As Santa Ana site coordinator for The California Endowment's Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC) collaborative, Sandra worked with local school districts, public health departments, youth groups and other community-based organizations to establish healthy eating and active living policies in Santa Ana in an effort to curb and reverse the rising childhood obesity rate. She is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach majoring in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Policy.
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Linda Benson, Bookkeeper
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Linda Benson, Bookkeeper at Prevention Institute, handles the financial aspects of Prevention Institute's work, including grant budget reporting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and organizational compliance. Linda feels privileged to have witnessed the impact the Institute has made in the public health sector. Prior to joining Prevention Institute shortly after its inception in 1997, Linda spent over fifteen years in the accounting industry, working with CPAs and focusing primarily in the nonprofit sector.
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Christine Chang, Program Assistant at Prevention Institute, supports projects related to preventing violence. She works as a staff member on UNITY (Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth), a national initiative designed to strengthen and support local efforts to prevent violence in the nation's largest cities. She also focuses on two growing areas at Prevention Institute: child abuse and neglect and violence against women. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2008, Christine participated in the national Occupational Health Internship Program conducting field research with Cal OSHA on working conditions for migrant farm workers, including heat stress. She also interned at the Berkeley Women's Daytime Drop-In Center, working with homeless women and children. Christine received her BA in Public Health from UC Berkeley.
Carmen Johnson, Program Assistant, BA
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Carmen Johnson, Program Assistant at Prevention Institute, supports projects related to preventing violence and assists Managing Director Rachel Davis. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2009, Carmen worked with the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a program providing academic support services to economically, educationally, and socially disadvantaged students in the STEM disciplines. She interned with the California Department of Public Health Wise Woman Program and served as a Peer Health Educator with the Alcohol Tobacco & Other Drugs Program. Carmen is co-founder of Future Black Doctors & Dentists, a student driven, community-service based organization committed to advancing the underserved and diversifying the health professions. Carmen received her BA in Sociology from CSU Sacramento.
Janet Pan, Program Assistant, BA
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Janet Pan, Program Assistant at Prevention Institute, provides content support and assists Managing Director Leslie Mikkelsen. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2009, Janet worked as a student director and tutor for Berkeley United in Literacy Development, working with K-5th grade youth to increase their literacy and math skills. She also worked with UC Berkeley's Global Medical Brigade to provide a mobile medical clinic and public health workshops to under resourced communities of Honduras. Janet received her BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley.
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Omar Sahak, Program Assistant at Prevention Institute, focuses on health equity and health reform. He supports a variety of projects in these areas and assists with the organization's publications, including Prevention Is Primary: Strategies for Community Wellbeing, one of the first academic texts on primary prevention. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2009, Omar held positions with the California State Rural Health Association and the Health Education Council. Her has experience in media and communications, policy advocacy, and coalition. He has collaborated on a variety of public health issues, including preventing chronic disease; increasing equitable access to health services, fresh foods, and physical activity; and promoting diversity in the healthcare workforce. Omar speaks fluent Dari and Hindi as well as conversational Spanish. He is a fellow of the Society for Public Health Education and is currently in the MPH program at San Jose State.
Shakirah Simley, Program Assistant, BA 
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Shakirah Simley, Program Assistant at Prevention Institute, supports efforts related to healthy eating and active living. She coordinates activities for the statewide Strategic Alliance for Healthy Good and Activity Environments, including the development of the Strategic Alliance Newsletter. She maintains the Web-based tool ENACT (Environmental Nutrition Activity Community Tool). Shakirah also provides project support, research, and analysis for the Communities Creating Healthier Environments team, working to reduce food and activity related inequities. Prior to joining the Prevention Institute in 2008, Shakirah served as one of the first Human Rights Fellows for the City of New York, spearheading the NYC Civil Rights Oral History Documentation Project. She trained with the Just Food Community Food Education Program, and volunteered as a Community Chef in NYC. Shakirah received her BA in Anthropology and Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
Lily Swartz, Program Assistant, BA
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Lily Swartz, Program Assistant at Prevention Institute, provides both administrative and content area support. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2009, she worked as an Assistant Teacher in a Pre-School at the People's Regional Opportunity Program in Portland, Maine. She has also worked as a Counselor, Retreat Coordinator and Gender and Sexuality Training Consultant at Farm and Wilderness Summer Camps in Plymouth, Vermont. In her college career, Lily was a founding member of Students Organizing Against Racism and Activist Resource Center, as well as Director of the Queer Resource Center. Lily received her BA in Sociology from Brandeis University.
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Nicole Schneider, Graduate Student Fellow, MPH
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Nicole Schneider, Graduate Student Fellow at Prevention Institute, works in the areas of healthy eating and active living, and land use and health. Nicole is a Master of City Planning graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, where she engages in learning the links between the built and physical environments and health. At Prevention Institute Nicole is involved in healthy eating and active living research, and works on the statewide Healthy Places Coalition, applying her public health and city planning experience to encourage policies that support healthy communities. Nicole is also working on identifying opportunities to promote health within recent California State climate change legislation. Prior to arriving at Prevention Institute in 2009, Nicole worked at Samuels & Associates, conducting research around school food and beverage policies in the State of California. Nicole completed her MPH fieldwork at the UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion, a CDC Prevention Research Center, working with local underserved communities using community-based participatory research methods. Nicole received her MPH with an emphasis in Nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Shivani Mohan, Reseach Fellow at Prevention Institute, works on team collaboration, creating research plans, and designing cross-disciplinary workshops with innovative techniques aimed at solution building. Prior to joining the Prevention Institute in 2009, Shivani was a Masters student at the Institute of Design IIT Chicago. In her studies, she focused on projects which combined elements of design and social change. Such work included the Ceasefire Program of Chicago, where she created a long-term campaign to reduce violence in American cities, and working with the Chicago Housing Authority to design new services for new residents of mixed income housing. Shivani received her Masters Degree in Design with concentrations in planning and strategy from the Institute of Design IIT Chicago.
Christina Jiang, Administrative Assistant
Quoc To, Administrative Assistant
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Quoc To, Administrative Assistant at Prevention Institute, helps with a variety of administrative tasks, as he has done since joining Prevention Institute in 2007. He is a senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Law, Economy, and Culture in Modern Society. Quoc is currently working to complete his honors thesis on the meaning of liberty and rights in modern societies. Upon graduation, he plans to go to law school.