Team

Aileen Babadjanians is the National Placement Director at HCC, where she oversees the development and implementation of strategic workforce programs, ensuring that students are well-prepared for meaningful careers. Her work focuses on facilitating opportunities that empower students to make a positive impact on their communities’ well-being. Read More

Larry Bullins is a seasoned IT professional with over fifteen years of experience in technology leadership. Throughout his career, he has successfully managed and operated across virtually every aspect of IT, showcasing his versatility and depth of knowledge. Larry is passionate about delivering systemic solutions that address complex challenges and eliminate inefficiencies, all while prioritizing an exceptional customer experience. Read More

Cassie is a Senior Program Manager for Health Career Connection’s Northern California, Central Coast, and Central Valley region. In this role, she fosters and maintains relationships with an array of partner organizations to host interns, matches interns to partner organizations, and mentors students throughout their internship experience to ensure their success. Read More

Abraham Cicchetti serves as Chief Operating Officer for Health Career Connections (HCC). Mr. Cicchetti is a dynamic leader with expertise in operations, business development, and financial management. His deep-rooted expertise, honed over an illustrious career spanning a wide array of industries, draws a compelling narrative of consistent growth, profitability, and transformative leadership. Read More

Alyssa Colon is a Director of Evaluation with over 7 years of experience conducting and leading evaluations. After earning her MPH from Oregon State University, Alyssa worked in both internal and external evaluation roles within various public health domains including mental health, substance use, and workforce development. Alyssa is fueled by her dedication to innovative data storytelling, participatory methods, and public health equity. Read More

Katy joined HCC in 2014. Katy’s interest in healthcare began when she started to work on the Wellfleet Rescue Squad. After college, she worked for various organizations (ambulance, hospital, VNA, HMO). Katy was a Governor Intern at the MA Department of Mental Health and worked at the MA Division of Insurance for 8.5 years in the health policy section. Katy established Cushman Insurance Solutions and sold long-term care insurance (LTCI) for 20 years. Read More

Patricia S. Etem, MPH, has developed, directed and evaluated Public Health programs and initiatives for hospitals, city health and youth development divisions, and non-profit organizations for over 20 years. Her areas of expertise include program design and implementation, strategic partnership development, health policy, stakeholder training, resource development, and program evaluation. Read More

Dana brings over 20 years of leadership experience in workforce development across the nonprofit and higher education sectors, with a deep commitment to supporting historically excluded groups.

Before joining HCC, Dana spent a decade at Long Beach City College, where she managed training programs, developed and implemented grants, led industry engagement, and supported job and internship placements for students. Read More

With over 15 years of expertise in health marketing, communications, and educational programming, Vanessa currently serves as the Director of Communications, Alumni Engagement, and Project Implementation at Health Career Connection. In this role, she spearheads the creation and execution of dynamic communication strategies and innovative programs that engage and support HCC’s network of interns, industry partners, donors, and over 5,400 alumni. Read More

Rachel Gregoire brings fifteen years of cross-sector experience to HCC, having held diverse roles in career development, human resources, teaching, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her career is dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals in their growth, driven by personal triumphs that have maximized the value she brings to her field. Rachel is nationally recognized as a thought leader in career and professional development, utilizing her expertise to catalyze workplace excellence and foster connection. Read More

Tyler helps to support HCC by coordinating financial, operational, and technical activities for the organization. He has previously conducted similar work for the Pre-Collegiate Studies program at Stanford University.

Prior to this work, Tyler was awarded a BS in Molecular Environmental Biology from UC Berkeley and served in the United States Army.

Zuleyka Hernandez is an Assistant to the CEO/Project Manager at Health Career Connection (HCC). In this role, she supports aspects of workforce development, alumni initiatives, and summer programming. Located in Boston, Zuleyka previously worked as Communications Manager for the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Executive Office. Prior to that, she worked as a Workforce Development Administrator for Mass General Brigham. Read More

Jana has dedicated her life to the well-being and advancement of children, women, and families who face significant adversity. She was the former Chief Executive Officer at One Circle Foundation, a nonprofit specializing in creating safe and supported spaces for youth and communities across the globe through evidence-based circle programs and curricula. Jana was previously the founder of a youth drop-in center called Oakland Youth Aspire in West Oakland. Read More

Melissa Infusino is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience in workforce development, economic advancement, and nonprofit and public sector management. As Vice President of Workforce Development, Operations, and Innovation at Health Career Connection, Melissa leads workforce initiatives across California, building regional health collaboratives and driving national innovation in workforce development. Read More

Babar Iqbal is a Program Coordinator at Health Career Connection. Babar attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Management & Society. At HCC, he oversees, maintains, and updates technical systems and products to support administrative, financial, and operational tasks and projects. He also serves as a resource for database management and maintenance of systems. Read More

Jimmy’s connection to HCC dates back to his HCC internship. Through that experience, he was inspired to pursue a career in public health and discovered his passion for health equity. To that end, he has had varied experiences developing solutions and managing programs that address social determinants of health. In his current position, he supports continuous improvement projects to increase HCC’s impact. Jimmy obtained his BA from Brown University and MPH from UNC-Chapel Hill School of Public Health. He is always looking forward to reconnecting with fellow HCC Alumni.

Jo is based in Philadelphia and directs HCC’s programming in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Her career has spanned nearly two decades in the nonprofit industry, with a few stints in local government – most notably working in COVID containment at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Read More

India King Walker is the Finance Manager at Health Career Connection (HCC), where she oversees financial planning, budgeting, and strategic financial management to ensure the organization’s fiscal sustainability. She collaborates closely with leadership, vendors, and cross-functional teams to streamline financial operations, optimize cash flow, and develop policies that align with HCC’s mission. Read More

Jamison Lowery joined HCC as the Director of the Southeast Region in January 2025. In this role, he has responsibility for all programmatic and business development initiatives for the region with a priority emphasis on North Carolina and NC Native American students and communities. His primary duties are developing new partnerships to support program expansion, recruiting college students and health employer host organizations, placing students in internships, and pursuing additional funding.

Dr. Sergio Martinez is the Senior Program Manager (SPM) at Health Career Connection (HCC), where he leads the development, implementation, and expansion of HCC programs in Northern, Central Valley and Central California. In this role, he recruits and maintains relationships with health organizations to host HCC interns and collaborates with partners to enhance programming. He also supports the recruitment, screening, and placement of talented interns, plans summer programming, and Read More

Iman is an Oregon native, living in the Central Oregon town of Bend. She served as the Chief Operating Officer for St. Charles Health System, and after eight years has recently left this role to take a professional breather. Iman’s public health and health care executive roles have spanned 24 years, most recently as a senior executive at St. Charles. In this role, Iman was responsible for the four hospitals across the health system, Cancer, Heart and Surgical Service Lines, as well as Quality and Patient Safety programs. Read More

With over 11 years of experience across diverse healthcare settings, I am committed to fostering a sustainable workforce by prioritizing professional development and continuous learning. I firmly believe that a company’s greatest asset is its employees, and to drive organizational growth, it’s essential to nurture the passions, skill sets, and goals of every team member. Holding a Master’s in Health Administration from the University of La Verne and Read More

Melissa Torres-Montoya serves as the Senior Director of Strategy, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement where she supports the build out of a regional health workforce strategy to address health workforce shortages in California. She is a reproductive justice and sexual health advocate who has worked at advocacy nonprofit organizations advancing policies at local and national levels of government. She has dedicated her professional career to addressing the lack of affordable quality healthcare Read More