Principal Investigator

Denise Diaz Payán, PhD, MPP, is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Health, Society, and Behavior at UC Irvine. She is the founder and principal investigator of the Community Health & Innovative Policy (CHIP) Lab. Dr. Payán obtained a PhD in Public Policy and Management from USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School. She received a BA in History and Science, Certificate in Health Policy, and Citation in Spanish from Harvard College.​ She was a Health Services Research postdoctoral scholar in the Dept. of Health Policy and Management at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the RAND Corporation (2015-2017) and was a tenure-track faculty member at UC Merced (2017-2021).

Graduate Student Researchers

Kimberly Sánchez, MPH, is a Public Health PhD student at UC Merced. She received a triple B.A. in Spanish, Public Health, and Psychology at UC Merced and completed a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) at CSU Long Beach. Her research interests include immigrant health, specifically how policies affect the health of undocumented Latinos and obesity prevention. She is a 2020 CARE-UC Fellow and was awarded funding to conduct research on food insecurity among immigrants in California.

Kesia Garibay is a Public Health PhD student at UC Merced. She received a B.A. in Public Health from UC Merced. Her research interests include the impact of health policy on underserved communities and understanding how policy addresses health disparities. She is currently working to develop a state obesity policy database with the CHIP Lab. Kesia is the 2020 recipient of the Future History Makers Award from Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE).

Undergraduate Student Research Assistant/s

Corbin Farias is an undergraduate student majoring in Public Health and Psychology at UC Merced. His interests include health policy and law, and health equity. He is currently assisting with the development of a state obesity policy database in the CHIP lab. He is captain of the UCM Cross Country team and a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. In 2021, he received the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar award in recognition for his excellence in both academic and athletic pursuits. Corbin plans to pursue law school to represent communities in the Central Valley.