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Dr. Karina Diaz
Dr. Diaz is a UCLA Public & Community Psychiatry Fellow with a strong commitment to compassionate, community focused mental health care. She is originally from San Jose, CA, and attended college at Franciscan University of Steubenville where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology. She then spent several years working at an oncology clinic in the Stanford University Health System where exposure to chronic illness and end of life care began to foster an interest in mental health. She went on to earn her Medical Degree from Rush Medical College where she was also involved in volunteer organizations such as Rush University Harmony, performing music at various inpatient units throughout the hospital. She is currently in her fourth year of residency at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Her special interests in Psychiatry include homelessness and mental health in the Hispanic community, particularly those with language barriers. During her free time, Dr. Karina enjoys exploring new restaurants in Los Angeles, visiting her many nieces and nephews, and spending time with her cat, Midge.
Dr. Melvin Rico
Dr. Rico is a psychiatrist and addiction public health researcher dedicated to advancing health equity for Angelenos. Born into a Guatemalan-Salvadoran family, he draws deep inspiration from his Indigenous and Latino roots, driving his commitment to serving marginalized and immigrant populations. A proud quadruple Bruin, Melvin earned his BS in Biochemistry from UCLA before completing the Charles R. Drew University/UCLA Medical Education Program and concurrently earning an MPH in Community Health Sciences at the UCLA school of Public Health. He continued his training within the UCLA family for his psychiatry residency and has proudly served as the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE) Chief Resident. His clinical and research interests lie at the intersection of community mental health, Indigenous and Latinx mental health, and community-oriented substance use care. As an incoming Public & Community Psychiatry Fellow, he is looking forward to connecting with leaders in Public Psychiatry and work to transform mental health systems in LA County. In his free time, Melvin is an avid runner; you can frequently find him jogging around local LA neighborhoods or hitting the trails for a weekend hike. He loves connecting with Mother Nature, enjoys mycology, and likes searching for unique mushrooms on his outdoor adventures. At home, he loves playing board games with friends and family and relaxing with his wife, Ibeth, and their two furry babies, Dobbie and Frida.
UCLA Public & Community Psychiatry-Addiction Combined Fellow
Dr. Zachary Jacobs
Dr. Jacobs is a combined Addiction and Public Psychiatry Fellow committed to advancing mental health equity for marginalized and underserved populations in Los Angeles. Zachary earned his B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale University before returning home to Los Angeles for medical school at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where he was deeply involved with the Student Run Homeless Clinics. He continued his training at Stanford, completing psychiatry residency as an inaugural member of the Community and Public Psychiatry Track and serving as chief resident. While in residency, he held various leadership positions at local and national levels and explored his interest in Street Psychiatry by helping create a new psychiatry rotation with Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless. He is passionate about working with unhoused individuals through clinical care, leadership, and advocacy, and is excited to be returning home for a unique fellowship opportunity that will prepare him to help advance care for LA’s most vulnerable residents. Outside of work, Zachary enjoys spending time with family and friends, going on hikes, and tending to his houseplants.
UCLA Public & Community Psychiatry-CAP Community Track Combined Fellow
Dr. Jennifer Tu
Dr. Tu is currently a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and is concurrently completing the Public and Community Psychiatry Fellowship. She grew up in New Orleans, LA and received a B.A. in Neurobiology with a minor in Global Health & Health Policy at Harvard College, where she also co-directed MIHNUET (Music In Hospitals and Nursing Homes Using Entertainment as Therapy) and Harvard College Alzheimer’s Buddies. Between undergrad and med school, she was a Luce Scholar in Taipei, Taiwan, where she researched dementia caregiver burden and enjoyed explorations across East and Southeast Asia for a year. She then completed her MD and MTS (Master of Theological Studies) at Duke University through the Theology, Medicine, and Culture fellowship. Her professional interests include caring for populations experiencing homelessness, immigrant mental health, religion and spirituality, and intergenerational relationships. As a public psychiatry fellow, she is excited to learn more about structural determinants of mental health and expand her perspective on how systems can be changed to address them. In her free time, she enjoys embarking on long urban walks with her husband, cuddling with her cat Momo, and baking massive amounts of chocolate-chip cookies.
UCLA Public & Community Psychiatry-CAP Community Track Combined Fellow
Dr. Alana Slavin
Dr. Alana Slavin is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and is concurrently completing the Public and Community Psychiatry Fellowship. She grew up in Los Angeles, California, and St. Louis, Missouri, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Economics from Loyola Marymount University. As a Fulbright U.S. Student Grantee, she went on to earn a Master of Science in Development Economics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where she studied health determinants among undocumented immigrants and refugees. She received her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School, where she co-directed the University of Michigan Asylum Collaborative, and completed her general psychiatry residency at Yale. While at Yale, she was a member of the Anti-Eugenics Collective, working to examine and confront the legacy of eugenics in medicine and psychiatry. Throughout medical school and residency, her commitment to migrant health also took her to the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana, where she provided volunteer clinical care and engaged in advocacy work on family separation with Physicians for Human Rights. She now conducts forensic psychiatric evaluations through the UCLA Asylum Clinic and provides care to unhoused Angelenos through The People Concern. Her professional interests include childhood trauma, first-break psychosis, maternal and infant mental health, and the mental health of minoritized patients, including LGBTQIA+ individuals and migrants, as well as community-based psychosocial interventions and implementation science. In her free time, Dr. Slavin enjoys hiking, cooking from cookbooks like Zaitoun, hand-building ceramics, tending to her garden and growing collection of indoor plants, shooting film photography, exploring LA’s art museums, and spending time with her dog.