Oral Health Forum Staff
Alejandra Valencia, DDS, MPH, MS: Alejandra serves as OHF’s Project Director. She worked as a dentist in public health settings for several years before specializing in dental public health. Her expertise is in community-based research, data analysis and interpretation, and health systems impact. She ensures that our work aligns with national initiatives, our data is accurate, and our model is strong. Phone: 773.491.2632
For more information about Alejandra visit her LinkedIn page.
Kimberly Bartolomucci: Kim serves as the Program Manager. She comes with over 30 years of non-profit experience, worked in the dental field for several years and is experienced with event projects/event planning. Currently, she oversees and manages the oral health education program, and has coordinated two third grade basic screenings in Illinois. Phone: 312.636.3070
Leilah Denise Odeh, MSW: Leilah joined the OHF team in January of 2017, serving as our Manager of Program Development and Case Management Services. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois and completed her internship with Heartland Alliance Health. Leilah returned to Heartland with extensive experience in serving low-income households and communities, specializing in program management, development, and evaluation. Within the forum, she provides oversight to the case management team, develops innovative strategies to enhance and create new OHF programs and increase visibility, and works directly with stakeholders to maintain strong relationships for all invested in the mission of OHF.
Daniela Sanchez, BS: Daniela serves as the OHF Care Coordinator. Prior experience includes working with unaccompanied minors providing workshops to help make their transition in the United States easier. At the Forum, she builds relationships with community partners and connects families with oral health services. She also assists The Oral Health Education team by providing oral health education presentations in Spanish for the bilingual classrooms. Phone: 312.718.1663
Brenda Velazquez, BA: Brenda serves as an OHF Care Coordinator and comes to us with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. She has an extensive case management background working closely with families and children experiencing domestic violence. As a case manager she links families with the dental services they need. She also assists The Oral Health Education Team by providing oral health education presentations in Spanish for the bilingual classrooms. Phone: 312.515.5030
Alicia Gonzalez, BA: Alicia is the Project Coordinator for the Oral Health Forum. She comes to the forum with several years of experience in communications, public service, and education. Alicia studied History, English Literature, and Creative Writing at Northern Illinois University (NIU), continuing her studies at Governors State University (GSU) in Project Management and Masters in Public Administration. Phone: 312-257-9604
Cameron Bernstein, BS: Cameron Bernstein serves as a Program Assistant for the Oral Health Forum, helping with administrative responsibilities, educational initiatives, community outreach, and social media communications. She comes to the program with a background in educational programming and analytics. Cameron graduated with a BS in Statistics at the University of Chicago, and she is passionate about the human narratives underlying healthcare data and research. She hopes to pursue a Masters’s in the near future.
Ethalle Ukeka, BA Ethalle serves as a Public Health educator and Community Trainer for partnered colleges and universities at the Oral Health Forum. Ethalle received her BA at the School of Public Health in the University of Illinois at Chicago. Raised on the south side of Chicago, Ethalle developed a major interest in identifying health disparities that affect so many people that she cares for, especially those in minority communities. For her BA community project, Ethalle focused on Community Health Worker Programs that focused on decreasing health disparities such as diabetes and asthma. Through this, she could see that education was one essential key to unlocking healthier communities. As an oral health educator, Ethalle is trained to teach students from ages pre-K to high school on how to take care of their oral health through education and dissemination of resources. Ethalle seeks to aid communities by providing resources through education. Ethalle also enjoys training pre-dental and dental professionals on how to engage their communities through education. Through this, she continues to gain new perspectives on how to engage the community while giving back to those in need.
Executive Committee The executive committee of OHF meets 2-3 times a year and provides guidance and decision-making on OHF’s actions. The members of the executive committee are: James Alexander Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute Anne Clancy Panomitros Richard J. Daley College Megan Erskine Heartland Health Centers Caswell Evans University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry Randy Grove Chicago Dental Society Mark Heiss GC America Michael WJ Dodds Mars Wrigley Jennifer Vidis City of Chicago Public Health Mona Van Kanegan Illinois Department of Public Health Maureen Jones Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
