California

Carol A. Lee is the President and CEO of the California Medical Association Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) foundation established to support advances in individual and community health. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Lee served as Associate Director of Government Relations for the California Medical Association. In the capacity, she successfully lobbied for legislation which led to California becoming the first state to ban intrastate in-flight smoking, legislation to establish fair hearings for medical staff members, a grievance process for HMO enrollees, and an independent medical review process for experimental treatment. Prior to joining the California Medical Association, Ms. Lee practiced health law in Sacramento and served as legislative counsel to the Legislature in the Northern Marianas.

Ms. Lee is a member of the Executive Committee for the Network for a Healthy California, and has served on the Board of Directors for the California Pharmacy Foundation. She is often asked to speak to various associations and professional groups on issues pertaining to the health law field. Ms. Lee has published numerous articles. Ms. Lee received her B.A. from Pepperdine University, her M.A. from Humboldt State University, and her J.D. from the University of Southern California.

Elissa is presently the Vice President of Programs for the California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation where she is responsible for the planning, organization and implementation of a number of statewide community health projects designed to link physicians to the communities in which they live and work, including the appropriate use of antibiotics, prevention and treatment of overweight, type 2 diabetes in children, youth and adults and the health of older women. The Foundation is focused on strengthening the infrastructure to support physician led community health efforts through a community mapping process and developing the funding support for projects through corporate solicitation and grant development. As Vice President of Programs, Elissa works with medical organizations including ethnic medical associations, health plans, public health agencies, consumer groups and community-based organizations throughout California and nationally. Elissa has her BA in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside and received her Master’s in Public Health from UCLA.

Sara is presently the Cervical Cancer & HPV Project Director for the California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation. Sara previously worked at the California Department of Public Health where she was the Program Director of California’s Comprehensive Cancer Control (CCC) Program. Sara is presently the Cervical Cancer & HPV Project Director for the California Medical Association (CMA) Foundation. Sara previously worked at the California Department of Public Health where she was the Program Director of California’s Comprehensive Cancer Control (CCC) Program. Sara also has past experience working with the Nutrition Network within the Department of Public Health. She has a B.S. in Human Development from UC Davis, MPH from San Diego State University and is a certified health education specialist. Sara also has past experience working with the Nutrition Network within the Department of Public Health. She has a B.S. in Human Development from UC Davis, MPH from San Diego State University and is a certified health education specialist.

Dr. Heidi Bauer is the Chief of the Program Development and Evaluation Section for the California Department of Public Health Sexually Transmitted Disease Control Program, Medical Co-Director for the California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center, and Co-Chair for the California HPV Vaccine Workgroup. She has faculty appointments in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco and the University of California at Berkeley.

Her work in the cervical cancer research and prevention dates back to 1989, when she had a leading role in one of the first population-based prevalence studies of HPV in young women. She has more than 10 years experience with public health program development, surveillance, and evaluation, and is currently the primary investigator for the California HPV IMPACT study, an evaluation of the effectiveness of HPV vaccine in preventing precancerous cervical disease. In addition to her work with the CMA Foundation, she provides expert consultation with a number of national organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Social Health Association. For more information, see BauerHealthConsulting.

She received her Master of Public Health from UC Berkeley; and after completing a Master of Science at UC Berkeley, she went on to complete her medical training at UCSF School of Medicine. She completed a residency in Preventive Medicine at UCSF and is board-certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.