Why Won’t They Show Up?: Authentic Community Engagement for Researchers

Alexis Cobbins

Alexis Cobbins is the Associate Director at the California Preterm Birth Initiative. She was a Social Worker with over 10 years of experience providing culturally relevant and responsive services through a trauma-informed approach. Alexis previously worked for the Human Services Agency in San Francisco, supervising staff in the Project 500 Program and was the former Program Manager for the San Francisco Black Infant Health Program.

Daphina Melbourne

Daphina is the Community Engagement Associate at the California Preterm Birth Initiative. Daphina has worked with women across the life course bridging the gap between community and research to ensure that those at the margins are always centered in research development and priorities. She has over fifteen years of reproductive justice organizing experience.

Roberto Vargas

Roberto Ariel Vargas is the Associate Director for UCSF's Center for Community Engagement. Roberto participates in—and sometimes leads—multi-stakeholder health initiatives that provide opportunities for UCSF to leverage its research and science expertise and resources.  Roberto also helps disseminate evidence-based practice nationally, leveraging the experiences of UCSF’s research, science and public health partnerships to inform health initiatives broadly. 

Shanell Williams

Shanell Williams is the Director of Community Engagement for the California Preterm Birth Initiative and a member of the Board of Trustees at City College of San Francisco. Over the past 16 years, Shanell has served thousands of San Franciscans as an informed, passionate and dedicated public advocate, nonprofit leader and community organizer. From mentoring youth trapped in cycles of incarceration—to saving city college from a near loss of accreditation and closure for the past four years— Shanell has worked tirelessly to improve all San Franciscan’s quality of life.