Advisory Committees

Health care teams, government agencies, community-based organizations, professional associations, and other key partners are coming together to support this initiative to make California’s communities ACEs Aware.

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Trauma-Informed Primary Care Implementation Advisory Committee

The purpose of the California Surgeon General’s Trauma-Informed Primary Care (TIPC) Implementation Advisory Committee is to advise the Office of the California Surgeon General and the Department of Health Care Services on the promising models, best practices, evolving science and clinical expertise for the implementation of trauma-informed care systems in California.

This includes prevention of and screening for ACEs in primary and specialty care, as well as integrated response including mental and behavioral health services, care coordination, and advancement of diagnostic tools and services to address toxic stress.

Jack Anderson
County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC)

Gatanya Arnic
Center for Youth Wellness (CYW)

Eric H. Ball, MD
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Orange County, California

Marti Baum, MD
California Medical Association (CMA)

Kimberly Bower, MD, FAAHPM, HMDC
Blue Shield of California

Michael Brodsky, MD
L.A. Care Health Plan

Michelle D. Cabrera
California Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA)

Kari Carlson, MD
TPMG, Northern Cal Kaiser Permanente

Yvonne Choong
California Medical Association – Center for Health Care Policy

Mercie Di Gangi, DO
SPMG, Southern Cal Kaiser Permanente

Lisa Folberg
California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP)

Carol Gallegos
California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) – Legislative & Government Affairs

Jonathan Goldfinger, MD, MPH, FAAP
Goldfinger Health

Mary Ann Hansen, MEd
First 5 Humboldt

Katherine Haynes, MBA
California Health Care Foundation (CHCF)

Kim Johnson
California Department of Social Services (CDSS)

Cindy Keltner
California Primary Care Association (CPCA)

Karen Larsen
Steinberg Institute

Demetria Malloy, MD, MSHS
Anthem Blue Cross

Julianne McCall, PhD
California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research

Farrah McDaid-Ting
California State Association of Counties (CSAC)

Frank Mecca, MPA
Mecca Strategies

Connie Mitchell, MD, MPH
California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

Pooja Mittal, DO
Health Net

Melissa Rolland
California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) – Legislative & Government Affairs

Alecia Sanchez
California Medical Association (CMA)

Kiran Savage-Sangwan
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN)

Jim Suennen
California Department Health and Human Services (CDHSS)

Brent K. Sugimoto, MD, FAAFP
LifeLong Medical Care

Richard Thomason, MPA
Blue Shield of California Foundation

Tracy L. Ward
National KP Community Health

  • American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Orange County, California
  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Blue Shield of California Foundation
  • California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP)
  • California Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA)
  • California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) – Legislative & Government Affairs
  • California Department Health and Human Services (CDHSS)
  • California Department of Public Health (CDPH)
  • California Department of Social Services (CDSS)
  • California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
  • California Health Care Foundation (CHCF)
  • County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC)
  • California Medical Association (CMA)
  • California Medical Association – Center for Health Care Policy
  • California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN)
  • California Primary Care Association (CPCA)
  • California State Association of Counties (CSAC)
  • Center for Youth Wellness (CYW)
  • First 5 Humboldt
  • Goldfinger Health
  • Health Net
  • L.A. Care Health Plan
  • LifeLong Medical Care
  • Mecca Strategies
  • National KP Community Health
  • SPMG, Southern Cal Kaiser Permanente
  • Steinberg Institute
  • TPMG, Northern Cal Kaiser Permanente

Click here for information on Trauma-Informed Primary Care (TIPC) Implementation Advisory Committee meetings.

Past Subcommittee Members (2019-2022)

The Provider Engagement & Education Subcommittee provides strategic advice on increasing the number of providers who complete state-certified core ACE training and supporting providers in integrating ACE screening and clinical response into their practice.

  • Eric Ball, MD, FAAP – American Academy of Pediatrics – Orange County, California
  • Marti Baum, MD – California Medical Association – Board of Trustees
  • Kim Bower, MD – Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan
  • Michelle Cabrera – California Behavioral Health Directors Association
  • Yvonne Choong, MPP (Co-Chair) – California Medical Association
  • Jerri Davis, CHCP – California Academy of Family Physicians
  • Lishaun Francis, MPP – Children Now
  • Carey Watson, MD, FACOG – Kaiser Permanente TPMG
  • Amber Kemp, MBA – California Association of Health Plans
  • Lisa James – Futures Without Violence
  • Stephen Lockhart, MD, PhD – Sutter Health
  • Brigid McCaw, MD, MPH, MS, FACP – CALQIC
  • Demetria Malloy, MD, MSHS (Co-Chair) – Anthem Blue Cross
  • Mike Witte, MD – California Primary Care Association

The Clinical Implementation Subcommittee provides input and clinical expertise on developing guidance and tools to help providers: a) Better understand toxic stress physiology and ACE-Associated Health Conditions (AAHCs); b) Implement ACE screenings, evidence-based interventions, and trauma-informed care; and c) Reduce health disparities.

  • Leon Altamirano, PsyD – North County Health Services
  • Deirdre Bernard-Pearl, MD – Santa Rosa Community Clinics
  • Tanya Dansky, MD (Facilitator) – ACEs Aware Clinical Advisor
  • Ken Epstein, PhD – University of California, San Francisco
  • Liza Eshilian-Oates, MD – Kaiser Permanente Southern California
  • Mike Flaningam, MD – Sutter Medical Group, Sacramento
  • Rachel Gilgoff, MD, MPH, FAAP – Stanford University
  • Nancy Goler, MD – Permanente Medical Group
  • Lisa Gutierrez Wang, PhD – County of Santa Cruz
  • Simone Ippoliti, PNP – Bayview Family Health Center
  • Dayna Long, MD – UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
  • Chris Longhurst, MD – University of California, San Diego
  • Eddy Machtinger, MD – University of California, San Francisco Medical School
  • Brigid McCaw, MD, MS, MPH – Senior Clinical Advisor, CALQIC, University of California, San Francisco
  • Connie Mitchell, MD, MPH – California Department of Public Health
  • Matt Pantell, MD, MS – University of California, San Francisco
  • Rachel, MD – FPA Women’s Health
  • Adia Scrubb, MD, MPP – California Academy of Family Physicians
  • Shannon Thyne, MD – University of California, Los Angeles Children’s Hospital
  • Linda Zane, MSN-FNP – Hill Country Community Clinic

The Network of Care Subcommittee recommends roadmaps for improving collaboration and coordination across the health care and social service system – between health plans, health centers, clinicians, and clinical and community organizations in responding to identification of ACEs in primary care.

  • Frank Mecca (Co-Chair)
  • Mary Ann Hansen (Co-Chair) – First 5 Association of California
  • Edward Machtinger, MD – University of California, San Francisco
  • Jonathan Goldfinger, MD, MPH, FAAP – Chief Executive Officer, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
  • Michael Brodsky, MD – L.A. Care Health Plan
  • Yvonne Choong – California Medical Association
  • Center for Youth Wellness

With the Office of the California Surgeon General, the Clinical Advisory Subcommittee developed the online training curriculum to certify Medi-Cal providers to receive payment for screening Medi-Cal patients for ACEs. The Clinical Advisory Subcommittee also developed the ACE Screening Clinical Algorithm to help providers assess whether a patient is at low, intermediate or high risk of a toxic stress physiology, and how to incorporate ACE screening results into clinical care and follow-up plans.

  • Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH – California Surgeon General
  • Devika Bhushan, MD – Office of the California Surgeon General
  • Karen Mark, MD, MPH – California Department of Health Care Services
  • Connie Mitchell, MD, MPH – California Department of Public Health
  • Eddy Machtinger, MD – University of California, San Francisco Medical School
  • Alicia Lieberman, PhD – University of California, San Francisco Medical School
  • Leigh Kimberg, MD – University of California, San Francisco Medical School
  • Dayna Long, MD – University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
  • Sheela Raja, PhD – University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Shairi Turner, MD, MPH – Florida Department of Health
  • Shannon Thyne, MD – University of California, Los Angeles Children’s Hospital
  • Leena Singh, DrPH, MPH – Center for Youth Wellness
  • Ken Epstein, PhD – University of California, San Francisco
  • Nancy Goler, MD – Permanente Medical Group
  • Brigid McCaw, MD, MS, MPH – Senior Clinical Advisor, CALQIC, University of California, San Francisco

END USER SUBLICENSE AGREEMENT

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: This End User Sublicense Agreement (the “Agreement” or “Sublicense”) is a legally binding agreement between you (an individual or an entity, hereinafter “You” or “Sublicensee”) and the Department of Health Care Services (“DHCS”) for the use of the Pediatric ACEs and Related Life-events Screener (“PEARLS”) for children and adults up to the age of 21.

BY WAY OF DOWNLOADING, COPYING, ACCESSING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE PEARLS TOOL, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE LEGALLY BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, THEN YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS TO THE PEARLS TOOL AND MAY NOT DOWNLOAD, COPY, ACCESS, OR OTHERWISE THE PEARLS TOOL.

THE PEARLS TOOL IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAWS AND IS OTHERWISE PROTECTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. THE PEARLS TOOL IS LICENSED AND IS NOT SOLD.

    1. The PEARLS Tool. The PEARLS tool is a unique tool that assess for both Adverse Childhood Experiences (“ACEs”) such as abuse, neglect, and household challenges, and related events, such as discrimination, food insecurity, and community violence, thought to be risk factors for toxic stress. The PEARLS tool was made in the course of research under the auspices of the Children’s Hospital Research Center at Oakland (“BCHO”) and the University of California, San Francisco. BCHO has licensed the PEARLS tool to DHCS and provided DHCS with the right to sublicense the PEARLS tool.
    2. Sublicensee Attestation. By agreeing to this Agreement, You attest that You are a provider of health care services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, a Medi-Cal beneficiary, a parent or guardian of a Medi-Cal beneficiary, or an Electronic Health Records (“EHR”) vendor.
    3. The Sublicense. Subject to the terms of this agreement, DHCS hereby grants to Sublicensee a non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-assignable, non-transferable sublicense (the “Sublicense”) to the PEARLS tool. Under the Sublicense, Sublicensee may use the PEARLS tool as directed, and may save, download, print, copy, reproduce, or distribute the PEARLS tool to facilitate such use.
    4. Use in a Remote Patient Portal. The PEARLS tool was developed as a screener of risk for toxic stress and has been tested for safe, reliable screening when used during in-person (i.e., synchronous) visits. The questions and responses of the PEARLS tool may be administered using the EHR as structured data fields to facilitate record and follow-up. Because the PEARLS tool was never studied under asynchronous screening formats, DHCS cannot provide recommendations regarding its use in a remote patient portal. This includes information around safety and adequate windows of response. Sublicensee acknowledges that DHCS is not responsible for providing any recommendations regarding the use of the PEARLS tool in a remote patient portal, and that DHCS is not responsible for overseeing implementation and use of the PEARLS tool in a remote patient setting. This includes information around safety and adequate windows of response.
    5. Disclaimer of Warranty. This Sublicense and the associated PEARLS tool are provided WITHOUT WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR ANY OTHER WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. DHCS MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT THE PEARLS TOOL WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY COPYRIGHT, PATENT, OR OTHER PROPRIETARY RIGHT.
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      1. IN NO EVENT WILL DHCS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM EXERCISE OF THIS SUBLICENSE OR THE USE OF THE PEARLS TOOL.
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