People

Erik Groessl, PhD

• Integrative Medicine
• Behavioral Interventions
• Veterans and military health
• Cost-effectiveness
• Health-related quality of life
• Patient self-management

Andrew Sarkin, PhD

Director of Evaluation Research

Dr. Sarkin is a clinical psychologist and expert in the measurement and assessment of health and behavioral outcomes with over 20 years of experience in program evaluation. He is currently the Health Services Research Center (HSRC) Director of Evaluation Research and has served as a co-investigator for a San Diego County Behavioral Health  Services contract to provide data analysis and performance monitoring and evaluation since 2002. 

Dr. Sarkin directs the evaluation of several SAMHSA contracts. He manages the evaluation of the San Diego Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention and Innovations evaluation efforts manages the processes of stakeholder and advisory group engagement, oversees data analysis, and is active in designing and delivering program staff training. In addition, he teaches program evaluation classes at San Diego State University and UCSD and has over 42 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Sarkin provides expertise in evaluating policy and systems change, evaluating community engagement, collaboration, and partnerships, and evaluating study design. He also has experience in key informant interview data collection, conducting evaluation of health programs that target priority populations, longitudinal qualitative data analysis, and data dissemination. He is also the director of the internship program at HSRC.

Contact:
asarkin@health.ucsd.edu 
858-622-1771

Steve Tally, PhD

Kyle Choi, MPH

Information Systems Analyst

Kyle Choi is the Informatics Project Manager at the UC San Diego Health Services Research Center (HSRC), where he leads teams in developing and maintaining data capture and reporting systems that support behavioral health and community-based programs. Kyle holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Epidemiology from San Diego State University.

In his role at HSRC, Kyle oversees the planning, development, and implementation of enterprise informatics solutions across countywide and multi-agency initiatives. His team manages San Diego County’s electronic data capture systems—the Mental Health Outcomes Management System (mHOMS) and the Clubhouse Management System (ClubHOMS)—and supports a broad range of behavioral health programs.

Kyle provides strategic direction on workflow optimization, systems interoperability, and quality improvement for all informatics initiatives, while also supporting evaluation and research teams with their data and reporting needs. He collaborates closely with researchers, clinicians, programmers, County partners, and community organizations to strengthen data-driven decision-making and advance integrated behavioral health data systems.

Contact:
kchoi@health.ucsd.edu 
858-622-1771

Amy Pancakiewicz, MA

Amy earned her Master's degree in Psychology with an emphasis on behavioral and cognitive neuroscience from San Diego State University. As a senior evaluation research associate at HSRC, her work focuses on managing reporting efforts for the San Diego County Behavioral Health Services Drug Medi‑Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS). She also manages the neuropsychological data collection at UCSD as a part of two multi-site studies focusing on the validation of saliva biomarkers for Neuro-Cognitive Disorder due to traumatic brain injuries (NCDT). Her past work at HSRC includes management of the reporting efforts for the San Diego County Adult and Older Adult (AOA) Behavioral Health System, assistance with the evaluation of the Behavioral Health Integration and Complex Care Initiative (BHICCI) in the Inland Empire, and development of automated reports for the Mental Health Outcomes Management System (mHOMS) data system.

Contact:
apanczakiewicz@health.ucsd.edu 

Freddy Arriola

Program Evaluation Specialist

I am a data-driven professional who values the power of storytelling through data, recognizing the importance of uplifting voices that are often overlooked in traditional analyses. My work involves supporting key initiatives like ClubHOMS, the Drug-Medical Program Databook, Performance Improvement Projects, the SUD Special Populations Report, and the CSS Program-Level Databook, ensuring that our evaluations are both comprehensive and community-focused. Outside of work, I enjoy running, spending time with my family, and exploring new food spots. This balance of work and play fuels my passion for continuous learning and connection.

Contact:
a2arriola@health.ucsd.edu 

​​Trinell Brashear

Information Systems Analyst

Trinell brings over two decades of experience supporting a wide variety of complex local, county and US government computer networks, systems and applications. Responsibilities consist of supporting and maintaining a variety of data collection and reporting web applications, including: San Diego County Clubhouses (ClubHOMS), Blood Pressure Self-Management Study (BPSM), Trial of Pirfenidone to Prevent Progression in Chronic Kidney Disease (TOP-CKD), Mental Health Outcomes Management System (mHOMS), and VA SWIFT Sleep Study and ONEDER projects.

Contact:
tbrashear@health.ucsd.edu 

Danielle Casteel, MA (she, her(s))

Project Manager | Evaluation Research Associate

Danielle earned her Master’s degree in Psychology with an emphasis on physical and mental health research from San Diego State University. As an evaluation research associate at HSRC, she has managed and assisted with several clinical trials, including Dr. Groessl’s studies on the benefits of yoga for chronic pain and Dr. Tally’s sports medicine trials. Additionally, she is part of the evaluation team for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Innovation 2 Program - Building Trauma Resilient Communities. Lastly, she is a member of the California Health Benefits Review Board (CHBRP) Task Force and is responsible for leading medical effectiveness reviews of proposed California health legislature.

Contact:
dlcasteel@health.ucsd.edu 

Kim Center, MA

​​Program Evaluation Manager

Kim Center has an MA in Psychology with an emphasis in Mental Health Research from San Diego State University. Ms. Center is project lead on HSRC’s evaluation the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH)’s Innovation 2 (INN2) project with Todd Gilmer, PI. She assists in the development of evaluation plans and measure selection, and conducts training sessions, facilitates quarterly collaborative learning sessions with providers and county staff, and serves as a liaison with community groups. She also led HSRC’s recent evaluation of the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) Behavioral Health Integration Complex Care Management Initiative (BHICCI), which was a practice transformation initiative focused on developing integrated complex care teams that provide care coordination for individuals with complex physical and behavioral health needs.  She has also worked on the ongoing evaluation and reporting of outcomes for San Diego County’s Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs. Ms. Center participated in the Los Angeles County Mental Health Services Innovations Project, which evaluated several models of care designed to integrate physical and behavioral health services for homeless and underserved population. Her expertise is in evaluation design, analysis, data visualization and reporting. 

Contact:
kcenter@health.ucsd.edu 

Michelle Cox, MPH

Program Evaluation Specialist

Michelle holds a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science from San Diego State University, where she focused on studying health communication. Prior to joining HSRC, she contracted with the CDC and the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency.

At HSRC, Michelle supports the evaluation activities for the San Diego County Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programs, the La Maestra Family Clinic’s SAMHSA-funded Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program, and the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council (SPC).

Contact:
micox@health.ucsd.edu 

Elizabeth Doery, PhD

Field Researcher 3

Dr. Elizabeth Doery earned her PhD in Psychology from Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, in 2023. Her research focused on enhancing wellbeing outcomes among Indigenous Peoples in Australia and globally. During her PhD, she worked as an academic tutor in the School of Psychology and as a research assistant on projects related to family violence, education, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, youth, alcohol and drug use, and social services. Between 2023 and 2025, Elizabeth served as a Policy Officer in Aboriginal Homelessness Reform before relocating from Melbourne to San Diego. She joined the HSRC team in April, just three days after her move. In her current role as a Program Evaluation Associate, Elizabeth supports the evaluation of Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programs and Suicide Prevention Council (SPC) projects. In addition, Elizabeth is supporting the evaluation of the Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) program and a suicide prevention documentary.

Contact:
edoery@health.ucsd.edu 

Marlin Hart

Survey Researcher 2

At HSRC, Marlin works primarily with the Prevention and Early Intervention Evaluation team, as well as the Community Services. Marlin supports the PEI and CSS teams where he assists with quality assurance for County level and State level reporting as well as creating protocol manuals, trainings, testing, developing and development for the Mental Health Outcomes Management System (mHOMS).

Contact:
mhart@health.ucsd.edu 

Richard Heller, MA

Community Education Specialist 

Rick Heller holds a Masters degree in anthropology.  His research interests in the field include ethnomusicology and transcultural psychiatry.  He was a pioneer, working as a peer counselor in a psychiatric day treatment facility, long before peer counseling was common.  He also served on the San Diego County Mental Health Board.  He has worked as a freelance writer, penning articles about mental health, as well as music.  In addition, he has done research for documentary films.

At HSRC he does various tasks as assigned for the County Mental Health contract, including attending the state mandated Quality Review Council, the Cultural Competency Resource Team and the Behavioral Health Advisory Board meetings.  Work for the contract with the Suicide Prevention Council is included in his duties.  He identifies relevant articles for people working on opioid abuse, suicide prevention, as well as current trends in treatment.  He has worked at HSRC since 2007.

Contact:
rheller@health.ucsd.edu 

Merissa Kado-Walton, MA

Program Evaluation Specialist

Merissa earned her Master’s degree in Psychology with a focus on physical and mental health research from San Diego State University. As an evaluation project manager at HSRC, she oversees and supports a diverse portfolio of projects, including the ELEVATE Behavioral Health Workforce Fund Evaluation, the California Early Psychosis Learning Health Care Network (LHCN) and Early Psychosis Intervention Network of California (EPI-CAL) projects, the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Project (MHSIP), and the DMC-ODS Treatment Perception Survey (TPS). She also supports Dr. Tally's sports medicine clinical trials.

Contact:
mnkado@health.ucsd.edu 

Samantha Melero, MS

Programmer/Analyst

Samantha has a master’s degree in information systems and technology with a concentration in data science. She has extensive experience working on innovation teams for the government and financial industries primarily focusing on big data analytics, data engineering, and machine learning. Currently at UCSD she has been involved in a number of projects combining both programming and analytic support. Projects Samantha is working on include, but are not limited to:

• Mental Health Outcomes Management System (mHOMS)
• Screening to Care (S2C)
• San Diego County Clubhouses (ClubHOMS)
• Children, Youth and Families (CYF)

Contact:
smelero@health.ucsd.edu 

Mark Metzger, BS

Programmer/Analyst

Contact:
mcmetzger@health.ucsd.edu 

Calvin Navarro, MS, BSBA

Information Systems Analyst 

Contact:
c1navarro@health.ucsd.edu 

Kate Neamsapaya, MSPH

Briana Nguyen, MPH

Program Evaluation Specialist

Briana holds a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of South Florida. At HSRC, she supports several data-driven initiatives, including the Early Psychosis Intervention Network of California (EPI-CAL), which advances measurement-based care in early psychosis programs, and the Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program (MHSIP) annual survey. She is also part of the Los Angeles United Mental Health Promoters (LA-UMHP) evaluation team.

Contact:
bmn008@health.ucsd.edu

Nick Panagon, MPH

Contact:
npanagon@health.ucsd.edu 

Frances Reyes Yee, MA

Senior Evaluation Research Associate

Frances earned her Master’s degree in Psychology with a co-concentration in Applied Developmental Psychology and Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University. As an Evaluation Research Associate at HSRC, she leads evaluations for San Diego County Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programs and Clubhouse programs. She also serves as the project manager for the evaluation of the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council, where she guides the development of the Council’s evaluation plan. In addition, she oversees the evaluation of several of La Maestra Family Clinic’s SAMHSA-funded initiatives.

Her previous work at HSRC includes leading the development of the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) Toolkit for Evaluation, Assessment, and Measurement for Adult Community Services and Supports (CSS) Programs, as well as the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Demographics, Screening, and Referral Tracking Tool.

Contact:
fjreyes@health.ucsd.edu 

Andow Rodriguez

System Administrator

Andow Rodríguez has more than 20 years of experience in information technology. At HSRC, his job involves managing IT systems on servers and computers, as well as maintaining security on systems and networks in both physical and software areas.

Andow also collaborates with the development of HSRC Policies and Procedures. He is currently working with developers and several county projects to provide secure methods for data collection.

Contact:
anr118@health.ucsd.edu 

Sarah Smith

Karina Soto, BA

Bilingual Administrative Assistant

Karina earned her BA in Political Science and Anthropological Archaeology from the University of California San Diego. In 2012, she graduated from UCSD Extension's Paralegal Studies program and went on to work in a civil litigation firm in San Diego as a Bilingual/Trial Paralegal for several years. Karina returned to UCSD as a staff member in 2017 and joined the Health Services Research Center team in June 2021 as a Bilingual Administrative Assistant.

Contact:
k6soto@health.ucsd.edu 

Christine Standish

Program Evaluation Specialist

Christine received her B.S. in Behavioral Science with a concentration in Anthropology and a minor in Gender Studies from Utah Valley University (UVU). Prior to HSRC, she worked at UVU in Institutional Research.

At HSRC, Christine is a Program Evaluation Specialist. She primarily supports the County of San Diego Behavioral Health Services (SDCBHS) Community Services and Supports (CSS) programs, including Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) for the County of San Diego. Additionally, Christine also supports the Los Angeles Innovations 2 (LA INN2) project and helps produce the Special Populations Report and Mental Health Outcomes Management System (mHOMS) data system reports.

Contact:
cstandish@health.ucsd.edu 

Katie Wan (Rule), MPH, MSW

Program Evaluation Specialist

Katie holds a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Healthcare Management and Policy and a Master of Social Work with an emphasis in Administration from San Diego State University. Following graduate school, she served as a Management Fellow for the County of San Diego, where she focused primarily on the Behavioral Health Services Department. In this role, she contributed to the development of the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) proposal submitted to the State in response to the 1115 Waiver.

Through her professional experience, Katie has compiled, analyzed, and translated complex data into clear, actionable reports and ad hoc deliverables for internal leadership, stakeholders, and contract funders. At the Health Services Research Center (HSRC), she serves as the project lead for the County of San Diego Behavioral Health Services (SDCBHS) Community Services and Supports (CSS) program contract. In this capacity, she oversees the development and delivery of multiple quarterly reports, annual reports, and ad hoc analyses for SDCBHS.

The CSS project also supports SDCBHS in meeting State requirements, including leading the statewide California Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program (MHSIP) annual survey administered to CSS programs, as well as state-mandated Performance Improvement Projects (PIPs) designed to address systemwide issues through data-driven and applied research approaches.
Additionally, Katie supported the development of the Community Experience Partnership (CEP), an initiative focused on identifying and addressing unmet behavioral health needs and the systemic and regional inequities contributing to those gaps. She also managed the community engagement contract with SDCBHS, under which UCSD facilitated multiple outreach and engagement efforts targeting underserved, unserved, and hard-to-reach populations.

Katie also supports the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) project for SDCBHS, with a main portion being the project manager for a PEI program called Next Steps, where she is responsible for training the staff on data collection and data entry, along with developing the biannual and annual report for the program.

Contact:
klrule@health.ucsd.edu 

Zhun Xu, PhD

Programmer/Analyst

Zhun holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Statistics and Biostatistics from California State University, East Bay and a doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. She has expertise in predictive modeling, strategy analysis, statistical analysis planning, regression, categorical analysis, survival, stochastic, simulation, and time series analysis. Her current work focusses on retrieval and merging of data from multiple databases such as CCBH, DCR, HOMS and SanWITS database to generate system wide and/or ad hoc report for San Diego County Behavioral Health Services. She also plays a role in data management and statistical analysis for the following projects:

• Community Services and Supports (CSS)
• Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI)
• Drug Medi-Cal (DMC)
• Children, Youth and Families (CYF)
• SD Innovations (INN) projects

Contact:
z2xu@health.ucsd.edu