
Carolyn es madre de Marisa, que tiene síndrome de Down. Carolyn trabaja para organizar los recursos comunitarios y la defensa en el ámbito legislativo para el síndrome de Down y las comunidades de personas con discapacidades en los condados de Tulare y Fresno. Ayudó a lanzar el Programa Wayfinders en el estado de Fresno y tiene 23 años de experiencia como trabajadora social clínica, incluido en el Valley Children’s Hospital trabajando con jóvenes en edad de transición. Carolyn se desempeña en la junta de Disability Voices United y el Comité Asesor Local del Central Valley Regional Center. Su hija Marisa vive en su propio hogar con dos compañeras de casa desde 2015, y participa plenamente en el Programa de Autodeterminación y la vida comunitaria.
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PhD
Director, UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, Parent
As a clinical professor of internal medicine and founding director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities (CRHD) at UC Davis Health, Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola has spent nearly three decades promoting equitable and culturally competent health care for underserved populations. He has led initiatives to collect and analyze racial, ethnic, and language data from patients and integrate them into electronic health records, improving both the quality and accessibility of care.
Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola also directs the Community Engagement Program at the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), where he fosters partnerships between academic and community stakeholders to address local and regional health needs. He has held leadership roles in the NIH’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program and is a member of the National Advisory Councils for NCATS and SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services.
A leading expert in mental health and population health outcomes, Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola has authored over 200 publications, earned numerous awards, and is actively involved in the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Surveys Consortium.

