Well, hello! I am Catherine Dizon and I am the Project Director of the UC Davis Tobacco Control Evaluation Center (TCEC). I am proud to lead a team that collaboratively delivers quality trainings, webinars, tutorials, and resources on evaluation for tobacco control advocates. I have a Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science in Human Development from UC Davis (Aggies!). I have a solid background in public health, health informatics, cultural diversity, and ethics. I have a decade of experience promoting diversity in leadership and cultural inclusiveness through community programs in the Bay Area and Sacramento, the two regions which I call home. I specialize in project management and the use of mobile technology for data collection. I also have a professional interest in training development, facilitation & presentation techniques, e-learning, cultural humility in evaluation, participatory data analysis and interpretation, and making evaluation accessible for all to use. When I’m not working, I like to create yummy heart-healthy recipes, look for fun RV destinations, and during the current stay-at-home times, homeschooling my two adorable minions.

Salutations! I am Diana Dmitrevsky the one and only Administrative Assistant at The Tobacco Control Evaluation Center. My role with the team is to oversee the day-to-day office activities and I am usually the initial point of contact when you need to speak with a TCEC team member. I am happy to help direct your requests for technical assistance to our evaluation staff and help in any way I can. I have over more than 25 years of experience working for public health and educational organizations. In my free time, I enjoy being a social butterfly or rescuing animals in the urban jungle.

Melanie Dove is the Statistician and Principal Investigator for TCEC. She conducts research on how tobacco control policies and programs impact behavior and health. For example, she examined the impact of the Medi-Cal Incentives to Quit Smoking Project, which provided incentives to smokers enrolled in Medi-Cal to call the California Smokers’ Helpline. She also evaluated a Department of Justice program that provided grants to local agencies to reduce youth tobacco use. Melanie Dove is a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at UC Davis and teaches an Introduction to SAS class. She has an MPH from Boston University and a doctoral degree in Environmental Health from Harvard.

Hi, I'm Sarah, the TCEC team’s go-to person for communications and marketing. I work in collaboration with my colleagues on several TCEC projects, bringing fresh ideas and the latest in presentation visuals. I've been involved in tobacco control since the age of 16, when I was a volunteer for a peer-based cessation project in Sacramento. This led me to a student position in Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) risk reduction during my time as an undergraduate at UC Davis. Since graduating with my degree in Sociology, I've worked as a research assistant on a Tobacco Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) funded pilot project, and as reporter for the California HealthCare Foundation's Center for Health Reporting, covering issues of healthcare access and quality in California. At TCEC, my expertise is in the topics of data visualization, cultural humility, and evaluation reporting. When I'm not working, you can usually find me out walking my dogs.

Greetings! As a Senior Evaluation Associate, I have made it my mission to strengthen the evaluation capacity of clients by developing “how-to” resources, online tutorials, webinars, and face-to-face trainings on evaluation methodology and practice. Lately, I’ve been exploring innovative reporting formats and data visualization principles to communicate evaluation findings more effectively. I routinely draw upon my background in evaluation, training, and adult education for my work. I earned a master’s degree in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis, specializing in program management and evaluation. With that knowledge, I have carried out evaluations in Africa, the US, and California for a range of organizations.

Hi there, I am Danielle Lippert and I am an evaluation associate with TCEC. Before working for TCEC, I worked for almost a decade in American Indian/Alaskan Native public health. This experience fueled my passion for culturally responsive evaluation and culturally appropriate programming. The main area of focus for me is elevating the efficacy of evaluation of priority populations through cultural awareness and humility. I keep this goal in mind when conducting trainings and offering technical assistance to local programs in data collection and analysis. I am earned a BS in Kinesiology from San Diego State University and a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Davis. I am a member of the Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of California and I like to spend my free time immersed in the greatest lesson in humility an adult can face: raising my toddler daughter.

Ruchi Rawal currently works with the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR), housed on the UC Davis Medical Center Campus in Sacramento, CA. Ruchi has previously conducted instrument validation studies with the UC Davis Tobacco Control and Evaluation Center (TCEC) as an undergraduate. Her role with TCEC revolves around ensuring that the instrument database is inventoried, screened for quality, and updated as needed. Furthermore, should the team find any gaps in the material, she is responsible for developing and testing new instruments. In addition to her professional work, she is also pursuing a Masters of Science in Jurisprudence degree with a concentration in Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law.