Board of directors

Dr. Geraldine Luna is a Medical Director for the COVID-19 Initiative at the Chicago Department of Public Health and Clinical Assistant Professor Faculty at UIC. Her passion for health equity and social justice for the underserved and marginalized community of color in Chicago moves her to actively partake in community advocacy as a member of Illinois Unidos and The Latino Coalition Against COVID-19

Geraldine Luna

MD – Board Chair

Marta Cerda, J.D. is the CEO of ASI, a not-for-profit that provides home care services and employment and training programs in the Chicago region. She has transformed the organization from a fee-for-service model to a population health model by adding pharmacy services, transportation, and home medical services.

Marta Cerda

JD – Board Vice Chair

Aida Giachello is a Research Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. For over 35 years, she has conducted health and human services research, evaluating community intervention programs that impact individual families and communities in the areas of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and tobacco prevention and control, among others.

Aida Giachello

PhD – Board Treasurer

Susan is a retired nurse who worked for 30 years at Chicago’s Cook County public hospital and is currently active with public health advocacy groups.

Susan Avila

RN, MPH – Board Secretary

Celia Gonzalez Lozano has over 20 years of non-profit experience, focusing on social justice and racial equity. She was the founding Director of the Telpochcalli Community Education Project and spent 16 years at Communities In Schools of Chicago leading student support initiatives. Currently, she is a Senior Grants Specialist at Tides. Celia holds a BA in Sociology and a Master’s in Urban Planning and Public Policy.

Celia Lozano

Board Member

Marina Del Rios, MD, MS, FAHA is an emergency physician with nearly 20 years of experience in academic medical centers and a health services researcher focused on resuscitation science, social emergency medicine, population health, and health science communication. A Professor at the University of Chicago, she’s NIH- and AHA-funded, chairs AHA’s Science Subcommittee, and advises Illinois Unidos, the Puerto Rican Agenda, and Illinois Heart Rescue.

Dr. Marina Del Rios