This year the Homecoming Alumni Panel, hosted on October 22, 2024, featured an inspiring lineup of accomplished alumni who shared valuable insights and advice from their diverse careers in public health and beyond. The panel brought together a variety of alumni from each of our programs in a new virtual format. Check out the panelists below:
Anjelica Elizondo, MPH
Anjelica Elizondo received her bachelor’s degree in public health (2020), Master of Public Health Epidemiology (2022), and is currently working to complete a PhD in Public Health Epidemiology at Baylor University and become a 3x Baylor Alum. She has worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at Baylor University under the mentorship of Dr. Matt Asare. Her research interests include health equity in underserved populations, health disparities, social determinants of health and access to health services. After graduation she hopes to return home to San Antonio and find a role that allows her to aid communities and promote healthy quality of life in all populations.
Andrea Santa Cruz, MPH
Andrea Santa Cruz graduated from the MPH program at Baylor in December of 2021, with a focus in Environmental Health. She started her career in an Environmental, Health and Safety Rotational Program with Guardian Industries, a global company that manufactures commercial and residential flat glass products. After a year in the Rotational Program, she moved to Michigan for her current role as an Environmental Stewardship Engineer, where her focus is on ESG and Product Stewardship at Guardian. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting, trying new foods and restaurants, hiking, and traveling, when she can.
Cesia Cotache-Condor is a global health epidemiologist whose research focuses on the intersection of epidemiology and health systems, particularly in addressing diseases of poverty, also known as catastrophic diseases. Her work investigates structural and individual factors contributing to gaps in the continuum of care, with a specific emphasis on pediatric surgery and childhood cancer in low- and middle-income countries. Her ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice in her field. Cesia emphasizes community-driven research that generates tangible impact, a key focus of her ongoing work in Peru. She is passionate about strengthening research capacity by mentoring students and healthcare professionals and helping them achieve first-authored publications.
Cesia holds a BA in Social Sciences, specializing in History, from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, and an MPH in Epidemiology from Baylor University, where she also served as a Research Coordinator. Before starting her doctoral studies, she was a Research Analyst and Program Coordinator at Duke University’s Center for Global Surgery and Health Equity.
Rebecca is a proud two-time Baylor alumna, graduating from the EdLOC program in 2024 and the MPH program in 2021. Rebecca has over 15 years of experience across healthcare, non-profit, and sales industries. She is a consultant for Polaris Global Health Solutions and serves as the Director of Patient Engagement and Experience.
She established the first global scalp cooling support network, Chemotherapy Cold Cappers, for patients and families. Rebecca’s expertise extends to healthcare policy, having spearheaded successful advocacy efforts partnered with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) that resulted in legislative change to improve access to care in Texas. She served as Co-chair of the Provider and Healthcare Systems Workgroup for the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women, collaborating with leading experts to develop strategies for a more responsive healthcare system. Rebecca’s experience encompasses medtech application user experience, non-profit branding initiatives, patient program design, and network engagement strategies. Her passion for healthcare extends beyond consulting. Her dedication was further recognized with a Community Service award from South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2022.
Jonatan Garcia, MPH, serves as the Patient Experience & Recruitment Partner at Velocity Clinical Research in Waco, TX, developing and implementing community engagement strategies to ensure equitable access to clinical trial treatment options. He has over 12 years of clinical experience in Emergency Medical Services and over 10 years in professional and community health education. Jonatan earned a Master of Public Health in Community Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion, both from Baylor University.