Maite Medina is a bilingual Registered Nurse and a Certified Infection Control Practitioner (CIC) with deep expertise in both acute care and public health. A proud Mexican immigrant, she brings a unique perspective to her work advancing health equity and access to care. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UCLA in 2016 and holds a Public Health Nurse certification.

Maite currently serves as a District Public Health Nurse for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, where she specializes in communicable disease management and outbreak response. Prior to her work in LA, she was a Public Health Nurse II at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, performing case/contact investigations and collaborating with epidemiologists to assess disease trends. She began her career as a Medical-Surgical RN at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, where she also precepted new graduate nurses.

Maite is pursuing the Executive MPH to bridge her extensive clinical and public health fieldwork with systemic healthcare transformation. She is passionate about leveraging her background to shape equitable healthcare policies and enhance access to care, with a particular focus on immigrant health and the social determinants of health.

What do you spend your free time?

“I’m passionate about veganism and enjoy exploring LA’s vegan restaurant scene and traveling to vegan-friendly cities around the world with my partner (we can’t wait to go back to Taipei). I also make time for exercise, reading memoirs, and watching Bravo (it’s all about balance!).”

Why did you enroll in the EMPH program?

“As a first-generation student, I need to continue working while pursuing my degree, and the EMPH format made that possible. I wanted to become a more well-rounded public health nurse to better serve my community. My years in clinical care and county public health work showed me the systemic barriers many patients face, and I realized that addressing these challenges requires skills in health policy and management. The program gives me the tools to work toward systemic change while staying grounded in the day-to-day realities of public health practice.”