Annya Shapiro, LMFT | Executive Director (she/her)

Annya first joined DCYHC as Director of Behavioral Health in 2020 and assumed the Executive Director role in 2021. Annya immigrated from Russia with her family at 9 years old and has lived in Daly City for over 20 years. Annya is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has dedicated over 15 years to providing youth and families with trauma-informed mental health services. Annya is passionate about family work and training clinicians to provide the best possible mental health care for the most vulnerable members of our community. Annya’s commitment to community mental health is evident in her innovative and collaborative approach to identifying and meeting the needs of the communities she serves. She believes that lasting health and well-being are best achieved when holistic healing and support is extended beyond the individual to families, schools, and communities.

In her free time, Annya enjoys traveling, having impromptu silly dance parties with her daughters, and kickboxing.

July Ugas, LMFT, ATR | Behavioral Health Director (she/her)

Originally from Lima Peru, July has spent the last 25 years working as a mental health provider and leader in the Bay Area. She has made it a priority to work with diverse and often at-risk populations and to provide support to the teams that serve them.

July graduated from Florida International University in 1994 with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts and a B.A. in Political Science. Knowing she wanted to explore the confluence of art and the self, July pursued a graduate degree from Notre Dame de Namur University studying Art Therapy and Marriage and Family Therapy. After receiving her two M.A. degrees, she immediately began working with immigrant families, foster families, African American families, Central and South American families, Asian and Pacific Islander families, and LGBT families providing individual, family, and couple treatments. July has extensive experience navigating complex Trauma-Focused and Governmental Behavioral organizations. 

July is a practicing artist, a guest lecturer, and a lover of all things Science Fiction.  She feels most at home on a lonely beach with her Husband and a sketchbook in her hand.

Cara Prehn, LCSW | Director of Behavioral Health (she/her)

Cara has spent the past 20 years providing mental health and wellness care to individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Her strength is in providing community-based services to reach those folks most in need of support wherever they are. She is a strong believer in a holistic approach to mental health and integrates many facets of personal wellness into her practice, including an emphasis on support network building, development of mastery, physical health, and future planning. She has seen a range of clients from Burning Man participants to kinship caregivers, but her passion lies in working with youth and their families.

Cara is a mom to an awesome rainbow-haired artist kid and married to her college sweetheart. They have lived in SF for almost 20 years and have built a wonderful and strong community there. When Cara is not at work, she can be found making leather earrings for her Etsy shop, running on Bernal hill, trying out new breweries and restaurants with her partner, or going on adventures with her son (usually centered around a BART or Muni ride). She is so happy to have joined the DCHYC family and look forward to adding her unique perspective to the team!

Olivia Calkins, ASW, PPSC | Behavioral Health Manager (she/her)

Olivia joined DCYHC in 2021. She is from Salinas, California (aka the Salad Bowl of the World!) She has attended California public schools from kindergarten through graduate school. She has a Bachelor of Science from UC Berkeley in Psychology and Education and a Master of Social Work from UC Berkeley with a concentration in community mental health. She has also been trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), specializing in providing therapy to youth and families who have experienced trauma. Before working at DCYHC, she was a wraparound counselor for foster youth at Seneca Family of Agencies, a counselor at an intensive outpatient mental health program, a school social work intern with the San Francisco Unified School District, and a community-based therapist with Felton Institute.

Olivia is passionate about providing accessible, effective, inclusive mental healthcare. She is also passionate about strengthening mutual aid networks so that we can care for and protect one another. Outside work, she loves cooking, baking, and seeing live music and comedy.

Gracia Martinez Najera, AMFT | Youth & Family Therapist (she/her)

Gracia has been with DCYHC since 2021. She completed her internship at DCYHC in May 2022 and is now a full-time clinician. She was born in El Salvador but moved to California when she was 4. She moved to Daly City when a few years later and has been here ever since. Gracia was first introduced to DCYHC services while attending Westmoor, a local high school. She feels honored to be able to give back to her community and do her part in sharing and providing these resources.

Gracia completed her undergraduate degree at the University of San Francisco (USF) and received her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. She then completed her Masters at USF in Marriage and Family Therapy.   

Gracia loves working with children and was recently part of a summer camp that focused on teaching kids social and emotional skills. She is an avid self-help podcast listener and loves to put a podcast on while working out or running errands. Gracia recently began knitting again outside of work and was reminded of how calming it can be. She is still working on the same scarf she promised her mom 3 years ago. She has also gotten back to reading books but enjoys reading poetry most of all. She used to love poem books as a child, and now she is reading ones about claiming our power and being kind to ourselves. It really helps her bring that positivity to her work. Gracia dedicates one night a week to watching movies with her best friends and catching up.

Shaista Khanoon, AMFT | Youth and Family Therapist (she/her)

Shai joined the team in 2020 as a Mental Health Intern before becoming a staff clinician in 2021. She is Fijian from the island of Fiji and has lived in the Bay Area for more than 20 years. Shai received a graduate degree from the University of San Francisco in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has worked in the behavioral health field for five years working with a diverse population of children, teens, and adults on the Autism spectrum and other behavioral related disorders. She is committed to continue her work with a social justice and collaborative lens in providing a healing space for her clients.

Paul Asfour, AMFT | Youth and Family Therapist (he/him)

Paul is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with an MS in Counseling from San Francisco State University. Paul joined the DCYHC staff team in 2023. Before that, he spent two years at DCYHC as an intern therapist working with young adults, teens, and families. Paul grew up in Cincinnati but has lived most of his adult life in San Francisco. His parents and older siblings emigrated from Palestine. Paul comes from a previous career at UCSF supporting people living with cancer. Paul cares very much about his clients. He is motivated by a strong interest in people and a desire to help people heal and grow. Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful nature areas, trying different ethnic restaurants, and bingeing a good TV show.

Mihaela Velichkova | Youth and Family Therapist Trainee (she/her)

Bio coming soon!

Laura Lozano | Case Manager/Behavioral Health Trainee (she/her)

Laura is originally from the Central Valley and moved to the Bay Area to join the DCYHC team as a Bilingual Clinical Case Manager in 2023. Laura graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BA in Psychology in 2021 and is currently completing her MS in Clinical
Psychology at NDNU.

Prior to joining DCYHC, Laura worked at a non-profit organization in Modesto providing emotional and skill-building support to kids in various K-12 schools. Laura loves working with kids of all ages and is passionate about connecting youth and their families to helpful resources and fortifying their bonds with one another.

In her free time, Laura loves going to the beach, traveling, taking her daughter to new places, and listening to (and watching) true crime podcasts! If she did not have this career, she would have definitely been helping solve some crime cases!

Steve Needels | San Mateo Medical Center (SMMC) Clinic Manager (he/him)

Steve Needels joined the team in 2015 and has over 25 years of experience in planning, implementation, evaluation, reporting principles and methods of outpatient and inpatient health service delivery. Steve received his Masters of Business Administration from Golden Gate University. Steve is responsible for the direction and oversight of San Mateo County Health Clinics including clinical, quality, administrative, and fiscal aspects of clinics’ operations.

In his free time, Steve enjoys hiking and classifies himself as an audiophile.

Dr. Sapna Dalal | Lead Doctor & Medical Director (she/her)

Bio coming soon!

Sarah Wiese, RN | Charge Nurse (she/her)

Sarah has been with DCYHC for a little over 8 years. She was born in Manila, Philippines, and moved to the United States when she was 15. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Dominican University in San Rafael. Before working at DCYHC, she worked as a Staff and Charge Nurse at the Jewish Home of San Francisco for 2 years.  

Sarah is passionate about mental health therapy and patient care. She has a trusting and holistic relationship with her therapist that enabled her to learn about herself and cope better in life. She is also an advocate for patient-centered care. It is essential for the role of a nurse to support patients in all aspects of their care. Outside of work, she loves to read books and get massages. She makes sure to schedule massages every 3-4 weeks as part of my self-care. 

Christina Miranda | Medical Assistant (she/her)

Christina joined DCYHC in March 2002 as a Bryman College extern, and later in May of the same year, she became our full-time medical assistant. She went to Thurgood Marshall High School in San Francisco and went on to Bryman College for the medical assistant program, finishing in 2002. As a medical assistant, her job includes prepping & exiting patients for providers (i.e. rooming, labs, immunizations, blood work, basic pt. education, scheduling of follow-up appointments), ordering medical supplies for the clinic. As the POCT coordinator for DCYHC, she is also the trainer for new clinic staff to use medical machines. "I am passionate about the work that I do because I was a teen mom & I believe that a person’s teenage years are the most important of a person’s life. That’s when they can be the most influenced & I'd like to be a positive influence in someone's life. I feel that I have had a lot of personal experiences both good & bad that I can relate to a lot of the things that teens go through. I'm very upfront & young people appreciate that realness."

Fun fact about Christina: "When I started working here I was old enough to be & was a patient here until I turned 22."

Cynthia Arevalo | Medical Assistant (she/her)

Bio coming soon!

Cindy Pineda | Patient Service Assistant (she/her)

Cindy joined the team in 2020 and is originally from San Francisco. She has over ten years of experience as a Medical Office Specialist in San Mateo County and is our Patient Service Assistant at DCYHC. Outside of work, she loves to hang out with family and friends.

Emily Rodda | Nurse Practitioner (she/her)

Emily has been with DCYHC for seven years. She is from Memphis, TN. She graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina with a Spanish major and a chemistry minor. Emily attended the UCSF School of Nursing, where she completed her training to become a nurse practitioner.

Before becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked at Legal Services for Children as an advocate in immigration, foster care, education, and juvenile justice work. She is passionate about people having access to the tools and resources needed to develop into their whole selves and thrive in their healthiest, fullest life. Outside work, she loves cooking, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Symone Magsombol Yu | Nurse Practitioner (she/her)

Symone joined the team in February of 2022. Symone is a Bay Area native, originally from Novato. She currently lives in SF. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Policy and Psychology & Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine, and her Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty focus on becoming a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care (PNP-PC) from the University of California, San Francisco, with additional fellowship training on adolescent & young adult care. Before DCYHC, Symone was a school RN, Postpartum RN, and Pediatric Neurosurgery NP at Stanford Children's. Before nursing, Symone taught abroad in Spain, was a health coach/educator, and was a pediatric research assistant.

Professionally, Symone is passionate about providing dignified, humanized, equitable, trauma-informed, and culturally- humble care for her patients. She strives to provide empowering healthcare experiences for patients during transitional periods in their life. She values partnering and building share-decision-making as she trusts her patients' expertise in their own lives and circumstances. She especially loves working with the newcomer immigrant communities, discussing reproductive and sexual health, and normalizing the importance of mental health care. Outside work, she loves traveling (both abroad and locally), running, cycling, hiking, and self-identified "foodie" trying new foods. New ongoing hobbies include water coloring and gardening.

Kalynn Yastro | Nurse Practitioner (she/her)

Kalynn has been with DCYHC since January 2018, filling in extra shifts here and there until she became a permanent employee in 2019. She’s from a little town in Central Pennsylvania. She studied Anthropology as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, and then received her Master’s in Nursing from UCSF. Before working at DCYHC, she was a primary care provider at our sister youth clinic, Sequoia Teen Wellness Center, and at some of the other San Mateo County adult clinics.

Kalynn is passionate about getting outside and being as active as possible. The picture on the left hand side is of her at the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, a favorite place of hers. She enjoys climbing, backpacking, hiking and cross country skiing. Currently, she’s learning how to surf and mountain bike. Outside of work, she loves being active! Moving on a daily basis is important to her. She swims, runs, and does CrossFit regularly. She also likes to cook and hang out with her cat, Esme.

Gisell Cypert, MBA | Operations Manager (she/her)

A Peruvian native, Gisell graduated from Pontifical Catholic University with a degree in Industrial Engineering. She then went on to earn her MBA at Golden Gate University in 2012. Gisell has enjoyed working for Jefferson Union High School District since 2011 in various positions. She joined DCYHC in December of 2020 taking on the role of Operations Manager. Gisell handles the budgeting, billing and onboarding of new personnel. Gisell welcomes new challenges of the position and enjoys meeting new people along the way. She is very happy to be part of the DCYHC team. Gisell loves spending time with her family and friends. 

Shane Beltran | Operations Coordinator (she/her)

Shane joined DCYHC in 2022, after receiving her B.S. in Public Health. She was born in the Philippines and moved to Daly City when she was 10. Before working here, she had already been a patient at DCYHC and experienced first-hand how valuable and significant the resources the center provides for low-income youth and their families. She feels grateful that she now gets to be on the other side of it and make an impact for others as she once needed and received. 

Shane started in this field as an undergrad intern with StandUp for Kids in Silicon Valley, where she provided support for unhoused and at-risk youth through outreach, mentoring, and administrative work. This grounded her passion of working with marginalized populations and pursuing a career that focuses on the betterment of our communities. In her free time, Shane loves trying out new foods (Ethiopian & Korean are her favorite cuisines!), hanging out with her kitties & besties, and cooking recipes she finds on TikTok. 

Mackinnon Ross, MPH | Project PLAY & Grants Manager (she/her)

Mackinnon joined the Daly City Youth Health Center in 2016 as the Health Education Program Coordinator. In 2019, she stepped into the role as the PLAY Manager and then added onto her responsibilities as the Grants Manager in 2022. Mackinnon sees to the success of program goals through supporting the PLAY team. Along with the Health Educator, Mackinnon coordinates and teaches the 10 Day Sex Education Curriculum and 5 Day Refresher Curriculum in the Jefferson Union High School District. In 2021, Mackinnon piloted an internship program with the University of San Francisco. As the grant manager, she works tirelessly to bring in funding to support the various critical services offered by the Daly City Youth Health Center.

A native Bay Area resident, Mackinnon found her passion for healthy relationships and sex education during her time at San Francisco State University. Inspired by her work with the P.E.A.C.H. program at SFSU she completed her B.S. in Public Health in 2010. Mackinnon strongly believes in developing healthy sexual communication and education in youth so those healthy habits follow youth into adulthood. Mackinnon recognized the need for additional education in order to pursue her dreams of working with teens and young adults in the sex education field and completed her Masters of Public Health in 2014.

Mackinnon is always up for new experiences or playing a board game. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and taking her dog Alaska for long walks. 

Sahar Navid | Project PLAY Program Coordinator (they/them)

Sahar joined the Daly City Youth Health Center in 2018 as the Health Educator and then stepped into the Program Coordinator role in 2019. Sahar started their career in the non-profit world while volunteering as a certified Crisis Counselor for San Francisco Women Against Rape. This experience sparked their passion for preventative education and fostering agency in young people. Sahar started working at GirlVentures as the Program Coordinator for the Youth Advisory Board, putting on workshops for youth to teach self-advocacy and expand their leadership skills. Sahar also lived for a year abroad in the south of Spain, teaching in a bilingual classroom setting. They started working with the DCYHC as a Health Educator, hoping to cultivate safe spaces for youth to explore subjects such as consent, safer sex, healthy relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. Outside of work, Sahar recharges by getting out into nature, tending to their garden, playing around with paints or spending time with loved ones.

Nora Spalholz | Project PLAY Health Educator (she/her)

A Pacifica native, Nora has worked with youth in a variety of settings all over the world. She joined the Daly City Youth Health Center team in Fall 2019 after completing her bachelor’s degree at San Francisco State University. There she studied Child and Adolescent Development and Conflict Resolution. Her commitment to social justice deepened through her studies and work with middle school youth in the Excelsior/Outer Mission.

Nora enjoys creating culture with students, empowering them with health-related information, and ultimately exchanging knowledge and perspective. She is thrilled to be part of what she hopes is a societal shift towards greater inclusion of people and ideas, as well as increased critical dialogue and identity exploration. A self-proclaimed “outside person”, Nora loves fresh air and outdoor activities such as cycling, hiking, and swimming. Still, her favorite form of expression is dance, and she can be seen dancing wherever there is music.

Mary Bier | Substance Use Prevention Program Director (she/her)

Mary has been providing prevention services in Jefferson Union High School District since 2005 when an alcohol related accident took the lives of two Pacifica teenagers, one who was her nephew Jonathan. Her passion for this work has led to numerous grant funded programs and coalition based community work. She is most proud of all the work accomplished by the youth sector of the coalition: Be the Change Youth coalition (BTC). She has recently partnered with DCYHC to expand alcohol and other drug services (AOD) to include opportunities for youth to address their substance use in a holistic and restorative model.  A new program focusing on youth civic engagement will create a path for youth to participate in health equity campaigns and participate on local boards and commissions.  Mary is very excited to be part of the team at DCYHC!

Miguel Duenas, MPH, CHES | Substance Use Prevention Program Coordinator (he/him)

A Southern California Native, Miguel Duenas graduated from the University of California, Merced with his B.A. in Public Health. Miguel has enjoyed working with youth beginning his career in public health with Planned Parenthood as a peer health educator. This experienced ignited Miguel’s passion for working with youth and dealing with topics surrounding sexual health. Miguel first started out at DCYHC as an intern for project P.L.A.Y where he implemented Sex Ed curriculum across various high schools in hopes to create less stigma and more comfortability around the topic of sexual health . Miguel strongly believes in creating equity and inclusion in all aspects of life for youth because of their importance and value to conversations about the future.

Miguel just graduated with his MPH in Behavioral Health at the University of San Francisco. In his free time, Miguel enjoys a spontaneous adventure, finding a good coffee shop, and exploring the bay area.