Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Natalia Suarez, MA, Assistant Director, Career Pathways

Natalia Suarez serves as the Assistant Director of Career Pathways at the UI Health Office of Diversity & Community Health Equity, which includes UI Health CHAMPIONS.

Since 2017, alongside a dedicated team of pre-health and health professional students, Natalia has continued to design and implement health career exposure and health advocacy programs for high school youth across the University of Illinois Chicago, Rockford, and Urbana-Champaign campuses, with a collective mindset to prepare youth to become future health professionals and motivate them to serve as community health advocates. 

Natalia earned her MA in Anthropology from the University of Kansas, and her undergraduate degree in International Relations from the Universidad de las Américas-Puebla, Mexico. In Fall 2021, Natalia completed the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, Health Disparities Research Certificate program.

Jennifer Plascencia, MPH, Program Coordinator

Jennifer Plascencia serves as the Program Coordinator for UI Health CHAMPIONS. Jennifer has worked across numerous UIC & UI Health programs since 2019. She currently facilitates curriculum development, program implementation, and evaluation for UI Health CHAMPIONS.

Jennifer earned her Master of Public Health from the UIC School of Public Health and her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan.

Daniel Carrion, M.Ed, Program Assistant

Daniel first started as a CHAMPIONS high school program participant in the fall of 2017 and became one of the first program high school coordinators in the summer of 2018. Daniel was a UIC Urban Health Program Undergraduate Student Worker and served as an Urban Health Club and CHAMPIONS Undergraduate Program Coordinator. In May 2023, Daniel graduated with a BS in Biochemistry and a minor in Sociology from UIC. Daniel is continuing his education at UIC in the MEd in Science Education program, working on the endorsement area of chemistry, intending to graduate in May 2024. He now serves as a CHAMPIONS Graduate Program Coordinator.

Jessica Haas, BSN, CHAMPIONS Program Aide

Jessica serves as a CHAMPIONS Program Aide. She graduated with her BS in Nursing from National University in 2016 and worked as a bedside nurse for 6 years. Her healthcare experience includes a variety of settings including emergency medicine and critical care. Currently, she is pursuing her MD at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria. Jessica aims to serve the Peoria community in the future as a physician, with a focus on either emergency medicine or internal medicine/pediatrics.

Megan Bi, BS, CHAMPIONS Program Aide

Megan serves as a UI Health CHAMPIONS Program Aide. She first started as an undergraduate program coordinator with the UIC Urban Health Club in the Fall of 2019. Megan currently attends the University of Illinois College of Medicine - Chicago and earned her BS in Biology and BA in Economics from UIC.

Sabrina Navarro, MS, CHAMPIONS Program Aide

Sabrina “Bree” Navarro is a second year MD/MPH student at the University of Illinois College of Medicine — Rockford. She earned her B.S. in Physiological Science at UCLA and her M.S. in Global Medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Bree serves as a UI Health CHAMPIONS Program Aide and is part of the UICOM Global and Community Health Action Team, Organized Medicine Interest Group, Cardiology Interest Group, and Christian Medical and Dental Associations