Armine Kourouyan, MPH
Armine Kourouyan joined HH&S from the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters, where she designed, managed and evaluated full-scale disaster preparedness exercises for federal, state and local public health agencies. She trained county health departments and hospitals on earthquake response through the Joint Information Center (JIC) and effective press and media outreach in the event of an emergency or disaster. Armine created a communication kit for children with special health care needs in Los Angeles County, focusing on children with asthma and diabetes. She facilitated focus groups throughout California to inform community mitigation strategies that may be implemented during infectious disease outbreaks such as pandemic flu. Prior to that, Armine worked at the Media Project, a partnership of Advocates for Youth and the Kaiser Family Foundation that addressed portrayals of sexual and reproductive health among adolescents in the media. She produced the SHINE Awards (Sexual Health IN Entertainment), which recognized media professionals for responsible television storylines in this area. She interned at the San Francisco County Jail, where she worked with inmates on their cases, instructed classes, and facilitated a female support group on issues of drug abuse and loss of family and children. Armine holds a master of public health (MPH) from UCLA and a BA in English from UC Berkeley.