Carmen Rezak, DNP, MJ, RN, WHCNP-BC
Chief Executive Officer
RPPC Director for Southern Coastal-East LA/Central North LA-Coastal Valley/Southern Inland Co. Regions
Dr. Rezak is a senior healthcare nurse leader with extensive expertise in Maternal-Child Health serving the greater Los Angeles area for over 30 years. She has worked as a Perinatal Nursing Specialist, a Director of Perinatal Services, and the Maternal-Child Health Project Coordinator for AHMC Health Care. She is considered a pioneer in leading hospitals to promote and support breastfeeding, resulting in the Baby Friendly designation at four hospitals; including the first hospital in Los Angeles County. Carmen is the past Board President for BreastfeedLA, and is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of women, infants and families through quality care, outreach and advocacy to promote and support breastfeeding and best practices. Carmen received a Masters of Jurisprudence in Health Law from Loyola University Chicago and is a staunch advocate for quality care. In 2017, she co-founded the Asian, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian Breastfeeding Task Force of LA County to improve education, and support the cultural needs of breastfeeding Asian American women. Her other passion is advocating and supporting women and families experiencing perinatal mood, anxiety and depression (PMADS) and is very focused on bridging the healthcare disparity gap.
Gayane Pakhanyan, BS
Senior Manager of Program Operations
Ms. Pakhanyan has a Bachelor’s in Science degree in Healthcare Administration and has over 10 years of experience working in hospitals. Ms. Pakhanyan’s extensive knowledge on hospital coding and billing led to her Mission Spirit award in 2016 for reviewing NICU and Nursery charge capture, saving the Department money, and the Stewardship Award for successfully budgeting the NICU both from Providence St. Joseph Medical Center. Ms. Pakhanyan has served as Lead Registration Clerk, NICU secretary, Administrative Assistant to the Maternal Child Director, and Patient Relationship Coordinator. Ms. Pakhanyan works closely with the RPPC Program Director and the RPPC Program Managers to ensure all deliverables and is passionate and committed to the mission of the organization.
Donna Dichirico, BSN-RN
Perinatal Nurse Consultant
Donna Dichirico has over 40 years in health care, has a wealth of experience working in and with community organizations and hospitals. Donna’s health care journey has taken her to a variety of hospital-based leadership opportunities, as well as over 30 years as a Neonatal ICU RN. As a Critical Incident Stress Management and Peer Support Counselor, Donna’s passion is to promote resilience and equitable care for hospital staff as well as the mothers and infants they serve. In her free time, Donna enjoys spending time with her husband and three adult children hosting barbecues for family and friends.
Varouj Shahbazian: RNC-NIC, C-NPT/ELBW, RRT
Perinatal Nurse Consultant
Mr. Shahbazian has more than 37 years of experience caring for the most vulnerable hospital patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. As a practicing Registered Nurse and Respiratory Care Practitioner, he finds much joy in providing quality care for babies and their families. Mr. Shahbazian is certified in Neonatal pediatric transport, Extreme low birth weight, and Neonatal Intensive care through the National Certification Corporation. Additionally, he combines his interest in technology and patient care through health informatics in EHR application, serving as a credentialed trainer for EPIC, the electronic health record system. Mr. Shahbazian is the Providence St Joseph Health System Nursing Co-Chair for NB/NICU Clinical Decision Team and a Neonatology Board member for EPIC corporation.
Mr. Shahbazian joined the PAC/LAC team in 2014 as a Nurse Consultant, he facilitates quality improvement initiatives through RPPC site visits with hospitals throughout LA County. Mr. Shahbazian was honored in 2014 as the recipient of the William Ginsberg Integrity Award for his contributions to the perinatal community. He is a history enthusiast, travels throughout Europe’s wine countries, plays tennis, gardens, enjoys spending time with family and friends, and keeping up with his two active dogs.
Gabriela Santoyo, BS
Education & Fundraising Program Coordinator
Gabriela Santoyo received her Bachelor’s in Public Health from California State University, Northridge. Her role at PAC/LAC is program assistant. She represents PAC/LAC at various meetings, coordinates continuing education events, and works with program evaluation. She is happy to be a part of a company that provides resources for women and their families. She enjoys swimming, hanging out with her family and dog.