Our Directors
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin
Camellia Babaie M.D., MPH
MEDICAL DIRECTOR
Inspired as a child by the fictional Dr. McCoy from Star Trek, Dr. Babaie knew from an early age that she wanted to be a physician. She attended UCLA for undergrad and majored in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Realizing that she wanted to know more about the field of public health, she continued at UCLA to get her Masters degree in Public Health (MPH) majoring in Community Health. This is a field that focuses on creating health prevention or intervention programs.
With her MPH, she went on to UCLA’s cross town rival, USC for medical school. While training at Los Angeles County Hospital (LAC-USC), she saw an incredible range of illnesses. However, she also saw
diseases that were in their advanced stages simply because people did not seek treatment in time or they did not know they were susceptible to these diseases. After teaching for a year at LAC-USC, Dr.
Babaie pursued a career in outpatient medicine, working in clinics to keep people healthy, reducing their need to go to the hospital because of her preventive care.
This passion for preventive health is what led her to work with US Health Fairs which uses genetic screenings to reveal to people their susceptibility to common genetic diseases, such as cancer or high
cholesterol levels that can lead to early heart disease. She believes providing this knowledge may move people to get regular physical exams or age appropriate screenings like colonoscopies, pelvic exams or mammograms and ultimately save lives.
Luis Ferdinand M. Papa, M.D., MHA
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR
Luis Ferdinand is an Administrative Director with 13 years of extensive experience in Pathological, Diagnostic, Clinical, and Research administration services, operations and studies. Dr. Papa was previously employed at UCLA’s Research Division of Lab Medicine since 2006 – 2019. He oversaw the Research Division’s service areas such as Pathology, Clinical Diagnostic, Serology, Molecular Diagnostic, Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) labs, and the campus-wide Bio-security Program.
Dr. Papa is an expert in the areas of clinical laboratory operations, regulations and compliance, budgeting and cost control, as well as quality assurance. He brings these skills to US Health Fairs to ensure our compliance and operational excellence.
Additional Board Members
Cecilia Naa-Sakle Akuete Penn M.D., MPH, FAAP
Dr. Akuete-Penn is a practicing Pediactric specialist who was educated at Johns Hopkins and Howard University, doing her residency at New York Prespryterian Hospital. She runs two medical practices and consults on Public Health issues affecting children.
Joshua Baerwald, M.A.
Mr. Baerwald is a Hollywood writer with credits including Carsey-Werner Television’s iconic hits like THE COSBY SHOW, ROSEANNE, THAT ’70S SHOW, A DIFFERENT WORLD, 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN, CYBILL, GRACE UNDER FIRE and GROUNDED FOR LIFE.
Averad Penn J.D., MBA
Mr. Penn is the CEO of Caribbean Cellular Telephone Ltd. the only locally owned telecomunications company and major infrastructure in the Caribbean Islands. He is also President of Penn Hotels and Resorts which owns and operates 4 resort properties in the Virgin Islands.
Anika Carter, M.A.
Miss Carter is the project manager at Civic Financial Services, a private money lender, specializing in the financing over $3 billion of non-owner occupied investment properties. She is a former Human Resources Manager from Chase Bank and UPS.
Preventive Health Education is Our Mission
Volunteers & Medical Professionals Providing Education