President's Message - CHCF Alumni Network

From Alen Voskanian, CHCF Alumni Board President

As of January, I have the honor of serving as President of the CHCF Alumni Board, after a year as President-Elect—and after five years as a pod advisor watching fellows grow into courageous, values-driven leaders. Stepping into this role feels like being handed something fragile and important—with a gentle reminder not to drop it.

The CHCF Fellowship was profoundly life-changing for me, both professionally and personally. I was part of Cohort 10, which feels like a lifetime ago—back when our first gathering in Tiburon included my husband and me wrangling two children in strollers. Those same boys are now 18 and, if karma is fair, will soon be pushing me in one.

Like many of you, I came to healthcare with a deep desire to serve those most at risk. I completed residency in the early 2000s and pursued fellowship training in HIV/AIDS to care for patients who were being ostracized and left behind. As HIV became more of a chronic disease, I noticed a familiar pattern at the end of life—patients once again feeling unseen. That realization led me to hospice and palliative medicine. Through CHCF, my leadership path widened further, eventually bringing me to my current role as Chief Operating Officer of Cedars-Sinai Medical Network in Los Angeles.

What ties all of this together is CHCF’s core truth: leadership is not about titles—it is about responsibility.

We are practicing and leading in an undeniably chaotic political moment. The policies shaping housing, food, immigration, reproductive rights, gender wellness, and Medicaid are shaping health—often determining who is protected, who is marginalized, and who is left behind. Fatigue is real. But disengagement is not an option.

As we recently honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., two of his words continue to guide me: “The time is always right to do what is right,” and “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Let me be explicit. The time is right—right now. And our lives are not beginning to end. We are all being called into action.

So here is my call to action to our extraordinary alumni community:

• Stay engaged with this network.
• Mentor fellows and one another.
• Show up to events, conversations, and moments that matter. Our next alumni event is on Thursday, April 30th in San Diego (afternoon and then dinner with both cohorts 24 & 25) [RSVP]
• Use your voices—publicly and privately—wherever you have influence, not because it is easy, but because it is necessary.
• Join the conversation online—including on LinkedIn—and add your voice to the dialogue (you can find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alenvoskanianmd/).

I want to offer a collective thank-you to our current and prior board members for their dedication and leadership, and a special shout-out to our immediate past president, Dr. Pooja Mittal, for her wisdom, steadiness, and example. I am also deeply grateful to CHCF and to the Healthforce Center at UCSF—especially Sutep Laohavanich and Dr. Sunita Mutha—for their unwavering support of this fellowship and its alumni.

This network has always been more than a professional affiliation. It is a community grounded in courage, connection, and action. The time is right. Our voices matter. And together, we are very much alive.

With gratitude, resolve, urgency, and hope,

Alen

Last Week in Sacramento

January 21–23, 2026, Cohort 24 gathered in Sacramento for an intensive advocacy seminar, diving into California’s legislative and policymaking process.

Alumni joined for a fireside chat and networking with Erica Pan (Cohort 12), Director of the California Department of Public Health.

These moments—learning, connection, and shared purpose—are what strengthen the relationships across cohorts. We look forward to welcoming more alumni to join us in San Diego this April!