Network Leadership

The ARCH Network leadership team spans two universities –the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) -with complementary strengths in geriatrics, palliative care, life course studies, criminal justice and public health research. Our goal is to leverage these complementary strengths to create a national network of multidisciplinary scholars (e.g. from geriatrics and gerontology, behavioral health, nursing, public health, personal experience and community activism, law, epidemiology, criminology, medicine and others) to advance the science in this emerging research area.

Shoka Marefat, MBA

Program Manager

Shoka Marefat is a Program Manager at Amend and ARCH. Shoka received her MBA in Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Impact from the University of San Francisco in 2019. Prior to joining Amend/ARCH, Shoka was a Program Manager at the Center for Vulnerable Populations at UCSF. Her work there galvanized her passion for making an impact and implementing social change through her work. She is committed to do work that advocates, promotes, and includes those who are marginalized.

Jamila Henderson, MCRP

Program Coordinator

Jamila Henderson has spent her career using data-driven research in collaboration with community and government partners to inform public policy and improve conditions for vulnerable populations. Prior to joining UCSF, Jamila worked as a Senior Research Associate at the California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley, where her work focused on higher education and the intersection of the criminal legal and public health systems. One aspect of her work involved working with agency partners in San Francisco on research to inform health and housing interventions for individuals who come into frequent contact with the emergency medical and criminal legal systems. Before this, Jamila worked as a Senior Associate at PolicyLink, where she equipped grassroots leaders across the country with data to advance racial and economic equity. She also worked as a Senior Policy Analyst at the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University. There she led data linking and research efforts for a coalition working to improve educational outcomes for youth. Jamila has a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College.

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Network Leadership

Meet the Team