Sonia received her Masters in Nursing from UCLA School of Nursing in 2008,  her Masters in Public Health from UCLA in 2003, and her Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology from UCLA in 1999. Sonia has over 20 years of experience working in the health care field. A native of the Central Valley, born and raised in Lindsay and Porterville, Sonia returned from Southern California in 2008 and worked at the bedside as an ICU nurse at Sierra View District Hospital. Working with the diabetic population led Sonia to follow her passion and work as a dialysis nurse transitioning from bedside nurse, to clinical coordinator and eventually into management. The prospect of positively impacting health outcomes for patients challenged by multiple chronic conditions and access to care specifically, those individuals challenged by multiple Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), led to her taking on her current role of Director of Population Health. 

Sonia oversees the CalAim programs and teams supporting the engagement and enrollment of patients with multiple chronic conditions into Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Support. These teams focus on assessing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and connecting patients to community resources, reducing acute care utilization, and improving patients’ health outcomes and quality of life. As a first-generation Mexican American, the first in her family to graduate from high school and attend college, Sonia is passionate about serving the farmworker community and works closely with the Community Outreach Department at Kaweah Health to plan cuadrilla events outreaching to farmworkers to provide education and conduct health screenings. 

Sonia’s interests include traveling and engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking and biking with her husband Elmer and two daughters Isabel and Emma.