Skip to Main Content
|

Aleysa aspires to shape public health policy that centers equity and transforms systems to serve communities historically excluded from care and decision-making

Aleysa Garcia Rivas, Graduate of the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health and 2025 recipient of the OHSU-PSU Dan E. Beauchamp Memorial Award for Social Justice
6
Jun
/
, , , ,

Congratulations Aleysa Garcia Rivas, 2025 Recipient of the OHSU-PSU Dan E. Beachamp Memorial Award for Social Justice

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s recipient of the OHSU-PSU Dan E. Beauchamp Memorial Award for Social Justice goes to Aleysa Garcia Rivas. This award honors graduating students whose leadership and values reflect Dan E. Beauchamp’s legacy of justice and public health. Rivas will be graduating on Friday, June 6th at the OHSU Commencement Ceremony with a Master in Public Health – Health Management & Policy degree.

Aleysa Garcia Rivas is a passionate public health advocate whose work is grounded in her lived experience as a first-generation immigrant and farmworker. Born in Michoacán, México, she immigrated to Oregon’s Willamette Valley at the age of seven to reunite with her family. Witnessing the systemic barriers that limit access to healthcare for marginalized communities sparked her commitment to advance health access through community-driven, culturally responsive solutions that bridge policy and practice.

Aleysa holds dual bachelor’s degrees in public health and ethnic studies from Oregon State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health in Health Management and Policy at the OHSU–PSU School of Public Health. Her career spans roles in legislative policy, health education, and program implementation, including her current work as a policy intern with a nonpartisan office at the Oregon Legislature. In fall 2025, she will begin a year-long fellowship with the APHA Kaiser Permanente Community Health Fellowship at Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Policy.

Aleysa aspires to shape public health policy that centers equity and transforms systems to serve communities historically excluded from care and decision-making. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys documenting traditional family recipes, reclaiming outdoor spaces, and spending time with loved ones. She draws inspiration from her family’s resilience and credits them for instilling the values of empathy, kindness, and grit.

, ,