Introducing Dr. Michael Valdovinos

We are pleased to welcome Michael Valdovinos, PsyD, APPP to our board of directors!

Michael Valdovinos, PsyD, APPP

Board Certified, Licensed Clinical Psychologist Board Member, Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County

Dr. Michael Valdovinos was born and raised in Sonoma County. He is a US Air Force Veteran, board-certified clinical psychologist, and trained organizational psychologist with 12 years of broad domestic and international experience working with non-profits, the private sector, government and academia. Michael graduated from UC Davis and The School of Professional Psychology, earning a degree in Chicano studies and a masters and doctorate in clinical psychology. Michael is one of the few licensed psychologists in the county who have earned board certification in behavioral and cognitive psychology.

As a lifelong learner, Michael continues to push himself academically and is currently a graduate student at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Clinically, Michael has particular expertise in the treatment of anxiety and trauma, teaching and coaching, and building health programs that leverage technology. As a consulting organizational psychologist, Michael helps employees and organizations improve their overall workplace, including employee performance, communication and professional satisfaction. Michael remains connected to the community, volunteering in collaboration with Latinx and Indigenous community leaders  across Sonoma County to promote and improve health, and hosting a weekly, health-focused Spanish radio show on 89.1 KBBF. 

Why did you decide to join the Healthcare Foundation Board?

Being invited to join the Healthcare Foundation board is an absolute privilege. I was raised in Sonoma County, in an underserved community. As a young adult, I was often asked to help underserved families navigate health systems, including my own. In an almost serendipitous manner, I now hold the privilege as a board member to continue to advocate for and be part of such a special group that has the honor of being able to evaluate and make funding determinations for programs that serve our vulnerable and amazing communities.

What do you love about the Healthcare Foundation?

There is lots to love about being part of the Healthcare Foundation. With the support of gracious donors, I get to work with extremely talented, connected and inspiring people who care deeply about meaningful community healthcare impact.

What are you most excited about?

The Healthcare Foundation encourages and supports action and meaningful healthcare innovation. This gives me great purpose. This energy helps me intrinsically want to go above and beyond in service. I’m especially excited that mental health will continue to be a focus area for the Healthcare Foundation as our community’s mental health is as principal as physical health.

Can you give us the details on your weekly radio program?

The radio show is called “Tardes con Dr. Valdovinos,”every Tuesday at 4pm on 89.1 KBBF, which is the first bilingual radio station in the US. My show is a health and wellness radio show that airs across 18 counties in Northern California, with an average 15-18K active listener audience. Our show focuses on the healthcare pulse in our Sonoma County LatinX communities. The voices that join me on my show are diverse and include community leaders, farm workers, adolescents and young adults, physicians, Chaplins, legal experts, physician residents, community activists and Indigenous community leaders from across Sonoma County.

How are you planning to build vaccine confidence among Latinx community members who are hesitant?

We are already building out robust education campaigns on radio, which is a significant platform that LatinX community members use to get information. Another example of culturally relevant outreach ideas is a vaccine megaphone car campaign in key communities. Car megaphone campaigns are common in Latin and South America and are often the way people get mass information out in small villages and towns across Latin and South America. We are also actively working across organizations and with organizational healthcare leaders to help them refine their vaccine outreach efforts in LatinX communities. I think the important point is that we continue to keep an active presence in the LatinX community to build trust but also learn about their customs, traditions and preferences to better improve our outreach.

Thank you Dr. Valdovinos, for bringing your wisdom and expertise to this community! We look forward to working with you to bring health justice to all.

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