Paul Jaconette has over 25 years of healthcare management experience. Mr. Jaconette joined CenCal Health as Chief Operating Officer in August 2011. CenCal Health is the Medi-Cal Health Plan for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. Prior to CenCal Health, he was the Cheif Administrative Officer for Sansum Clinic, where he oversaw the operations of the largest independent multispecialty medical group in the region. Mr. Jaconette has held management positions in Kaiser Permanente-Northern California and completed a Management Fellowship at Intermountain HealthCare in Salt Lake City. He is active in our community serving on the boards of several other organizations. He is faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he teaches a course on the United States healthcare system.

Mr. Jaconette earned a BA degree in Cell Biology and Human Physiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Public Health/Health Care Administration degree from the Yale University School of Public Health.

I am honored to be asked to serve on the Doctors Without Walls board. I have witnessed firsthand the dedication of the many volunteers and it is a privilege to work with all of them.

Jason Prystowsky attended University of California Santa Barbara where he studied philosophy and biology. He then went on to get his medical degree and Public Health degree at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL. Jason trained in emergency medicine at Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA where he also served as chief resident and did a one-year ethics fellowship. He has worked all over the world participating in emergency medical humanitarian aid and long-term sustainable development projects.

He is currently an emergency physician at Santa Barbara Cottage emergency Department where is also the co-chair of the ethics committee. He is the medical director for Santa Barbara City Fire Department. He also serves on the board of directors for Santa Barbara County Clinics. Every few months he serves the Navajo Nation in the emergency department at Chinle Comprehensive Health Facility.  Jason lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, son, and two dogs, Petunia, and Kivu

Laura Polito, MD is Family Medicine Doctor and Assistant Medical Director of Health Information at Sansum Clinic. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University and Creighton University School of Medicine. In addition to serving on the board, Dr. Polito volunteers as DWW’s Street Medicine Team Director. From 1993 through 2003, Dr. Polito practiced at the Vandenberg Air Force Base and is the former Medical Director of the base’s Family Practice Clinic. Dr Polito also sits on the Board of the Santa Barbara County Medical Society.

Dr. Polito’s true passion lies in humanitarian medicine, providing needed care to the most vulnerable and underserved population in a community. While in the Air Force, she was fortunate enough to serve on several humanitarian medical missions to Central and South America, providing medical care and health education to vulnerable communities.

Connor Cote is an estate planning attorney at the Law Offices of James F. Cote. He attended Loyola Marymount University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Political Science in 2010. He then attended Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where he earned a Juris Doctorate in 2014. Connor has been working at the Law Offices of James F. Cote where he specializes in estate planning.
Connor was born and raised in Santa Barbara and enjoys many of the outdoor activities Santa Barbara has to offer. He loves to hike, surf, golf, and play tennis with his friends. He currently serves as the Trust and Estates chair for the Santa Barbara County Bar Association. In the past, Connor served on the board of the Santa Barbara Barristers, volunteered as a tutor at the Santa Barbara Public Library’s adult literacy program, and has volunteered his time on Wednesday nights at Pershing Park with Doctors Without Walls.

Jeff is the former CEO and Owner of Moody & Associates, Inc. (Moodys), an East Coast environmental consulting and remediation company.  As a result of Jeffs 40+ years of managing Moodys, he brings with him problem solving and operations management acumen.
Recently retired, he enjoys volunteering in the Santa Barbara Community to serve causes and projects that support our under-served populations. He is a former board member at New Beginnings Counseling Center, a nonprofit with a focus on providing mental health, housing, and overnight safe parking for people without homes in Santa Barbara County.
You can typically find Jeff out on his bicycle on the streets and paths of Santa Barbara or visiting his daughter in Los Angeles.

Dr. Cherylynn Lee is a First Responder Psychologist and Behavioral Sciences Manager for the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office. She graduated from the California School of Professional Psychology with an PhD in Behavioral Health Psychology and completed rotations at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center, San Mateo Medical Center, and Sharp Memorial Hospital during her graduate graining. At the Sheriff’s Office, Dr. Lee oversees the Behavioral Health Co-Responder program where a deputy and clinician are partnered up and respond to mental health crises with the intent to divert persons from the criminal justice system and into treatment. She also trains law enforcement in Post-Traumatic Stress, Wellness, Crisis Intervention and De Escalation and is on call 24/7 to assist when officers and deputies need consultation. Dr. Lee serves on both the Santa Barbara Police Department and Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office crisis negotiation teams and has a private practice where she treats first responders exclusively and specializes in trauma work.
As a member of the workforce tasked with caring for the community, Dr. Lee is a champion for access to behavioral health treatment for all Santa Barbara residents and sits on several committees that work to improve access to services. Dr. Lee is thrilled to be a part of the Doctors Without Walls leadership and help support the mission of caring for the most vulnerable members of our community and looks forward to providing her expertise and clinical skill set to further the good work being done!