Our Team

Mary Beth joined Rady Children’s Hospital in 2007 as the Manager of Injury Prevention Programs in the Center for Healthier Communities. This was an expansion of her career as a physical therapist in which she could serve a broader population with preventative, public health programs. Mary Beth practiced physical therapy for 25 years, and was founding faculty for a graduate Physical Therapy program in Arlington Virginia, during that time she also served to develop physical therapy programs in South Africa and Vietnam. This passion for educating future health care professionals in now embodied in the youth development programs at Rady Children’s Hospital. Mary Beth holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Regis University, a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from New York University, a Master’s degree in Education from George Washington University and a Master of Science in Evaluative Clinical Sciences from Dartmouth College. She enjoys working with families from many cultures and has provided medical services and consultation internationally in South Africa, Vietnam, New Zealand and England.

Shelli Brown has been working with and for youth and families in a variety of settings for over
twenty years. Ms. Brown’s interest in impacting young people and families took root in San Diego
where she worked for the San Diego Unified School District as a teacher’s aide and counseling aide
shortly after graduating from college. She moved back to the San Diego area after having lived out
of state where she was able to grow her career, volunteer work and family. Currently, Ms. Brown
serves as the Youth Development Program Manager at the Center for Healthier Communities,
Rady Children’s Hospital- San Diego. Before moving back to her hometown, she lived in Denver,
Colorado where she worked in youth violence prevention as the Project Director and the
Community Site Manager for the Youth Violence Prevention Center-Denver. She also provided
direct service to justice-involved youth as Licensed Professional Counselor at an adolescent drug
treatment center and taught conflict and anger management skills at a non-profit organization.
Since returning to San Diego, Ms. Brown also became a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor.

Alicia Wood was born and raised in Seattle, WA but came to California in 2003 to attend Chapman University. She majored in Sociology with an emphasis in Social Work. After college, Alicia worked at the Braille Institute in Anaheim running an after school program for blind and visually impaired children. After moving around Orange County and Long Beach for several years, she transferred to Braille Institute in San Diego where she worked until 2016. In June 2016, Alicia graduated from CSU Long Beach with her Master’s in Emergency Management and in June 2017, she got married and started working at Rady Children’s Hospital. She is currently working as the Lead Coordinator supporting the FACES for the Future and Medical Academy programs.

Shadeh Rassoulkhani is native to San Diego and a recent graduate with a Master of Public Health, concentrating in health promotion and behavioral science from San Diego State University. She also completed her bachelors in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara in 2016 and has enjoyed working with diverse populations in San Diego since then.
Shadeh has previous work experience as a case manager serving refugees, survivors of human trafficking, parolees, and asylees. Additionally, she has leadership experience working at a migrant youth shelter during the Covid-19 pandemic. She has also worked as a research assistant and program evaluation specialist for behavioral health, tobacco, and cancer studies. Additionally, Shadeh has previous experience working with various youth development programs and harm reduction programs in research and social service settings.
As a new program coordinator at Hoover High School, Shadeh is excited to start working with students, faculty, community stakeholders and organizations to support students in achieving their academic, career, and wellness goals.

Joycelin is committed to community health and aspires to help achieve health equity. Her passion for public health stemmed from her undergraduate experience at the University of California, Irvine, where she earned a BA in Public Health Policy. After working in the healthcare industry for several years, she attended San Diego State University and earned an MPH in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting new places and trying new food.

Nikki comes to Rady’s with 16 years of experience working in various community non-profit programs in Fresno and San Diego, CA. Born and raised in the Central Valley, Nikki completed her bachelor’s degree in Criminology with a focus on Victim Services at Fresno State University in 2007 and her master’s degree in Education Counseling at San Diego State University in 2017. Over her career between the Central Valley and San Diego, Nikki has worked as a clinical case manager focused on unhoused adults and transitional age youth. She has provided mentorship, advocacy and education on life and wellness skills, and was previously appointed as a Behavioral Health Court Liaison.

Nikki strives to continue her social justice work with the most vulnerable and underserved populations and looks forward to working with the FACES program to increase equity and improve outcomes for young people seeking to reach their highest potential.