​Karla Valdez is a Peer Navigator with the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, at the University of California San Diego. Currently, she is a Peer Navigator for the Women SHINE study, co-facilitating weekly group sessions and providing psychoeducation.  

​Karla has over 20 years of lived and professional experience as a Peer Navigator for women who are pregnant or have children by providing mental health support and education in a peer-based setting focusing on access and retention to care, medication adherence, and additional support services specific to this population.