Description
The UC Irvine School of Medicine Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC), founded by Dr. Alberto Manetta, provides specialized training for future physicians who are committed to careers in public service. It unites those of us with a common mission to address healthcare gaps by improving healthcare delivery, research, and policy for California’s underserved Latino communities.
Remembering Dr. Alberto Manetta
The PRIME-LC Dr. Alberto Manetta Service Award Endowment was established by our alumni leadership group in 2021. The goal of the endowment is to provide unrestricted scholarships to PRIME-LC students who have not only demonstrated leadership with PRIME-LC, but also developed and led an exemplary service project in support of PRIME-LC’s mission.
As alumni and friends of the PRIME-LC program, many of us want to give back to the program that has given us so much.
Thanks to our initial founding donors, in May 2022, we awarded the first PRIME-LC Dr. Alberto Manetta Service Award to PRIME-LC student Meril Tomy. Ms. Tomy received a $5,000 scholarship for her planning and implementation of a Spanish-based mental health program for adults and children in Santa Ana.
In May 2023, we awarded the second annual $5,000 scholarship to PRIME-LC student Alejandro Efrain Cañas for establishing a mentoring program for pre-medical students at Cal State Long Beach.
In May 2024, we awarded the third annual $5,000 scholarship to PRIME-LC student Joanne Mendoza for her volunteer work with Refugee Health Alliance (RHA). RHA has benefited the Latino community by providing free health care to under-resourced Latino and Haitian populations in Tijuana while creating safe spaces for mental health and even basic amenities.
PRIME-LC student Cindy Flores was awarded the Manetta Service Award in May 2025 for her collaboration with the community organization MPNA-GREEN, which is based in Santa Ana, CA. She founded, planned, and led culturally tailored mental health classes for Latino teenagers living in Orange County after observing a strong need from this population during clinical rotations. She has also worked alongside GREEN-MPNA to deliver Spanish health education lectures, mental health lectures, and nutrition classes for local community members.
In May 2026, Alejandra Hurtado was the recipient of the annual PRIME-LC Dr. Alberto Manetta Service Award for her work partnering and leading the Cosechando Salud event with CRECE Urban Farms and other students and community partners. This one-of-a-kind event was a way to welcome the community to celebrate resilience, healing, and belonging. Alejandra had previously worked with CRECE Urban Farms to establish the VeggieRx program in 2022, focused on food sovereignty, community health, and culturally grounded care. Alejandra recently started the Master of Public Health program at UC Irvine this fall and anticipates matching into a residency program in spring 2028.
Join Us
With your support, we can continue to recognize the extraordinary talent and dedication of PRIME-LC students. Once our fundraising goal of $250,000 is reached, the income earned from the endowment will allow us to award two annual scholarships of $5,000 to PRIME-LC students in perpetuity.
We hope that you will join those who have already contributed and help us achieve our goal.
Ways to Give
You can contribute to this award by making your gift online by clicking the "Give Now" button above. If you prefer to give by check, please make the check payable to the UC Irvine Foundation, write "PRIME-LC Dr. Manetta Award" in the memo line and mail to:
UC Irvine Foundation
Attn: ZotFunder
101 Aldrich Hall
Irvine, CA 92697-5600
You can also support the Dr. Alberto Manetta Service Award and PRIME-LC students in other ways such as:
- Transferring appreciated stock
- Setting up a multi-year pledge to be fulfilled over time
- IRA rollover gifts which satisfy required minimum distributions (RMDs)
- Transfers from donor advised funds
To learn more about these giving options, please contact Kathleen Lago, director of development, at klago@hs.uci.edu or (949) 824-0130.
Sincerely,
PRIME-LC Alumni Leadership Team
Parker Duncan Diaz, MD, MPH, FAAFP, PRIME-LC alumnus ‘10 (pduncs@gmail.com)
Anna Fellmann, MD, MPH, PRIME-LC alumnus ‘14 (afellmann@gmail.com)
Marnie Granados, MD, MPP, PRIME-LC alumnus ‘10 (marniegranados@gmail.com)
Sarah Lopez, MD, MBA, PRIME-LC alumnus ‘09 (sarita1819@gmail.com)
