Compassion Breast


San Diego




board of directors



Elaine Tanaka, MD FACS



Founder and President



Dr. Tanaka has over 20 years experience as a Board Certified surgeon. Dr. Tanaka founded Compassion Breast to provide needed breast care to uninsured and underserved Communities in San Diego. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.



Susan Wais, PhD



Board Member



For over 10 years Dr. Wais has developed and delivered classes teaching people the practical skills needed to enhance their own happiness and well-being, and that of their families. Dr. Wais holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology



Mitsuo (Mits) Tomita, MD



Board Member



Dr. Tomita was a Family Medicine Physician for 33 years at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego (retired 2008) . Until 2015 he provided part-time care in federally-qualified community health centers in the San Joaquin Valley. Currently Dr. Tomita is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSD School of Medicine. He is also active in multiple civic organizations, including the SDCMS.




Toni Davies, PhD



Board Member



Dr. Davies brings over 30 years of experience developing Lean organizations worldwide, including Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Humanitarian development is a top priority, and she led a Lean effort for World Vision Ethiopia, served 2 years on the National Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and serves on the Board for International Relief Teams. She is passionate about serving the uninsured and underserved, and specifically in Breast cancer care. Dr. Davies holds a joint Ph.D. from San Diego State University and Claremont Graduate School. http://daviesconsultinginc.com/




Danielle M. Reicher, MD



Board Member



Dr. Reicher is an Anesthesiologist for over 30 years in San Diego and served as Chief of Anesthesia and Chairman of Surgery at Scripps Memorial Hospital – Encinitas. She is also the

Chief Medical Officer and co-founder of Health Companion.

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Martin Furey, MA



Board Member



Martin has worked within the nonprofit sector for several decades. He has worked in program administration and development for both UC San Diego Health and the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has served as Senior Grant Writer for one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers, located here in San Diego. He has served on the Board of Directors or fundraising boards of several San Diego nonprofits, including: Compassion Breast, San Diego Reach Out and Read, and the San Diego International Sister City Association. He has also served as a member of the County’s CDC-mandated Community Review Panel for HIV Services passthrough funding.



Dhalia Balmir , MA



Board Member



Dhalia specializes in establishing strategic direction, DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion), policies and procedures, while bringing in a variety of perspectives. Having worked at a San Diego Fortune 500 tech company for 12 years, Dhalia led the women and African American employee networks, building diversity strategic partnerships, and influencing initiatives on representation and mentorship. Dhalia is the founder of Balmir Inclusive, a consulting company specializing in strategy and assessment, cultural competency, DEI and educational advocacy. Today, Dhalia works for Susan G. Komen San Diego as a Health Equity Coordinator and provides strategic direction to address the breast cancer health disparities that affect Black women in San Diego county. As a forward thinker and champion of change, she is inspired to create data driven strategies when it comes to identifying such opportunities.



Hamid Makmalchi, MA



Board Member



Hamid is the Vice President and Branch Manager at Union Bank in La Jolla. He is an expert on Tax Law and has previous experience working for JP Morgan Chase .

Hamid holds a Master’s degree in Accounting.



volunteer members





James Huynh



Interaction Designer & Program Strategist



James earned his B.S in Cognitive Science with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction from UC San Diego, Professional Marketing Certificate from UCSD Extension and Data Analytics Certificate from Google. He's passionate about Data Analysis, Human-Center Design and Technologies. Joining Compassion Breast, James uses his versatile skillsets to construct powerful Website and Strategies to help advancing the shared missions and purposes.



Missy Tran



Visual Designer & Community Outreach Analyst



Missy earned her B.A in Global Health from UC San Diego. She is now a Data Research Assistant at Rady Children's Hospital. With her self-taught skills in Photoshop combined with a strong background in Health and Data Analysis, Missy helps creating stunning Logos and effective Community Outreach campaigns for Compassion Breast.



Tiffany Nguyen



Community Relations & Development Manager



Tiffany graduated with a degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from UC San Diego. After graduating, she went on to pursue her passions in healthcare by interning at a hospital and working as a medical assistant. She joined Compassion Breast to combine her interests of both healthcare and helping underserved populations. She gained experience with philanthropy during her time in college and uses it to find outlets for outreach and fundraising for the organization. Tiffany will be pursing a Masters in Nursing at the University at San Diego and will continue to work with CB.





Design by Compassion breast team