October 13, 2016 – This panel presentation will include an overview of key federal and state law protections from discrimination applicable to people living with HIV. This includes discrimination in multiple settings, including healthcare, housing, employment and public accommodations. Attendees will learn about recent data on HIV-based discrimination in Los Angeles County, an overview of the laws that may apply, and the remedies available to individuals who may have faced illegal discrimination on the basis of HIV-positive status.

About the Presenters:

Ayako Miyashita is the Sears Law Teaching Fellow at the Williams Institute, a research institute focused on LGBT issues at UCLA School of Law. She also serves as the Director of the LAHLPP under the Clinical and Experiential Department at the law school. Ms. Miyashita directs the work of this legal services collaborative, serving Angelinos living with HIV who may be experiencing an unmet legal need.

Megan Yelorda is an Equal Opportunity Specialist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Pacific Region. In 2005, after completing her M.P.H. in global health at Loma Linda University, Ms. Yelorda began her career with the City of Kansas, Health Department, working as a health inspector in the Food Protection Program and later as a program recruiter for the Public Health Ambassador program. She joined OCR in 2009 and focuses on civil rights and Health Information Privacy (HIP) cases.

Michael Leoz is the Regional Manager for the Pacific Region of the U.S. DHHS’ sOffice for Civil Rights (OCR). He is responsible for the overall investigation and resolution of all complaints and compliance reviews arising out of the Pacific Region. Mr. Leoz is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and of the University of Southern California Law School and is admitted to both the State Bar of California and the U.S. Federal District Court, Central District of CA.

Angela Oh is an attorney mediator at the CA Dept. of Fair Employment & Housing. Her work focuses on providing individuals with an alternative dispute resolution process that facilitates early resolution of charges of discrimination. Ms. Oh believes that her work as a trial lawyer, a community-based advocate for civil rights, and her experience with conflict resolution provide a strong foundation for her current work which she sees as an essential and complementary alternative to litigation.

Paula Pearlman is the Assistant Chief Counsel of the Dept of Fair Employment & Housing. She works with a team of lawyers litigating high impact cases on behalf of the state of California in the areas of housing and employment, and is the former Executive Director of the Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC).

2016 October Colloquium Slides – Meningitis
2016 October Colloquium Slides – Shigella Outbreak

CHIPTS hosts a monthly HIV Research and Community Colloquia Series in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV to highlight current issues and conversations surrounding HIV. Click here for past lectures and check out the events page for more information on future Colloquia presentations!