Reem Zubaidi

Reem Zubaidi is a program manager at the UC San Diego Center for Community Health, Refugee and Immigrant Health Unit and a co-facilitator for the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition. In this role, she works closely with program leads across the SDRCC initiatives to provide technical assistance and works as part of the RHU evaluation team on data collection and evaluation, helping to measure the impact of various SDRCC programs.

Her work revolves around addressing health inequities across the social determinants of health. As the daughter of Palestinian and Lebanese immigrants and granddaughter of refugees, she is passionate about advocating for refugee and immigrant communities and working toward lasting systems change. Reem graduated with a Master’s degree in Public Policy at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy.

Reem Zubaidi and the team will highlight the evolution, impact, and replicable community‑led model of the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition (SDRCC). Presenters will share how SDRCC’s collaborative structure supports refugee communities through coordinated services, trusted messengers, data ownership, and an innovative funding model that strengthens both community partners and funders.

The session will emphasize real‑world examples, statewide partnerships, frontline experiences, and sustainable program design, while also outlining practical solutions to common challenges such as funding sustainability, system fragmentation, and inequitable access.

Solutions highlighted will include strategies for building long‑term community capacity that improve both service delivery and organizational resilience.