PLACE Program
Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention
3530 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Parking and Public Transportation Information



"We don't sing like the Beatles, but we believe in crosswalks."

Jean Armbruster, MA
Director
(213) 351-7313
jarmbruster@ph.lacounty.gov

Jean Armbruster, MA, is the Director of the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Launched in 2006, the program addresses the affects of the environment on residents’ health. She received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College and her Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology from California State University, Long Beach. She has previously served as a Children’s Health Analyst for the Children’s Health Initiatives Unit at the Los Angeles County Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Program, where she worked to implement the Department’s asthma goals and objectives. Hiking and walking are her favorite forms of physical activity.

Louisa Franco, MPH
Policy Analyst
(213) 351-7828
lfranco@ph.lacounty.gov

Louisa Franco, MPH, is a Policy Analyst with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She received her undergraduate degree from UC Santa Barbara and received her Master’s degree in Public Health from UCLA. Prior to her work with the PLACE Program, Louisa worked with Health Education Administration to coordinate the Department’s health education services. Additionally, she has developed and evaluated community-based emergency preparedness and injury prevention programs. Louisa spent the first part of her career as a marine life educator and still enjoys exploring local marine habitats. You can often find Louisa, alongside other Public Health staff, running on Wilshire Boulevard during her lunch break.

Shruti Garg, MPP
Assistant Policy Analyst
(213) 351-7880
sgarg@ph.lacounty.gov

Shruti Garg serves as an Assistant Policy Analyst with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She is a graduate of Smith College, with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Spanish and recently received her Master of Public Policy degree at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the PLACE Program, Shruti worked at CREA, a women’s human rights nonprofit based in New Delhi, India and later at Southern California Grantmakers, an organization dedicated to strengthening the impact of philanthropy in Southern California. In Shruti’s spare time, she enjoys yoga and hiking.

Gayle Haberman, MPH
Policy Analyst
(213) 351-7843
ghaberman@ph.lacounty.gov

Gayle Haberman, MPH, is a policy analyst with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She received her undergraduate degree from UCLA and her Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Prior to working with the PLACE Program, she developed the five-year plan for Public Health’s Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Program, and worked on policies to decrease childhood obesity. Before coming to the County, Gayle worked in the nonprofit sector for 15 years. Among other endeavors, she co-founded an organization that trained low-income women to establish their own business cooperatives. Gayle is forcing herself to attend a weekly pilates mat class to develop muscles her body has never seen.

Erica Halchak
Assistant Policy Analyst
ehalchak@ph.lacounty.gov

Katherine Magwene, MPH, CHES
Policy Analyst
(213) 427-4407
kmagwene@ph.lacounty.gov

 Katherine Magwene, MPH, CHES, is a Policy Analyst with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She earned both her undergraduate degree and her Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. Her previous County service was with the Tuberculosis Control Program, Child Health and Disability Prevention Program, Tobacco Control and Prevention Program, and most recently the Health Care Workforce Development Program. Katherine enjoys walking on her lunch breaks. At home, her walking companions are two small, enthusiastic dogs.

Laura Meyers
Assistant Policy Analyst
(213) 427-4413
lmeyers@ph.lacounty.gov

Laura Meyers is an Assistant Policy Analyst with the PLACE Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She received her undergraduate degree from Columbia University and is currently completing her Master’s degree in Public Health at USC. Prior to her work with the PLACE Program, Laura worked as a volunteer Health Educator at South Central Family Health Center and as a Case Management Intern at Aids Project Los Angeles. She has also volunteered much of her time at an alcohol & drug rehabilitation home, various inner-city after school programs and hospitals. Laura ran Varsity Cross Country/Track & Field while at Columbia University and USC and currently helps coach the USC program. In her spare time, Laura enjoys mentoring student athletes and serving the community through Athletes in Action.

Zoë Phillips, MPH, MS, CHES
Health Educator
(213) 427-4408
zphillips@ph.lacounty.gov

Zoë Phillips, MPH, MS, CHES, is a Health Educator with the PLACE program at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, her Master’s of Science degree from New York University, and her Master’s degree in Public Health from USC. Prior to working with the PLACE program, she conducted anticancer research and research on how stress affects pregnant women and their fetuses. Zoë has a strong interest in botany and is trying to improve her green thumb. She enjoys going on nature walks with her family, exploring local botanical gardens and nature centers.

Jocelyn Vivar
Assistant Policy Analyst
jvivar@ph.lacounty.gov