Jennifer Rienks, PhD, has been with FHOP since 1996 and is currently the Associate Director of FHOP. A native of Connecticut, Dr. Rienks received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Connecticut before heading west to complete both her Masters of Science degree and PhD in Social Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research interests include the application of social science theories and methods to public health to change health behaviors and health systems, and the role of the physical and social environment in shaping health behaviors.

Jennifer has worked on a variety of research projects and brings data analysis, research and survey design and project management skills to FHOP. Past projects include researching the use of a risk assessment tool for the targeting clinical outreach and HIV prevention services to high-risk women; an evaluation of a breast-cancer navigator project; a community collaborative research project funded by the University-wide AIDS Research Project to compare the effectiveness of standard HIV testing and counseling vs. an enhanced intervention that included STD screening; the evaluation of the SevenPrinicples Project - a project to reduce black infant mortality disparities in San Francisco conducted by the San Francisco Department and Public Health. Recently, Jennifer led the 2010-2015 Title V Needs Assessment for the California Department of Health Services' California Children's Services program. Currently, she is working on researching the impact of implementing a new model of labor and delivery on physician satisfaction and patient outcomes at a local community hospital.

Jennifer also provides technical assistance to and leads trainings for the staff of local health jurisdictions on a variety of topics including community assessment and planning, interpreting and using data, problem analysis, program planning and evaluation, using CalBirthInfo and EpiHosp software; choosing evidence based interventions, developing objectives and performance measures, and interpreting trend analysis of public health data.

In her free time, Jennifer serves on the publicly elected Marin Healthcare District Board, having originally been elected in 2006 and then re-elected in 2010. She is passionate about ensuring access to high quality and cost effective healthcare for all, and enjoys photography, hiking and northern California's abundant flora and fauna.