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Adrian Palau-Tejeda Shira Smillie
Senior Manager for Health Disparities & Services Coordinator, Helping Hands
Engagement, Public Affairs
Shira Smillie is from Philadelphia. Her passions
Adrian Palau-Tejeda is a successful health care include travel, reading, writing and hiking. She
policy leader, driven by community engagement, joined HFA to continue her passion of advocacy.
data and congressional relationships. Coming Previously, she coordinated resources and
from a background in community organizing programs for her school. Her favorite part of her
and campaign work, Palau-Tejeda has worked work is listening to the stories of others. She says
previously in the rare disease space to promote compassion and empathy guide her work, and she
the equitable access to treatments and cures for looks forward to being able to grow in her role as
underserved communities. services coordinator with the Services Team.
Since joining the HFA team, he has helped relaunch Aside from work, Smillie enjoys travel writing and
the Health Disparities Council and is excited to is currently traveling around the United States
work to drive forward the cause of health equity in writing about the different places she visits. In her
the bleeding disorders community. spare time, you can catch her at a local seafood
restaurant trying out delicious dishes.
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