Professor Mayer completed her undergraduate degrees at UCSB in Biology and Spanish and subsequently spent a year traveling throughout South America and teaching ESL to business executives. Upon her return to the US, she taught math and Spanish at a private high school while also working as a medical translator, phlebotomist, medical assistant and patient educator at an FQHC in a primarily Spanish speaking community.
Her love for science, medicine, and a heart to serve underserved populations made PA school the perfect choice. She attended Loma Linda University's Physician Assistant program, where she served as class president and helped organize medical missions trips to Mexico.
She worked in ENT, family medicine and urgent care, before answering God's call to the mission field where she and her family committed to a six-month position at an orphanage in Baja California, Mexico. Upon seeing the dire need for health care in the area, she realized her medical experience could be put to good use! Together with her husband and a Mexican nurse, they founded Siloé Ministries, Inc. and its sister organization, Fundación Comunitaria Siloé, in order to help alleviate the desperate need for medical assistance in the area. Today, Siloé is a 6,000 square foot Wellness Center in the heart of the village, providing medical, dental, and mental health services, as well as exercise and nutrition classes and prayer support to the community; her 6 month plan turned into 13 years of living and working in Baja!
Professor Mayer has had the privilege of teaching and precepting hundreds of PA, medical, and dental students that have volunteered at Siloé in the past decade, and is passionate about teaching cross-cultural communication and how it relates to a successful patient encounter. She is an ardent patient advocate, and dreams of making quality healthcare and preventative medicine accessible to all populations.
She loves spending time with her husband, three daughters and 2 dogs. In her free time, she enjoys reading historical fiction novels, cooking, baking, hiking, volunteering at her church, and playing board games (as long as she wins!)
Education
Loma Linda University, Masters in Physician Assistant Studies, MSPAS
UCSB Bachelors of Science, Biology
UCSB Bachelors of Arts, Spanish
