Dana Paycao

Dana Paycao is the Senior Policy Associate- Mental Health for NCYL’s Health Team. Her work is focused on advancing mental health care and promoting healthy equity for children and youth in California, through research and advocacy. Paycao brings a background in research and public health to this work. Paycao has previously worked in the mental health space through her involvement in the Filipino Family Health Initiative where she worked as a part of a team to address intergenerational trauma and mental health issues within the Filipino American community in Los Angeles. Through this work, she frequently collaborated with community members and leaders and conducted research on mental health risk factors and existing sources of resiliency within the community. Prior to joining NCYL, Paycao spent four years at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research where she served as California Health Interview Survey Coordinator. Paycao received her MPH in community health sciences and her BS in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles.