Ting presents Dr. Alicia Boccellari (middle right) with a resolution on the
Assembly Floor during the annual Woman of the Year celebration

March is Women's History Month, a time to highlight the extraordinary contributions to society made by remarkable women. It was my pleasure to name Dr. Alicia Boccellari as my 2023 Woman of the Year for her leadership in creating, implementing, and overseeing programs designed at removing barriers to care and improving clinical outcomes for underserved populations.

Dr. Boccellari is a Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.  She is also the Executive Director of the National Alliance of Trauma Recovery Centers (TRC's). She is one of the Founders of the UCSF Trauma Recovery Center model of care, sparking the creation of similar centers statewide. Dr. Boccellari has been working with local and state governments across the U.S. to transform victim's services using the TRC model as a vehicle of change. She also oversees technical assistance to new TRCs to insure fidelity to the model.

TRC's serve as bridge for survivors of crime to begin the process of healing that is critical to their recovery. The multidisciplinary teams at the TRC's ensure that survivors receive comprehensive support to meet all of their needs, including trauma informed therapy and legal advocacy.

Not only have TRC's served Californians throughout their 19 centers across the state, they have served as a national model - a model that has been replicated in other states including Ohio and Illinois.

To support TRC's in California, the current State Budget provides $28 million to support Trauma Recovery Centers throughout the state and to establish satellite offices in underserved and rural areas.

CA State Assemblymembers from across the state honor women on the Assembly Floor every March. The event has been a Capitol tradition since 1987 during Women's History Month. As this month comes to an end, please join me in recognizing the extraordinary social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women throughout our great state.