Position Aware Button
White Arrow Black Arrow

Connecting Clinicians to Capitol Hill

With Alberto Sandoval

Stories to Solutions

Interview Recorded On: March 20,2026
Alberto Sandoval has spent decades in the halls of Congress, at Boeing, and now at UC Irvine building relationships. In this conversation he makes a compelling case that closing the mental health gap in America won't come from legislation alone. It will require clinicians, nurses, and mental health professionals stepping outside the clinic and into the offices of their elected representatives. Sandoval challenges healthcare professionals to pick up the phone, show up in Sacramento, City Hall and Washington DC, and share what they witness daily with the people who control the funding. His message is that the mental health crisis is solvable. And the people with the most credibility to drive that change are already on the front lines of care.
Interview Recorded on: March 20,2026
Alberto Sandoval has spent decades in the halls of Congress, at Boeing, and now at UC Irvine building relationships. In this conversation he makes a compelling case that closing the mental health gap in America won't come from legislation alone. It will require clinicians, nurses, and mental health professionals stepping outside the clinic and into the offices of their elected representatives. Sandoval challenges healthcare professionals to pick up the phone, show up in Sacramento, City Hall and Washington DC, and share what they witness daily with the people who control the funding. His message is that the mental health crisis is solvable. And the people with the most credibility to drive that change are already on the front lines of care.
See More
See Less
Links to Solutions
Clinicians are the most powerful voice in mental health advocacy. When a doctor tells a legislator they are treating patients in their own district, that story lands in a way no policy brief ever could.
The mental health workforce gap is a problem now. Facilities are overwhelmed, providers are scarce, and training pipelines are years away. Programs like TNT that multiply the capacity of existing professionals are the most immediate solution available — what Sandoval calls a force multiplier.
Change is slow but it is possible. Sandoval's career is built on persistent, sustained relationship building. For healthcare professionals, that means consistent engagement with government relations teams, medical associations, and elected officials over time.
Meet Our Guest
Alberto Sandoval
Alberto Sandoval is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Community and Government Relations at the University of California, Irvine, where he leads UCI's community and government relations programs that foster increased awareness and support for the university's mission. Before joining UCI, Sandoval worked for The Boeing Company, representing the company before Congress and state and local governments on key federal defense programs. That private sector role followed 20 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from California State University, Fullerton and a Master of Science from the National Defense University in Washington, DC. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Seal Beach Police Foundation and is a member of the UCI Master of Public Policy Leadership Advisory Board.

Connect with Millie Christie
Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/servingkidshope/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/dr-patricia-md/
Connect to Alberto Sandoval
Org Instagram: instagram.com/ucicgr
Org Facebook: facebook.com/UCICGR
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/p-alberto-sandoval-241a355/
Org LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/uci-community-government-relations