Dr. Rebecca Rakow-Penner of UC San Diego and La Jolla resident Jennifer Phelps are among 11 women from up and down San Diego County in everything from military to arts and culture honored last week as Women of Impact by state Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner.
“These women have always persevered despite all the odds against them. They have inspired generations, given back to their communities and provided services and assistance to those in need,” said Boerner (D-Encinitas), whose 77th District includes La Jolla. “These women are trailblazers and will continue breaking glass ceilings. Thank you to all of our 2025 Women of Impact honorees.”
Dr. Rebecca Rakow-Penner
Rakow-Penner was named Woman of the Year for her ongoing effort to improve women’s health care, according to Boerner’s office. The tenured associate professor of radiology and bioengineering at UCSD in La Jolla is the founder of the university’s Women’s Imaging Fellowship. She and her team have developed novel imaging techniques that enable early detection of cancer, and they evaluate responses to treatment of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer.
“It’s such an honor to be recognized with all these other wonderful Women of Impact in our community,” Rakow-Penner said. “Also, I appreciate the recognition of women’s health and women’s health research being a priority in our district and with Assemblymember Boerner.”
There are “plenty of ways women’s health should and can be improved,” Rakow-Penner added, specifically in the cancer field. For example, she said, MRI imaging needs to be better when looking at women with the BRCA genetic mutation, which increases the lifetime risk of developing certain cancers.
In ovarian cancer screenings for women with the BRCA mutation, “the standard of care is to remove their ovaries because of their high risk for ovarian cancer,” Rakow-Penner said. “These same women have a high risk for breast cancer, but we don’t do mastectomies on all these women, we screen them with MRI. We need to advance MRI ovarian imaging and protocols so we can do the same for their ovaries.”
Rakow-Penner added that being recognized as Woman of the Year provides a platform for causes like hers and shows the next generation the impact it can have.
“Early in my career, I didn’t have women role models in my field,” she said. “I think it’s important to show the next generation of men and women that women can make an impact in their field. You can be a mom, have an incredibly satisfying career and do cool science to help others. Women can also be role models and make a difference in our community in so many other ways, as the other Women of Impact recognized in our district have demonstrated.”
Jennifer Phelps
Phelps was honored in the Advocacy and Activism category after years of environmental study and volunteerism.
Among her climate-related efforts, Phelps co-founded the San Diego Sustainability Collaborative in 2016, trained with former Vice President Al Gore as a Climate Reality Leader in 2018 and helped establish the Youth Empowerment Summit (the foundation for San Diego 350’s Youth4Climate program) in 2019.
“Jennifer Phelps is a visionary leader in climate advocacy and youth empowerment,” according to Boerner’s office. “As a founding member of the program’s adult team, she has mentored over 250 youths, guiding them in climate leadership, activism and advocacy. Through her mentorship, students have established environmental clubs in over 20 high schools, passed local climate resolutions and gone on to leadership roles in government, nonprofits and the private sector.”
Phelps said she was honored to be recognized and that the award “paves the way for a larger cultural shift with new ways of looking at things and a new way of leadership.”
But, she added, “I don’t consider myself an activist. I went to UC Berkeley and graduated with a degree in architecture. A focus on sustainability and sustainable practices were engrained into my training. When I became a landscape architect, we pledged to be stewards of the Earth. The more I learned about what that meant, the more I realized there are easy but significant ways to use the healing power of nature for ourselves.”
Things took an even more dramatic shift when Phelps became a parent.
“I wanted to do more so my kids wouldn’t have a compromised future,” she said. “In talking to other young people, they didn’t feel optimistic about their future. That was so different from when I was young. I didn’t have the fears they had about things being volatile and unsafe.”
Phelps said she stepped up her involvement in environmental causes and volunteered with San Diego 350 to establish a way for youths to get involved. Then she co-wrote a handbook about how students could form clubs on their campuses.
“Six years later, I’m still saying yes to ways I can help,” she said with a laugh. “It is really gratifying to work with these students and watch them blossom into amazing powerhouses. They are truly incredible people. I have such respect for their wisdom and courage … to create a better world for us and themselves.”
Other honorees
Other 2025 Women of Impact are:
• Military: Crystal Hazelton (Solana Beach), Naval Medical Center Balboa
• Health & Human Services: Saundra Pelletier (Encinitas), Evofem Biosciences
• Education: Katrina Waidelich (Carlsbad), Carlsbad High School
• Community Service: Laura Chez (Pacific Beach), We See You San Diego
• Civic Engagement: Sarah Brothers (San Diego), Downtown San Diego Partnership
• Business & Entrepreneurship: Cynthia Burzell (Encinitas), Aequor Inc.
• Arts & Culture: Jessica Hanson York (Point Loma), Mingei International Museum
• Young Leader: Stephanie Zuniga (San Diego), E3 Civic High School
• Young Leader: Ciana Aurich (San Diego), San Diego High School