Pamina Barkow

Background

About Pamina Barkow

From humble beginnings in her grandmother’s kitchen in Chile, Pamina Barkow learned early on the value of community, generosity, and service. That foundation shaped a lifelong mission to uplift others—first through nutrition and integrative medicine, and now as a nationally recognized healthcare leader, entrepreneur, and advocate for the underserved. Pamina holds dual master’s degrees in Business Administration and Literature, and began her professional path as both a Clinical Nutritionist (CNC) and classically French trained chef. She later went on to co-found and scale Orange County Pain Management, a multi-site medical group that offered integrated, patient-centered care. After more than a decade of operational growth and expansion, Pamina sold her practice to a national healthcare conglomerate. Today, Pamina is the founder and CEO of Personal Injury Navigators, a purpose-driven company that helps accident victims navigate their care journey with compassionate advocacy. Her work focuses on care coordination, equity in access, and system-level transformation—especially for vulnerable and often-overlooked populations. Beyond her entrepreneurial endeavours, Pamina is a committed civic leader. She currently serves as a Trustee at the University of California, Irvine, and has held chair positions on multiple university and healthcare boards and committees, including those focused on innovation, public health, and equitable community investment. She currently serves as Chair for the Dean’s Advisory Board at the School of Business at UC Irvine, she is the incoming Co- Chair for OC Alliance, and she serves on the Strategic Board for UCI Health Family Health Centers. She has been recognized with numerous honors for leadership, community impact, and healthcare advancement,including her nomination as Businesswoman of the Year (2021) by the Orange County Business Journal. In 2022, she was awarded the Excelencia Award at the LatinX Conference, where was the keynote speaker. In 2024, she was honored with the prestigious Lauds and Laurels Award by UC Irvine. In 2025 she earned "Woman of the Year" from the National Hispanic Businesswomen Association. In 2022, she established The Pamina Barkow Scholarship for Latino Entrepreneurs and the Stephen Barkow Scholarship, which provides financial support to underprivileged students pursuing degrees in Business and Life Sciences. She remains an active supporter of Latino students at UCI, funding conference participation and student organizations both personally and through initiatives such as the DLC grants.