Elena Martinez was born and raised in Southern California.  Before her professional education she was a prenatal healthcare worker to low income women under the Comprehensive Prenatal Services Program (CPSP), which integrated perinatal health education, nutrition and psychosocial interventions with basic obstetrical care in order to improve the outcome of pregnancy.  In 1999, she graduated from nursing school from Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California.  Elena worked in post partum, nursery, and high risk prenatal care in an OB care unit at a local hospital.  Pursuing public health and a broadening in her scope of care, she worked for the next two years at a local Health Department in an STD and HIV clinic.  

In 2003, she became certified as a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California.  She is recognized in her specialty as a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner from the National Certification Corporation (NCC), as well as recognized by the Texas Board of Nursing as an Advance Practice Nurse (APN).  Elena has had the opportunity to work in both private and non-profit organizations providing direct care to women of all ages. 

Her professional career has evolved around the care of women, with an emphasis on patient education and empowering her patients’ to be active participants in their health care. 

Elena and her husband, Alex, moved to Austin in 2007 to be closer to her extended family.  She enjoys gardening, baking, and spending time with her friends and family, especially with her niece and nephews.