Author: Mikaela Freundlich

The Latino Center for Health is pleased to announce the 32 Latinx faculty members at the Tacoma, Bothell, and Seattle campuses of the University of Washington being recognized for their scholarly achievements this academic year. Notably, eight of the 32 being recognized are from UW Tacoma and one is from UW Bothell.

Faculty were recognized for meeting at least one of the following criteria during this academic year: 1) publishing a scholarly article in a high impact journal or an influential book, 2) receiving a major grant, 3) being appointed to a significant leadership position, 4) being promoted to associate or full professor, and 5) retiring by the summer of 2020.

“I wish we all could be together to celebrate and honor the outstanding scholarly achievements of this year’s 32 remarkable Latinx faculty members at the Tacoma, Bothell, and Seattle campuses of the University of Washington,” says Dolores Huerta, a nationally renowned labor leader and civil rights activist who was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for this year’s Latinx Faculty Recognition Event, which was cancelled due to the pandemic. “Though we are apart due to COVID-19, I want to share my heartfelt congratulations to all of you.”

You can watch Dolores Huerta’s video message to the faculty honorees here, and President Ana Mari Cauce’s video message here.

These 32 faculty represent a variety of disciplines, including aquatic & fishery sciences, history, biostatistics, international studies, microbiology, business, arts, communication, health services, and more. Some of their publications include Feminist Responses to the Neoliberalization of the University: From Surviving to Thriving, Amplifying RNA Vaccine Development, and Ongoing Obstacles to Confronting Microagressions in Medicine, just to name a few.

“The impact of these Latinx faculty resounds across the UW community, from classrooms and laboratories, to diverse communities and fields of practice, and throughout the world,” says Dr. Gino Aisenberg, associate professor in social work and co-director of the Latino Center for Health.

“But more than your scholarly contributions, you are role models and mentors, particularly to our Latinx students who see you, look up to you and know that si se puede, si se puede,” adds Dolores Huerta.

The 32 faculty recognized this year are:

• Gabriel Gallardo, Associate Vice President, Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity and Affiliate Associate Professor, Geography
• Juan Guerra, Professor & Chair, American Ethnic Studies
• Gino Aisenberg, Associate Professor, Social Work and Co-Director, Latino Center for Health
• Cecilia Aragon, Professor, Human Centered Design & Engineering
• Maria-Tania Bandes-Becerra Weingarden, Lecturer, Culture, Arts & Communication, University of Washington-Tacoma
• Barbara Baquero, Associate Professor, Health Services
• Ruben Casas, Assistant Professor, Culture, Arts & Communication, University of Washington-Tacoma
• Sarah Chavez, Lecturer, Culture, Arts & Communication, University of Washington-Tacoma
• Joana Cunha-Cruz, Research Associate Professor, Oral Health Sciences
• Sonia de la Cruz, Assistant Professor, Culture, Arts & Communication, University of Washington-Tacoma
• Alejandro Francetich, Assistant Professor, School of Business, University of Washington-Bothell
• Deborah Fuller, Professor, Microbiology
• Maria Elena Garcia, Associate Professor, International Studies
• Angelina Godoy, Professor, Law, Societies & Justice
• Ricardo Gomez, Associate Professor, Information School
• Luis Gonzalez-Cuyar, Assistant Professor, Pathology
• Catherine Hough, Professor, Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine
• Lurdes Inoue, Professor & Chair, Biostatistics
• Jose Antonio Lucero, Associate Professor & Chair, Latin American & Caribbean Studies
• Roberto Montenegro, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
• Leo Morales, Professor & Chief Diversity Officer, School of Medicine
• Itziri Montero Villamar, Full-time Lecturer, Culture, Arts & Communication, University of Washington-Tacoma
• Ariana Ochoa Camacho, Assistant Professor, Social & Historical Studies, University of Washington-Tacoma
• India Ornelas, Associate Professor, Health Services
• Johnnie Orozco, Assistant Professor, Hematology
• Jacqueline Padilla-Gamiño, Assistant Professor, Aquatic & Fishery Sciences
• Maggie Ramirez, Assistant Professor, Health Services
• Alyssa Ramirez Stege, Assistant Professor, Social, Behavioral & Human Sciences, University of Washington-Tacoma
• Rosana Risques, Associate Professor, Pathology
• Ileana Rodriguez-Silva, Associate Professor, History
• Joseph Sisneros, Professor, Psychology
• Anaid Yerena, Assistant Professor, Urban Studies, University of Washington-Tacoma

To learn more about each faculty member and the specific categories for which they are being recognized for, click here.

A project to assess and address the need for public health messages dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and targeted to Latino immigrants in Yakima County recently received a UW Population Health Initiative COVID-19 rapid response grant.

Latino Center for Health co-director Dr. Gino Aisenberg is one of the team’s six co-investigators.

To read more about the project, click here.

The Latino Center for Health is pleased to announce the launch of its inaugural Student Scholars Fellowship Program earlier this quarter as part of its mission to advance the field of Latino health by building capacity to address current and emerging health issues facing diverse Latinx communities in Washington state.

“The overall aim of this program is to support the next generation of leaders and scholars who promote the health and well-being of Latinx communities in our state,” says Dr. Gino Aisenberg, associate professor in the UW School of Social Work and co-director of the Latino Center for Health. “Under the leadership of Mikaela Freundlich, Program Coordinator, this fellowship program provides crucial funding to students as well as programmatic activities that promote community and engagement with the faculty and staff of the Center,” adds Dr. Aisenberg.

An outstanding cohort of 10 students in health sciences programs across the campuses of the University of Washington and Heritage University have been selected as the inaugural recipients of this fellowship.

“The recipients of the Latino Center for Health Student Scholars Fellowship Program are the future leaders of Latino communities in our state and region,” says Dr. Leo Morales, professor and chief diversity officer of the UW School of Medicine and co-director of the Latino Center for Health. “They are the most important aspect of the Latino Center for Health’s aspirations and vision.”

The 10 students selected for this year’s fellowship program are:

• Gabino Abarca, MPH student in Health Services, University of Washington School of Public Health
• Amaya Alonso Halifax, MOT student, University of Washington School of Medicine
• Magali Blanco, PhD student in Environmental and Occupational Hygiene, University of Washington School of Public Health
• Andrea Cabrera, PhD student in Nursing Science, University of Washington School of Nursing
• Israel Cervantes Rodríguez, BSW student, Heritage University
• Dulce Domínguez, BSN student, Heritage University
• Stacey Fernández, BA student in Social Welfare, University of Washington Tacoma
• Mariany Morales, DDS student, University of Washington School of Dentistry
• Kenia Ramírez, MSW student, University of Washington School of Social Work
• Mary Carmen Zúñiga, MD student, University of Washington School of Medicine

The Latino Center for Health plans to continue this fellowship program on an annual basis as part of its commitment to supporting emerging scholars in Latino health.

LCHStudentScholarsFellowshipProgram_Press Release

Dr. Gino Aisenberg, Associate Professor at the UW School of Social Work and Co-Director of the Latino Center for Health, was recently featured in an article on the School of Social Work’s website, where he highlights the importance of listening to the community as a central aspect of improving Latino health.

“Engaging the community in a respectful and authentic way is at the very core of the center’s mission to address health disparities and promote well-being across the diverse Latinx population,” says Aisenberg.

To learn more about the ways in which the Center engages the diverse Latino communities living in Washington State, click here.

Here is a list of actions you can take to help support Latinx immigrants and other disadvantaged or marginalized folks who often suffer the worst health and economic consequences in situations like these:

• The COVID-19 Latinx Community Response conference call took place last Thursday with Latinx community representatives from across the state, facilitated by the Commission on Hispanic Affairs and the Latino Civic Alliance. They compiled all the questions/issues the community had brought up and began to organize into committees/work groups to tackle the issues raised. If you are interested in being involved, email hispanic@cha.wa.gov with the subject line ‘COVID-19 Workgroup’. 
• OneAmerica has compiled a list of resources in Washington for immigrants, including for those who are undocumented. Please share this link with anyone who could benefit (https://weareoneamerica.org/2020/03/23/covid-19-coronavirus-resources-for-immigrants-recursos-para-inmigrantes/). This list includes food vouchers, emergency assistance programs, public school meal distributions, free access to internet, unemployment resources, healthcare access, a relief fund for undocumented folks, and many other resources.
• The NAACP has published a report listing equity implications of COVID-19 in the United States. You can find the report here. You can share the report widely and/or join some of the emerging equity-based efforts listed towards the end of the report.
• Casa Latina has a Workers Relief Fund that provides cash assistance to existing Casa Latina members who need funds right now for food and rent. Many provide for their families through day labor jobs and domestic work and often do not have other resources or any kind of safety net. Casa Latina is also still accepting general donations to organization. If you wish to make a contribution, you can donate online here. If you wish to restrict your gift to the Workers Relief Fund, simply note that in the comment section.
• The Consulate of Mexico has compiled a list of fact sheets, videos and audios in indigenous languages regarding coronavirus. If you know of anyone who could benefit from these resources, please share with them the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/1HMRXQ0pAY9-o62C3uPPDckHmVpunz31zsPhWE_hsMno/mobilebasic
• And lastly, here is a message from Ericka Hart, racial & social justice educator, that includes a fun (and bold!) action you can take if you have an Instagram account:
  • Some city and state governments across the country have placed a moratorium on mortgage payments and suspended evictions indefinitely due to the growing impact of the novel coronavirus on the economy. While these measures may help some, they do nothing to help the large majority of people who can’t afford a mortgage in the first place. A suspension on evictions with no legal protections for tenants in the form of rent forgiveness and a lack of permanent housing for homeless and housing insecure folks during a global pandemic is more of the same anti-poor, anti-black discriminatory housing that existed before the spread of COVID-19.Access to affordable, quality and safe housing is not only a human right but an essential aspect of public health care. So please take on this action and demand national rent, mortgage and utility payment suspension and forgiveness. No evictions, no foreclosures for at least 120 days. Support your local tenants coalitions and housing rights groups. And lastly, record yourself singing this song on Instagram:Here are the lyrics:
    We shouldn’t have to pay.
    Suspend Rent Now.
    No penalties, no pay back.
    Suspend Rent Now.
    Losing wages, can’t work.
    Suspend Rent Now.
    Add your own city/state,
    Suspend Rent Now.
  • 1. Record yourself singing the song
    2. Tag us and your governor
    Tag: #suspendrentnow #cancelrent