Category: News

Latino Center for Health Travel Award Recipients present their work

Natalie Gasca and Kenia Ramirez, the last two Travel Award recipients of 2019, presented their work at the 2019 SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference and the 4th Binational Mexico-United States Conference on Social Work and Migration, respectively.

The 2019 SACNAS conference, which took place in Honolulu, HI from October 31-November 2, is the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity event in the country. SACNAS serves to equip, empower, and energize participants for their academic and professional paths in STEM, and that’s exactly what it did for Natalie.

“Participating in 2019 SACNAS broadened by exposure to research and fellowship programs, science communication initiatives, and opportunities to (re)connect with peers and mentors in the STEM community,” she says. “Through the connections and lessons learned, I will continue to forge a career path in which I can contribute to Latinos and other underrepresented groups by researching health disparities and disease prevention techniques.”

Natalie presented her poster titled Using Supervised Methods to Identify Heart-Healthy Dietary Patterns in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) as a case study for her dissertation. She is a doctoral student in Biostatistics at the UW School of Public Health.

“Cardiovascular disease is the second highest cause of death for Hispanics/Latinos,” she says. “As part of my dissertation, I propose that additionally using heart disease data will result in more concise and intuitive food patterns that can help nutritional scientists better target heart-healthy foods.”

At the 2019 SACNAS conference, Natalie attended a variety of events from career expos to keynote speakers and breakout session as well as film festivals.

“One of the films showcased a multi-ethnic Latina scientist, Dr. Rebecca Calisi-Rodriguez. She advocates for her communities, creates a welcoming environment in her classroom, and uses her psychology background to advance her biology research. I have never seen someone with such a similar ethnic background to mine (half Mexican and half white) highlighted for her science and advocacy, so that left a big impression,” she says.

Kenia Ramirez presented her work at the 4th Binational Mexico-United States Conference on Social Work and Migration held on November 21-22 at the University of Texas in Houston, TX. This annual conference alternates between Mexico and the U.S. and aims to generate collaborations that will contribute to strategies for social intervention in Mexico and the U.S.

“As an attendee, my experience was remarkable. I was able to witness amazing presentations about the impact of migration not only in the U.S. but also in Mexico,” says Kenia. “I plan to use this conference to build relationships that will strengthen my abilities to help my Latin Communities.”

Kenia’s bilingual presentation titled How Can We Reach Latino Immigrant Men Who Have Sex with Men for HIV Prevention? was based on a study she supported as a Research Assistant working for Dr. Jane Lee. The focus of the study was to improve HIV testing and PrEP uptake among Latino immigrant men who have sex with men (LIMSM) by assessing social media platforms as a potential source for recruiting LIMSM.

“Currently, Latino immigrant men who have sex with men are a vulnerable subgroup of Latinos due to their high risk of HIV infection,” says Kenia. “Our study highlights the fear Latino immigrants face when accessing healthcare due to the lack of resources, services, and safety.”

Kenia, a second-year masters student at the UW School of Social Work, believes that more research, interventions, and awareness is needed to tackle issues related to Latino immigrant health. While at the conference, she attended a couple of presentations, one by Perla V. de los Santos Amaya and the other by Leticia Aparicio Soriano.

“Both presentations captured my attention because they present real and alarming issues that require much more attention,” she adds.

The Latino Center for Health Student Travel Awards are meant to promote academic scholarship at the University of Washington by providing financial support to emerging UW researchers, especially those working in the field of Latinx health.

“I’m grateful to have participated in 2019 SACNAS and extremely appreciate to the Latino Center for Health for investing in my career development,” says Natalie.

“I would encourage exposure to [the Binational Mexico-United States Conference on Social Work and Migration] from as many University of Washington schools as possible—more so, for those interested in working with the Latin Community,” says Kenia.

Congratulations to both Natalie and Kenia for presenting! We at the Latino Center for Health are proud of their work and look forward to their bright futures as they continue to pursue careers that address Latinx health inequities.

Coming Up: 2019 Latina Health Symposium: Su Salud También Cuenta

The annual Latina Health Symposium provides a forum for participants to come together to learn and discuss health-related topics that impact Hispanic/Latina women. The Center’s Research Director, Dr. India Ornelas, will be presenting on her research project ALMA–Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma.​

State Legislature funds LCH to conduct WA Physician Supply Study

University of Washington, Seattle: The Latino Center for Health is pleased to announce Washington state legislative funding in the amount of $150,000 for the center to conduct a study that identifies the number of Latinx physicians across the state and describes their practice areas and geographic locations. An additional goal of the study is to develop and disseminate policy recommendations to meet the state’s growing need for Latinx physicians.

New Administrative Home for the Latino Center for Health

The Latino Center for Health is moving its administrative home to the School of Social Work effective July 1, 2019.

Since September 2018, the Department of Health Services in the School of Public Health has provided important administrative support to the Center and has partnered with the Center to promote its growth. The Latino Center for Health is particularly grateful for the support of its leadership, Jeff Harris, Chair of the Department, and Hilary Godwin, Dean of the School.

The Latino Center for Health looks forward to continue its mission to promote the health of Latinx communities in impactful ways through interdisciplinary research that informs practice and policy. While housed administratively in the School of Social Work, the Center will remain steadfast in its commitment to partner with the Schools of the Health Sciences, their faculty and students, as well as community organizations throughout Washington state.

Along with this move, the Center is pleased to announce that the State Legislature is funding the Latino Center for Health in the amount of $1,150,000 for the 2019-2021 biennium. This significant funding is a clear testament to the vital importance of the Center and the success of its work. It positions the Center to thrive in strategic new ways.

The School of Social Work is well-equipped to support the vibrant growth and excellence of the Center. As noted by Dean Edwina Uehara, Dean of the School of Social Work, “I am very excited to welcome the Latino Center for Health to the School of Social Work. We are honored to play a role in advancing this vital university-community resource, and look forward to partnering with other UW Health Sciences schools and colleagues around the Center’s priorities. We are very grateful to the School of Public Health for the excellent support offered to the Center and hope to carry forward that tradition of excellence.”

Center’s Affiliate Student featured in “Humans of GO-MAP” Series

Vanessa Torres, PhD candidate in the Department of Health Services at UW’s School of Public Health and affiliate student of the Center, was featured in our UW partner GO-MAP’s “Humans of GO-MAP” series: http://www.facebook.com/Latinocenterforhealth/posts/1909720155795036?notif_id=1560894433752180&notif_t=. Vanessa grew up in Riverside, CA and pursued her undergraduate studies in Berkeley. The sharp contrast between the two, she says, is what first inspired her to pursue a career in Latinx health disparities research. Her doctoral thesis focuses on reducing unhealthy alcohol use among Latino immigrant men.

Dr. Ornelas received Beti Thompson Cancer Health Equity Research Award

Dr. India Ornelas, Research Director of the Latino Center for Health and Associate Professor in Health Services at UW’s School of Public Health, received the Beti Thompson Cancer Health Equity Research Award at the Pathways to Equity Symposium on Monday, May 13th. This award recognizes an outstanding scientist from the Fred Hutch/UW Cancer Consortium who has made significant contributions to cancer health equity research. Congratulations, India!

To learn more, click here.

33 Faculty Members Honored at 2019 Latinx Faculty Recognition Event

The Latino Center for Health hosted the 3rd Annual Latinx Faculty Recognition Event on May 2nd, honoring the scholarly achievements of 33 Latinx faculty across the tri-campuses of the University of Washington for 2018-2019. Twenty-four of the honorees were from the UW Seattle campus, five honorees from UW Bothell, and four honorees from UW Tacoma. Faculty were recognized for meeting at least one of the following criteria: promotion to associate professor or full professor, publication of an article in a high impact journal, publication of a book, fine arts production, securing a major grant, or retiring during or near the end of the academic year. In addition, Latinx faculty who have been promoted to significant leadership positions were also recognized this year.

Faculty members were honored in the presence of elected officials, community leaders, UW Regent Rogelio Riojas, deans, chairs, colleagues, family, friends, and students. This ceremony highlighted the incredibly diverse body of work and impactful contributions of the 33 honorees.

“This celebration makes visible the outstanding achievements, promotion, mentorship and contributions of our Latinx faculty,” said Gino Aisenberg, Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Co-Director of the Latino Center for Health. “Their impact resounds across the UW community, from classrooms and laboratories, to diverse communities and fields of practice, and throughout the world. We are particularly overjoyed that five honorees have been promoted to Associate Professor during this academic year!”

The Latino Center for Health, an interdisciplinary community-engaged research center, is housed administratively in the Department of Health Services in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington. The Center organized this event with support from the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity(OMA&D), the Office of Faculty Advancement, and Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP).

To view the list of honorees of the 3rd Annual Latinx Faculty Recognition Event, click here.

To view the photos of the event, click here.

To all those who were recognized, congratulations! We are grateful for you and we are proud of your accomplishments.

Students and LCH staff get together at Student Connecting Event

Graduate students across the Health Sciences gathered last Wednesday, April 17th at the Petersen room in Allen library over lunch to discuss ways in which the Center can be a source of support for them as students interested in Latinx health.

Dr. Gino Aisenberg, co-director of the Center, gave an overview of the Center’s history and current work, while the Center’s affiliate faculty members Dr. Maggie Ramirez and Dr. Barbara Baquero spoke about their research projects.

Daron Ryan, Research Coordinator at the Center, gave a rundown of ALMA (Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma), a research project spearheaded by Dr. India Ornelas, Research Director of the Center. Additionally, Francisco Rios-Casas, recent recipient of the LCH Travel Award, talked about his experience as an affiliate student of the Center.

Many of the graduate students who were present brought up the difficulties of navigating UW, a predominantly white institution, as Latinx students. We hope that this event was helpful in alleviating some of those difficulties and in providing opportunities for networking, building community, and seeing themselves represented in different aspects of the university.

¡Ha sido un placer conocerles a todxs! ¡Hasta la próxima!