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.