Experience

Culture of Health Leaders

• United States
• Professional Training and Coaching
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Leader

  • Oct 2019 - Present

  The Culture of Health Leaders is a national leadership program supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It fosters collaboration—between people from all fields and professions that have an influence on people’s health—to build just and thriving communities.



NORC at the University of Chicago

• United States
• Research
• 700 & Above Employee

• Research Scientist

  • Jan 2019 - Present

  - Propose, develop, conduct, and manage research studies on the topics of Latino older adults, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and AD caregiving for clients in the not-for-profit, government, and philanthropic sectors- Support project work aimed at expanding NORC’s work on collaborative aging and health research agenda



Latinos Buscando Refugio y Optimismo Cuando Hacen Arte (La BROCHA)

• Founding Member

  • May 2016 - Present

  Project: La BROCHA's goal is to provide free quality art workshops to Latino older adults, especially those who may have Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. Facebook: @LaBrochaChicago



Rush University Medical Center

• United States
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Community Engagement Coordinator, Alzheimer's Disease Center

  • Sep 2013 - Jan 2019

  - Guided the design, implementation and evaluation of the robust education and outreach initiatives focused on the Latino community. Successfully increased the number of Latinos engaged through the educational outreach efforts from 10% to 32%. - Established and strengthened partnership with 75+ community, faith based and medical organizations in Chicago and suburban Cook County. Grew the percentage of activities geared toward Latinos to represent 45% of all of the RADC's educational outreach activities. - Led and implemented internal projects to expand the RADC’s capacity to engage Latinos with a special focus on language access and cultural competency. - Developed and led the strategic recruitment plan for RADC’s Latino community. Successfully recruited 300+ older Latino adults into community based epidemiology studies and clinical trials.- Managed the Spanish language media coverage for RADC events, outreach work and research. - Chaired of the Translation Committee which includes RADC staff and volunteers who review, edit and translate health education and study materials. Including a national publication titled: Cómo cuidar a una persona con la enfermedad de Alzheimer: Una guía fácil de usar (Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease: Easy to use guide) by the National Institute on Aging. - Chair the Latina/o Alzheimer's Coalition for Advocacy, Research, & Education, a group of academic and community partners dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease by promoting access to education and awareness, family support services, and research opportunities to empower the Latino community. - Co-Chaired the Dementia Friendly Network, a free educational forum of diverse dementia stakeholders working to make communities more dementia friendly.

• Consultant

  • Jul 2018 - Nov 2018

  Positive Aging for Latinos Study (PALS) Project: PALS is a community-based participatory research project that employs concept-mapping methods to understand how older Latinos conceive of “positive aging” and how such conceptions are consistent with those of community leaders and scholars of aging.- Assist with data collection with Spanish and English speaking Latino older adults and providers of services to Latino older adults in various sites in Cook County.



University of Illinois at Chicago

• United States
• Higher Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Independent Consultant, ENGAGE IL

  • Nov 2017 - Dec 2017

  Project: Dementia Guide Expert for Families App. This App was developed by geriatric experts on the early identification of Alzheimer’s disease and managing the symptoms. It provides evidence-based information on what is dementia, treatments/management, and links to national resources and support services.- Served as the 2nd editor for the translation of the App contents from English to Spanish.



School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• United States
• Higher Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Independent Consultant

  • Sep 2017 - Dec 2017

  Project: Vida Alegre (VA) App Development an app in Spanish that will deliver a self-guided program using the existing VA manuals. VA is cognitive behavioral group therapy intervention piloted on immigrant Latina mothers. - Assist with the audio/video development to accompany the written text and advice on extending the app to different subgroups within the Latino population.



Montoya Electric LLC.

• United States
• Construction
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Web Content Writer

  • Apr 2017 - Sep 2017

  - Developed and edited website content. - Conducted web content reviews and research to ensure and understand industry standards.

• Independent Contractor - Department of Kinesiology & Nutrition

  • Aug 2016 - Sep 2016

  Project: Healthy Brain Research Network – Memory Messaging, Chicago Site - Facilitated two Latina female focus groups in evaluating public health messages related to their parent’s cognition.



Alzheimer's Association, Greater Illinois Chapter

• United States

• Manager, Education and Community Outreach

  • Jan 2012 - Sep 2013

  - Managed and implemented educational presentations targeting the Latino community. Delivered over 60 community educational workshops (75% delivered in Spanish). - Directed and supervised a team of 7 national volunteers who translated educational and awareness materials (brochures, factsheets, and flyers) into Spanish. The team translated a total of 36 documents and 3 education presentations. - Conducted an informal needs assessment to improve the Chapter’s education and outreach efforts targeting the Latino community.



National Cancer Institute (NCI)

• India
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Independent Contractor

  • Jul 2012 - Sep 2012

  Project: Model Spanish Informed Consent for Cancer Clinical Trials, a usability testing project of Spanish informed consent among Spanish-speaking participants with various levels of formal education, internet use, and acculturation levels. - Identified, recruited, and screened 7 individuals and 7 dyads for in-depth interviews for Chicago site data collection.



Champaign County Health Care Consumers

• United States
• Medical Practices
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Coordinator Program and Referral Services

  • Jul 2008 - Aug 2011

  - Managed monthly client caseloads of approximately 100 - 200 of community members who needed assistance accessing health care services, case coordination, and navigating the health care system.- Trained and supervised 10-12 annual volunteers who staffed CCHCC’s consumer programs.- Launched Dr. Hawa’s Dental Clinic, a mobile dental clinic that provided affordable dentures to low income seniors. - Directed Language Access Campaign which included ongoing translation and revision of CCHCC’s core organization documents, a health resource directory, and approximately 30 health education materials into Spanish.- Assistant organizer in Health Care Access - a group of affected consumers, health providers, and concerned community members who worked around local issues of access to health care services through community mobilization, public education and policy advocacy.



University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Higher Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Research Assistant

  • Jun 2008 - May 2011

  Kinesiology and Community Health Department: Aging and Diversity Lab - Reviewed and edited the research study questionnaire - Cultural Perspectives on Physical Activity among Older Latina Women. - Assisted with the data collection (administering questionnaires) and data analysis (focus group). Kinesiology and Community Health Department: Latina/o Health Literacy Research Group- Assisted with the translation (English/Spanish), review and edits of Culture and Cancer Health Literacy Measure (165-item questionnaire). Latino/a Studies Department - Assisted in the developed EndNote database and conducted a literature search for initial draft of the Place, Migration & Health (PHM): A Cross National Research Network website. - PMH is a diverse group of researchers committed to understanding the links between migration processes and the health of migrants, their families, and their sending and receiving communities