My research examines the syndemic of HIV/AIDS, substance use, and gender inequities, with the goal of improving the health and wellbeing of marginalized communities, both domestically and internationally. After earning my MPH at Emory University, I completed a Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS) Fellowship, which focused on HIV and substance use research along the U.S.-Mexico Border, and later served as an Epidemiologist with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Research and Innovation Unit. My doctoral training in Epidemiology at the University of Washington was supported through an NIH Diversity Supplement, and my dissertation research applied a mixed methods design to better understand environmental risks impacting HIV care among PWID living with HIV in Kenya. As a TAPS Fellow at UC San Francisco, my goal is to (1) work towards developing strategies that address discontinued HIV care and treatment among individuals with HIV and substance use disorders and (2) provide mentorship to the next generation of historically underrepresented scientists.
