Participatory Research, Ethics, and Activism

Magdalena M. Avila, Dr.P.H., MPH, MSW

Dr. Avila is a Professor Emeritus at the Univ of New Mexico and identifies as a public health researcher and scholar activist dedicated to Social, Health, Economic and Environmental Justice. She has worked her entire professional career of over 40 years in partnering with frontline communities in addressing public health challenges and creating sustainable community-based cultural interventions. Dr. Avila's research focuses on advancing the science of community engagement and CBPR. Integrating high caliber research practices into collaborative partnerships for research in combination with the latest qualitative research methodology are part of her priority community engagement/CBPR research missions and aims.

Maria Gomez

Maria is the founder and former president and CEO of Mary’s Center, a federally qualified health center providing primary healthcare, social services, and education for families in the District of Columbia (DC) metropolitan region since 1988. The goal of Mary’s Center is to partner with families to help them move up the economic ladder through health, education, and workforce development opportunities. Under Maria’s leadership, Mary’s Center grew from serving 200 participants in a small basement with an initial budget of $250,000 to serving nearly 60,000 participants across seven locations in DC and Maryland with an annual budget of $80 million and a staff of 800.

Lunch will be served. Please register in advance at https://forms.microsoft.com/r/DeygmsY4kb.