Dr. Magdalena Avila, Public Health Expert and Activist-Scholar

Dr. Magdalena  Avila's farmworker parents wanted  a better life and education for her and her siblings. Dr. Avila's parents dreams came true; all of their children were college-educated and held long careers in public service. At the University of New Mexico, Dr. Avila taught her students to  work with  communities of color and to  develop sustainable strategies for effective  long term health interventions. She based this work on her expertise in Community Health and Community Based Participatory Research. She describes this type of research as "from the people for the people." Dr. Avila and  her students visited communities and Pueblos throughout  the state of New Mexico to listen to the communities  stories and asses their health needs. This research helped inform  Health Impact Assessments (HIA's), which were then utilized by multiple policy groups in the state of New Mexico.Dr. Magdalena Avila's commitment to the health and wellness of people of color communities and her mentoring and  teaching of public health leaders make her one of our HealthCare UnTold Heroes. #HealthCareUnTold#GenteCare#LatinoHealth#UniversityofNewMexico#PublicHealth#CommunityBasedParticipatoryResearch#wholepersoncare#HealthEducation