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Greetings, I am Meardith Pooler-Burgess and a native of Georgia--Southern Girl!!. I  currently reside in Tallahassee, FL with my husband of 4.5 years and our 9-month old beautiful twin girls (New Mom alert!!).

I am Research Faculty at Florida State University, College of Medicine, Department of Behavioral Science and Social Medicine. I am almost 4 years post receiving my DrPH in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Florida A&M University.

I am a public health practitioner by trade and emerging health equity research scholar that is eager to learn how to navigate research spaces in academia  and stay grounded in working with communities of color --where my commitment and passion lives and thrives.  My dissertation research explored cervical cancer and HPV prevention behaviors among minority women and their adolescents. I also have research interests that span health equity of minority communities in the Southern region of the US, accounting for pathways and determinants of community health, community-based prevention and health promotion interventions, and social determinants of health.

In my spare time I love spending time with my family, swimming, going to the beach, watching movies and traveling.

I am extremely humbled and honored to attend this institute and look forward to embracing new ways of thinking and actionable steps I can take to translate cbpr philisopies, methods, and perspectives to communities of color in the South.

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Hello hello! I'm an Assistant Professor at UTHealth School of Public Health in Austin, TX. Prior to joining the faculty at UTHealth, I was a postdoc at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, received my PhD in City & Regional Planning at Georgia Tech, and worked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I'm Cuban and Taiwanese, growing up in Central Florida before spending a decade in Atlanta. The goal of my research is to eliminate health inequities based on race, ethnicity, and class in the face of warming from climate change. I am particularly interested in the impact of extreme heat on physical activity levels of youth, and nature as a climate and health solution. Excited to learn and grow with you all!

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Hiking with my corgi, Enyd. I'm very happy, she is not

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Hello everyone! My name is Brenna. I am an MD/MPH student at UNM. I'm particularly passionate about reproductive health and reproductive justice, and the intersecting identities and power dynamics that influence how this is distributed.
I was born and raised in Albuquerque and left for about eight years for college and work. I have been part of organizations that partner with communities to address HIV in Atlanta, GA and Botswana. I worked with community coalitions providing needle exchange, advocacy for safe injection sites, and expansion of treatment for opioid use disorder in Oakland, CA.
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my two cats and my dog, cooking and eating anything I can, hiking, gardening, and watching professional women's soccer.

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Hello Everyone! My name is Aanchal Pradhan. I was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for my undergraduate. I graduated with a Bachelor of Population Health in 2021. Now, I am pursuing my MBA in Health Service Management at New Mexico State University. I am also working at UNM CHWI as a Training Support Analyst in the Health Equity Project. I am excited to meet and learn from everyone!

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Hola, My name is Andrea Botero, born in Bogota Colombia - I am Minga, of Chibchan (Muisca) decent.   I currently serve as the Director of NM Health, Civics, and Justice programs at Project ECHO.  I have a background in community organizing, health administration (FQHC/ QI),  and public health. I am a mother of two beautiful Native- Aroostook band of Mi'k Maq (U.S./ Canada); Chibcha (Colombia) children, a daughter, a partner, and a farmer (getting there with a flock of chickens, four dogs,  and a vast field of newly planted chile).

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Hi! My name is Miriam McQuade, and I am a physician and abortion provider at UNM. I have engaged in advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels to advance respectful reproductive health care for people who use drugs.  In 2014, I founded the first needle exchange in Orange County and developed its outreach programs in intimate partner violence and family planning. In OB/GYN residency, I worked closely with Rochester’s Trillium Health Needle Exchange to develop a women’s health branch that provides emergency contraception, menstrual supplies, and linkage to contraception resources. I also served as the only upstate New York physician on a statewide task force developing legislature to require consent for drug testing in pregnant people, and have worked to change our medical center’s protocol from urine drug testing to verbal drug screening. Additionally, I gained political and lobbying experience through the Congressional Leadership Conference as the ACOG District 2 Section 10 Chair and state-level reproductive health advocacy events in Albany, NY as well as Santa Fe, NM. I am proud to have had these opportunities to fight for justice-oriented care centered around harm reduction principles for people who use drugs and people seeking abortion, and am inspired to continue this work throughout my career.

I want to better characterize the barriers that people who use drugs face when accessing reproductive health services. I studied the experiences with violence and the delays in abortion care for people who use drugs. I aim to identify the preferences and specific needs of abortion-seeking people who use drugs, highlight specific delays and barriers to care, and assess the accuracy of patient and provider perceptions. This work will provide the foundation for my career goal of optimizing the abortion experiences of people who use drugs.

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Hello Everyone! My name is Jesse Rivera, I was born and raised here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am a graduate of the University of New Mexico with degrees in International Relations and Spanish with a focus in Conflict and Diplomacy in Latin America and Europe. I lived and worked throughout my undergrad in Netherlands and Germany with refugee populations and currently work with UNM's Health Equity Project as an Education Consultant for our partner organizations working along the Mexican-US border region. I am excited to meet everyone!

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Hello everyone, My name is Olowan. I am Dine, Hunkapapa Lakota, and Filipina. I was born and raised here in Albuquerque, NM. I am a Public Health Nurse. I provide support in planning, development, implementation and evaluation of our PHN programs within our Albuquerque Area for Indian Health Services.

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My name is Joey Robledo. I am from Albuquerque, NM. I am Navajo and Mohave. I am currently pursuing a PhD in special education and teach special education at a local middle school. I am a new father and also have a dog (I have never had a pet before). I have a minor in music and still play in a local jazz band. Soccer is the best and I enjoy being a coach.

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Hi, I'm Daniel! I grew up in Texas but recently relocated to Albuquerque to serve as a project coordinator at CASAA (the

Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions). Excited to learn about CBPR in order to help build a sustainable program that'll provide alternatives to criminal legal system involvement for youths and young adults.

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Hello! My name is Ariana Bitsui, I am Dine/ Navajo from Black Mesa, Arizona.

I am a current graduate student at the University of New Mexico College of Population Health concentrating in Epidemiology. I also am a part-time research assistant at the Center for Participatory Research at UNM. I look forward to learning more about the CBPR course and interacting with you all for the next few weeks.

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Hi everyone, my name is Leena Le. I am a graduate student in the Masters of Public Health at the University of New Mexico. My current research interest is in addressing housing instability. My background is in biochemistry so I am relatively new to the field but I am excited to expand my knowledge on CBPR and to learn from you all.

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Hi everyone! I am Alejandra Lemus, a Ph.D. student at the University of New Mexico's Sociology department. Currently, I work as a research assistant for a community-based participatory research project, The Refugee and Immigrant Wellbeing Project. My research interests are at the intersections of immigration, race, and reproduction. I am excited to take a CBPR course that will enrich my understanding of CBPR methods.

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Hello everyone- My name is Belkis. I am a MPH student at UNM, with a concentration in epidemiology. Throughout my MPH journey, I have been involved in many CBPR research projects at the College of Population. My main interest is making data matter for communities. I am looking forward to meeting each one of you.

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Gustavo S. Chanchien [he / him] [en / es]

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Gustavo S. Chanchien [he / him] [en / es]

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Hello everybody! My name is Gustavo, and I often go by my middle name Scotty. I was born here in Albuquerque, but I grew up in Managua, Nicaragua, and am now back in Albuquerque pursuing my MPH in Epidemiology at UNM. I’m also working at the UNM Community Health Workers Initiative, leading the monitoring and evaluation team (and am excited to be be joined by two of my team members, Serenity and Mark 😁) Looking forward to meeting and hearing from everyone!

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Hi all! I am a Research Assistant Professor at the Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico. I primarily research digital health interventions for people with substance use disorders and pain.

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I work at University of New Mexico as a Community Health worker and interim Training Specialist. Currently, we are wrapping up our Health Literacy & COVID-19 grant. I'm also transitioning into a Training Specialist role for a new pilot program at UNM Hospital focusing on patient social determinants of health.

I'm Originally from Michigan but have lived in NM for nearly 10 years. (I can hardly believe it!) Our program, through the Office of Community Health, highly values CBPR training and I'm looking forward to this experience!

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Hola everyone!

My name is Lisbeth Duron Pacheco, you may call me Liz. I am originally from Buena Park, California currently living in Albuquerque, NM. I am a Community Health Work at UNM Hospital, I help translate health information to plain language, in order for our community members can understand material. At the Hospital I help patients connect with available resources.

I am the primary care provider for both my ill parents. I love to help out my community.

I am looking forward to learn about the CBPR!

It’s a pleasure to meet you all!

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Hello everyone! I'm excited to be in New Mexico to participate in the CBPR Institute! I attended graduate school at UNM and completed a degree in Latin American Studies and a MPH minor. As a student my research interests included migration, health and human rights. I now live in Seattle, WA and work with an organization that supports community health centers in the Pacific Northwest. I'm grateful to work in partnership with a number of committed individuals and organizations focused on supporting the health and wellbeing of diverse communities, including farmworkers and individuals experiencing homelessness. I'm interested in supporting programs that foster greater collaboration across sectors and include Community Health Workers as integral members of the public health and health care workforce. I look forward to meeting you all and learning together! Saludos!

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Visual Description: Michèl portrait: white, asymmetrical dark purple hair, big rimmed purple glasses, and brown lipstick and wearing a jean button up shirt. 

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Hello! My name is Michèl, my pronouns are they/them. I work for UNMs Office of Community Health as an Education Specialist. I am a self identifying Trans/Nonbinary/Queer, Hard-of-Hearing, Disabled person. I am a first generation American and college graduate with my bachelors in Multicultural Woman's and Gender Studies. I spent most of my life in Texas before moving to ABQ, NM this past year and have enjoyed learning about the difference in community from neighboring states. I find joy working in community health with an expert lens on intersectionality with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the Disability community. I am excited to dive deeper into CBPAR and bring what I learn into the work I do in the community.

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Hello!  I'm an associate professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the College of Public Health at Temple University. I'm an applied, pragmatic mixed methods researcher with a program of research at the intersection of interpersonal health communication and organ and tissue donation and transplantation. My primary goals are to improve access to transplantation for marginalized populations. Community engagement is a central feature of all of my research.

I'm originally from upstate NY and current living in Philadelphia, PA. I'm a "crazy" cat lady with 2 felines and a pooch. And, I'm very much looking forward to seeing everyone in person next week!

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Greetings everyone! I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Mexico. I'm interested in developing programs to reduce both substance use and criminal justice stigma. I look forward to meeting and working with you all.

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A selfie of Sradha slightly smiling in their truck wearing a jean jacket and red framed glasses. Their hair frames their face in soft curls and waves. 

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Hey y’all! My name is Sradha and I work as a Community Health Worker under UNM’s Office of Community Health. I primarily provide Intensive Case Management to folks that have substance use disorders. I am a transplant from California, but was raised in Gallup. I came to Albuquerque for college and have been here for about 7 years now. I look forward to meeting you all and learning alongside ya.

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Hi
I'm Paulo Almeida from São Paulo-Brazil, 50, an environmental professor at the University of Sao Paulo; currently Visiting Professor in COPH/CBPR at UNM. I have been in ABQ since March, 1st, and will leave this incredible City on August, 31. I have spent my time with work, meetings, and excellent talking with the good friends have made here. I'm really excited to exchange experiences and to know more about the strategies and knowledge in social participation,  environmental justice, and public policies. I think this week will be very productive and fun.

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Hello! I am so excited to be back in NM as I am a graduate of the UNM MPH program with a concentration in Epidemiology. Now serving as Director for the Center for Anti-Racism and Community Health (ARCH) at the University of Washington (also a grad of the UW PhD program in Epidemiology). I love being a nerd (i.e., learning) and working with people to understand health--specifically, social determinants and mechanisms of structural racism to support community-led action. In my role, I am striving to cultivate a space that centers Blackness and Indigeneity as a prism through which to understand the experience of racialization and racism of all communities of color--embracing the multiplicities of truth.

So grateful and humbled to offer hospitality and space to learn from Maori visiting scholars and practitioners, including Dr. Linda Tuhiwai Smith. Discussions of understanding anti-racism through a Maori lens were transformational and affirming.

Also incredibly honored to be attending this institute with community and practice partners from Washington state!

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Hello! My name is Shou-An Ariel Chang, and I am a Clinical Psychology PhD candidate at Yale University. Currently, I'm on clinical internship at the University of New Mexico working in substance use and trauma treatment. My research has examined risk and protective factors for externalizing behaviors in adults and adolescents, and I am very excited to learn about CBPR to hopefully incorporate it into my future work.

In my spare time, I love hanging out with family and friends, cooking/baking, and being in the outdoors! I look forward to getting to know everyone in the course and learning together.

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Hi everyone, my name is Maria Gangotena, I am an Ecuadorian woman studying a Ph.D. in Educational Studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada.  I am a community nutritionist and my research topic is about women’s health inequity experienced during COVID-19. I am a critical feminist educator and a lifelong learner.
I love nature walks and outdoors photography. I live in Toronto and work as a consultant for FAO.

I hope to meet you soon.
Warmly,
María.

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Aloha All!

I am a Team Lead for LatinX Outreach a consulting and marketing company serving the Yakima Valley in Washington state. I support our organization by engaging with and building authentic relationships with the diverse Hispanic community.  Our goal is to help meet the many needs in our community by developing projects that meet real needs while truly engaging people and supporting them while they learn the principles that help them become creators of their own lives. I feel honored to have the opportunity to meet with you all to mastermind and better understand how to create unity amongst all.
I was born in Michoacán, Mexico and immigrated as infant. My parents raised me in Yakima, WA where I lived for 36 years. We recently moved to O’ahu Hawaii and I am loving every second of my life in paradise. My three sons and adoring husband are the joys of my life. I enjoy sunrises, sunsets, hiking, cooking and dancing. One of my favorite things to do is snuggling with my boxer mix pup named Canela, she is my baby girl.

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Hello, my name is Nathalie Beltran. I am a first-generation college graduate. I was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM, where I reside. I am a graduate student in the Masters of Public Health at the University of New Mexico. I enjoy spending time at home with four cats and one dog. I have had the opportunity to explore CBPR in a couple of courses and through other students. This has led me to develop an interest in learning the process of centering the voices of the community and empowering communities. I am excited to further my understanding and delve into the working parts of CBPR with you all.

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Hi folks, my name is Traci Christianson and I am a White Settler Master's student studying Applied Social Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. I am also a research assistant with CoVaRR-Net's Indigenous Engagement, Development, and Research pillar. I am looking forward to meeting you all.

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Hello Everyone, my name is Mayela Gillan. I am a Chicanx PhD candidate at UC Berkeley in the Environmental Health Sciences department. My research is focused on the health impacts associated with the abandoned uranium mine sites on the Navajo Nation, as well as the occupational hazards present while remediating these sites. In my spare time, I enjoy painting, taking care of my plants, and spending time with my partner and our two orange cats. I am looking forward to learning with and from you all.

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Greetings! My name is Ryan. I am a Program Manager at the ECHO Institute where I work on many different programs including Climate Change and Human Health. I am the founding member of the Climate and Environment Equity Committee at ECHO. I am also working on the Climate and Health Certificate at Yale.

I am trained as a historian whose work is focused on North American environmental history. I have written extensively about New Mexico (I was raised in Albuquerque, and have spent most of my life here). I have taught courses in the nuclear histories and environmental histories of North America. I have been a faculty member at Haverford College, Macalester College, and the College of Wooster.

All of this has led to a greater interest in climate and health. My current research interests include the intersections between climate and health advocacy and indigenous land use and medical traditions. I seek to know how those traditions "actually are" and how largely Anglo climate activists haphazardly repurposed those traditions to fit their worldviews on how to combat the health impacts of climate change.

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Hello! I am also a first-generation college graduate and a Certified Medical Assistant by trade with 5 years of service under a "traditional" healthcare system.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I was uprooted from my day-to-day job working in my community's Physiatry clinic and sent to work in our county's one (at the time) COVID testing site. After several months I quickly realized, I was meant to serve my community outside the confines of a hospital system.
In 2020, I started my journey in Population Health and have become enamored and completely enthralled by this work. I am now serving 9 counties of the Washington State South Central Region via our regions Accountable Community of Health, Greater Health Now.
Rural Health Equity and Cultural Competency has become a great passion of mine and has become an outlet to give back to the communities that raised me.
In my free time I am an Auntie to two beautiful girls, a dog mom to two Australian Cattle Dogs, a wife to a Jemez Springs NM born and raised amazing human, an avid sports fan, and my newly dubbed title "Crazy Plant Lady" (thank you husband).
I am so grateful to partake on this journey with you all!

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Hi all! My name is Mary Jessome. I'm a forth year PhD student in sociology at at The University of British Columbia as well as a research manager for CIEDAR. Between these two roles, you can catch me hanging out with my dog or getting out in nature.

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Hi all! My name is Mary Jessome. I'm a forth year PhD student in sociology at at The University of British Columbia as well as a research manager for CIEDAR. Between these two roles, you can catch me hanging out with my dog or getting out in nature.

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Hello, my name is Susie Lopez and I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Indigenous Health at Oklahoma State University. I received my PhD in Clinical Psychology from OK State. My research interests include food insecurity as a risk factor for mental health and substance use outcomes. I am very excited to learn more about CBPR and look forward to meeting you all.

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Hello, my name is Erin Smith. I was born and raised in Albuquerque. I’m a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and overseeing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. I  just finished my second year as a PhD candidate and plan to take my comps in the fall. I'm also a mother to an amazing four year old named Jacoby.  Lastly, I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and finishing this class together

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Hello, I am super excited for the course and to meet everyone! I am coming from Edmonton, Alberta. (My mother-in-law lives in ABQ so I am coming Thursday for a couple weeks and looking forward to exploring the campus and community more.)

I am in a Master of Arts in Community Engagement and have been learning all about CBPR this past year. I hope to develop a collaborative, participatory, and engaged research project for my thesis on home care alternatives for older adults and caregivers. I pursued this subject after becoming a caregiver for grandmother in 2020.

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Hello! I am ABQ born and raised, completing my Addiction Medicine Fellowship as a physician at the University of New Mexico. In my free time, I enjoy being outside with my husband or at home with a book with our cat, Inky. I'm very grateful to be part of the CBPR course with you all!

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Hi all! My name is Monica Bailey, I am a grant project manager at South Dakota Urban Indian Health located in Sioux Falls, SD. I am a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. I manage the SAMHSA 988 Tribal Response Grant and I coordinate a community response program for homelessness called the Wo’Okiye Project.

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Mom and I on that first Vaccine run in 2021.  She is why I still mask.

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I am a queer non-binary white person.  I come from a 1st generation college educated family.  Born in DC and raised in Maryland, I understand viscerally how “race” constructs us.  From feminist and pacifist parents, I stand as an ally against patriarchy and for peace, reconciliation, reparations, and resolution of social conflicts.  I turn 50 this year.

With my partner, I am a family caregiver for 6+ years of my mother who has Alzheimer’s.  I am a social ecologist, abolitionist, and mutualist.  I am an experienced bodyworker, community organizer, reporter, and intellectual.  I am a policy intern at Caring Across Generations and an MPH candidate at UNM.

I am no spring chicken, and I know when a duck is a duck.  I am that I am.