LHFI Research in 2010-11                                                                        

Cultural Competence Curriculum Initiative

Currently, LHFI is involved in a project in conjunction with the Center of Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, CUNY, to help address the shortage of culturally competent professionals. Centro is spearheading an exciting project which involves development of an interdisciplinary program, the Cultural Competence Curriculum Initiative. The initiative is designed to develop future professionals who understand the differences, values, norms and behaviors of diverse cultural groups and who will embrace these differences to improve their practices. This program receives generous support from the U. S. Department of Education’s Fund to Improve Post Secondary Education (FIPSE). By focusing on the fields of public health, social work, planning, and education, the initiative is targeting professions in which Puerto Ricans and other Latinos have been historically underrepresented.

The project is designed especially for students with an interest in community service and for those who themselves are a part of communities of color. This training should also empower the new professionals to redefine and help transform the systems in which they are employed into more culturally responsive organizations. The Latino Health Fellowship Initiative is excited to be part of this project.

Co-investigator: Diana Romero, PhD
Coordinator: Andrea Skowronek, MPH

LHFI Research in 2009-10                                                                          

Higher Education in the Health Professions: Increasing Latino and Immigrant Student Success

Currently, LHFI is conducting research in conjunction with the Hunter College Immigration and Health Initiative to examine barriers and incentives faced by Latinos (U.S.-born and immigrants) in pursuit of higher education in the health professions. Knowing about Latino immigrants’ perceived barriers to academic achievement is crucial for the design of recruitment strategies so that disadvantaged minorities can achieve academic success in the health professions, and possibly have a positive impact on social and health disparities experienced by the Latino population.

The findings from this research will yield specific policy guidelines and best practices aimed at supporting Latino students’ recruitment and retention in the health professions. This project also will develop valid tools for measuring key barriers to Latino and immigrant participation in health professions. A project abstract has been submitted to the First Triennial Conference on Latino Education and Immigrant Integration at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education in Athens, GA.

Coordinator: Dan Fiedler, MPH