{"id":22642,"date":"2022-08-18T08:54:29","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T08:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=22642"},"modified":"2023-07-10T21:25:35","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T21:25:35","slug":"improving-health-outcomes-for-immigrants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/08\/18\/improving-health-outcomes-for-immigrants","title":{"rendered":"Improving health outcomes for immigrants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"headshot
Alumna Monserrat Morales Miranda ’20<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Monserrat Morales Miranda has always been a leader \u2014 and a learner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a child, she helped her parents navigate the health care system, translating medical forms for them and guiding health services for her brother, who has epilepsy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She learned that the health care system was not designed with immigrant families such as hers in mind. Instead of being discouraged, she used their experience to shape her path in life. \u201cThis is not only a health justice issue but a social justice issue as well,\u201d said Morales Miranda. \u201cI aspire to combine my passion for social justice within my work in the public health sector and herald the needed change to accommodate access for all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In college, she again ran into issues of access that inspired her to make change. As a first-generation college student, she could not get advice from her parents on how to navigate higher education and at times felt \u201ccompletely lost.\u201d Wanting to help others on their paths, she became a founding member of a support group for these students at the University of Washington Bothell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For her expansive work with underserved communities, Morales Miranda has been named one of the 2022 Husky 100 honorees<\/a>. Each year, the UW recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses who are making the most of their time at the University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recipients actively connect what happens inside and outside of the classroom, applying what they learn to make a difference on campus, in their communities and for the future. Morales Miranda, who received her B.A. in Health Studies<\/a> from UW Bothell in 2020 and her Master of Public Health from the UW School of Public Health in Seattle, is one of 11 students from UW Bothell to be recognized in 2022<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Documenting disparities <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After taking the Introduction to Public Health course taught by Dr. Grace Lasker, teaching professor in the School of Nursing & Health Studies, Morales Miranda realized that she could pursue a career that fulfilled her childhood aspirations. She discovered that in this field, she would be working on real, current issues affecting the world \u2014 and her community specifically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was mesmerized by how public health could help me create awareness and preventative measures that would improve the health and well-being of the Latinx immigrant community,\u201d Morales Miranda said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So she immersed herself in opportunities to apply her classroom learning. She interned as a health educator at Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a community-based organization that provides a variety of resources \u2014 including health care and housing \u2014 to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos. She learned about health education and promotion for her community and worked with patients with diabetes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On campus, she continued to advocate for her community by helping to develop resources for students like herself. One of her proudest achievements was helping to lead campuswide training for fellow students, faculty and staff on how best to support students with programming and mentorship opportunities. This work was documented in her research, Picturing Lives Undocumented: A photovoice project exploring barriers and facilitators to health and academic persistence among undocumented college students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaching communities <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Morales Miranda went directly to the UW School of Public Health after graduating from UW Bothell, bringing with her a commitment to improving health outcomes among immigrant populations. She joined the Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants and Refugees, which works to meet the needs of underserved communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a health program coordinator there, she focused on managing and coordinating programs designed to support and educate Latinx immigrants and refugees. \u201cThere are many health disparities within the Latinx community that need to be addressed,\u201d she said, \u201cand there are not enough resources to address them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the coalition\u2019s Stanford Youth Diabetes Coaches Program, Morales Miranda taught Latinx high school students how to advocate for their families just as she did as a child. \u201cStill to this day, I vividly remember riding the bus with my mother for hours so that my little brother could receive treatment for his epilepsy,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a 10-year-old, I managed his health needs out of necessity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coaching program allowed Morales Miranda to provide others with the training she didn\u2019t get when she was young. She taught students communication and coaching skills with an emphasis on action planning and working closely with health care providers. She also shared information about diabetes, healthy meals and stress reduction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelping address the growing problem of diabetes in underserved communities and empowering youth to improve the lives of their family members aligns so well with my hope to join the public health workforce,\u201d Morales Miranda said. \u201cI want to do work that promotes health care equity, quality and accessibility.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advancing aspirations <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Morales Miranda also earned a fellowship with the Latino Community Fund where she had another opportunity to work on the issues of access she faced as a first-gen student. She facilitated educational workshops for Latinx youth that focused on career readiness, the college application process and financial aid. She wrote for LCF\u2019s Latinos in Tech, a blog designed to introduce and inspire Latinx youth to pursue STEM careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy work allowed these high school students to feel supported and be successful in applying for and navigating college,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. India Ornelas, associate professor in the Department of Health Systems & Population Health Studies served as a mentor to Morales Miranda. \u201cMonse is a Latina immigrant who is committed to making a difference in her community. She cares deeply about the communities she serves and represents \u2014 and brings her own lived experience growing up as a Latina immigrant in Central Washington to her work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe represents the positive impact we hope our students will have in the larger community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morales Miranda says that she values the opportunities in leadership, research and community building she had during her six years at the UW. Her vast experience inside and outside the classroom were paramount to her advancing her aspirations to prioritize equity within all social determinants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to be a bridge to help people access health care services and reduce health disparities in underserved and underrepresented communities,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce I get my doctorate in Public Health, my dream is to start a nonprofit organization focused on public health promotion for immigrants and youth.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a young child, Monserrat Morales Miranda helped her immigrant family navigate the health care system. As a UW student, she continued working for immigrants and first-generation students on and off campus, earning recognition along the way as one of the UW’s Husky 100 for 2022. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,211,197,200],"tags":[],"school":[420],"class_list":["post-22642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-honors-and-awards","category-news-releases","category-profiles","school-school-of-nhs"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nImproving health outcomes for immigrants - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/08\/18\/improving-health-outcomes-for-immigrants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Improving health outcomes for immigrants - News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As a young child, Monserrat Morales Miranda helped her immigrant family navigate the health care system. 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