January 13, 2021

Upddated: July 31, 2021
A group of eight health sciences students from the University of Washington and Heritage University in Toppenish, Wash., are the recipients of the Latino Center for Health’s Student Scholars Fellowship Program. 

The fellowship program, launched last year, supports the next generation of leaders and scholars who are committed to promoting the health and well-being of Latinx communities in Washington state. The current fellowships span the winter and spring quarters.

Two of the awardees are enrolled in the School of Social Work’s MSW program. They are Noahloni Garcia and Maria Itzel Soto. Other fellowship recipients attend the UW schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy and nursing, along with a BA student in healthcare leadership at UW Tacoma and a BSW student at Heritage University. Watch a Facebook Live interview with Maria Itzel Soto.

“This program provides crucial funding to students,” said Gino Aisenberg, associate professor at the School and co-director of the Latino Center for Health. “It’s also a great opportunity for them to connect with students from other disciplines and with the faculty and staff at the Center.” 

The Latino Center for Health, based at the School of Social Work, operates in partnership with the UW schools of medicine and public health. Supporting emerging scholars is part of its mission to build capacity to address current and emerging health issues facing diverse Latinx communities in Washington state. Latinos, the largest and among the fastest growing racial-ethnic groups in Washington, confront daily social and health-related challenges that constitute significant barriers to equitable health care.