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Our Team / Contact / Hours
Our Team
Michael A. Rodriguez, MD, MPH
Founding Director
Dr. Michael A. Rodriguez is professor and vice chair in the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health, founding director of the UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America, founding chair of the UCLA Global Health Minor, and medical director for innovative research at the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity. He also serves as: principal investigator of the CBRE Shared Advantage Research Initiative; co-chair of the UC-Mexico Initiative’s Violence Prevention Subgroup dedicated to preventing youth violence across borders; co-chair of the emerging Migration and Health online course; and co-director of UCLA Campus Activity for the UC Firearm Violence Prevention Center.
mrodriguez@mednet.ucla.edu
Brian Cole, DrPH, MPH
Co-Investigator, CBRE Research Effort
Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
blcole@ucla.edu
Magali Delmas,PhD
Co-Investigator, CBRE Research Effort
Professor of Management, UCLA Institute of the Environment and UCLA Anderson School of Management
delmas@ioes.ucla.edu
Moira Inkelas, PhD, MPH
Co-Investigator, AltaMed Institute for Health Equity Research
Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
minkelas@ucla.edu
James Macinko, PhD, MA
Co-Investigator, AltaMed Institute for Health Equity Research
Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences and Department of Health Policy Management
jmacinko@ucla.edu
Contact Us
UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America
Ueberroth Olympic Building, Suite 2120
10945 Le Conte Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90095
Created by Paul Babin, last modified by Ibukun Olabinjo 09 May 2018, at 10:26 AM
The UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America analyzes the key factors that influence poverty and the social determinants of health including: government practices and policies, community action, social justice, human rights, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, foreign policies and more. Within these pages, you will find information on The UCLA Blum Center's:
The UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America analyzes the key factors that influence poverty and the social determinants of health including: government practices and policies, community action, social justice, human rights, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, foreign policies and more. Within these pages, you will find information on The UCLA Blum Center's:
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Policy
With a focus on applying innovations in research and practice to the creation of sustainable actions, the UCLA Blum Center works with stakeholders across diverse sectors to identify and recommend effective policy interventions that improve health outcomes.
Community Health Centers Play a Critical Role in Caring for the Remaining Uninsured in the Affordable Care Act Era, October 26, 2016
Steven P. Wallace, PhD, Maria-Elena Young, MPH, Michael A. Rodriguez, MD, MPH , Amy Bonilla, Nadereh Pourat, PhD
Federally Qualified Health Centers —commonly referred to as Community Health Centers (CHCs)—serve as a safety net for people who did not gain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including those immigrants not eligible for Medicaid or health insurance exchange coverage. ACA-driven changes in health insurance coverage, funding, and related policy have created new challenges for these safety net organizations.
This policy brief reports the findings from analyses of the U.S. HRSA Uniform Data System and interviews conducted in 2014-16 with the leadership of 31 CHCs. The CHCs were in communities with high concentrations of immigrants and uninsured residents, in states that either expanded Medicaid (California and New York) or that chose not to expand it (Georgia and Texas). The study found that most CHCs now see more patients, including significant numbers without insurance. The ACA has brought new resources to CHCs but has also reinforced challenges, including the need for stable revenue streams, sufficient staffing support, and assistance in leveraging new reimbursement mechanisms. Policy recommendations to address these challenges include continuing core federal funding, insuring the remaining uninsured, addressing workforce challenges, and preparing CHCs for alternative payment mechanisms.
Creating Conditions to Support Healthy People: State Policies that Affect the Health of Undocumented Immigrants and their Families, 2015
Michael Rodriguez, MD,MPH, Steven P. Wallace, PhD, Maria-Elena Young
This report identifies a range of inclusive and exclusive state policies that directly or indirectly impact the health of undocumented immigrants. Readers will find a framework for assessing the level of inclusion of state policies and will also find recommendations on how to change policies to improve the ability of undocumented workers and their families to have healthy lives.
Health Insurance for Undocumented Immigrants: Opportunities and Barriers on the Mexico Side of the US Border
Int J Health Plann Mgmt. 2012;27:50-62
Armando Arredondo, PhD; Emmauel Orozco, PhD; Steven P. Wallace, PhD; Michael Rodriguez, MD, MPH
This article identifies opportunities, barriers and challenges in Mexico's policy networks for the development of health care programs for undocumented migrants in the USA and their families.
Latin American Health Equity Summit Preparations Commence
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Latin American Health Equity Summit will bring together public health, health care, and social policy experts from around the world. During the three day summit the aim is to lay the groundwork to developing a roadmap offering a thoughtful, pragmatic approach for improving health equity throughout the Americas. Preparations for the summit are underway!
Migrant Children and Health
Every year, thousands of unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America enter the United States. This high-profile issue in the media has given rise to the use of scaremongering tactics to build support for political agendas that push for tighter, more draconian immigration laws.
In 2014, the UCLA Blum Center, in collaboration with representatives from Duke University, the University of Washington, and members of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Physicians formed the Migrant Children Health Coalition to bring national attention to the conditions facing migrating children from Central America. The mission of Migrant Children and Health is to correct the misconceptions regarding the public health implications of child migrants in the United States. The coalition's efforts work toward reducing the stigma and health disparities faced by child migrants.
Research and Policy Committee of the UC Blum Federation
The UCLA Blum Center serves as the coordinating body along with UC Santa Cruz and UC Riverside to identify shared research and policy interests among the 10 UC Blum Centers. Find more information here.
CBRE Shared Advantage Plan
The UCLA Blum Center's team completed its research on promoting healthy communities through the Shared Advantage Plan, literature review findings and Healthy Communities Report inform systemwide policies throughout CBRE business lines in the CBRE Report. Our recommendations for approaches, measurements, and evaluation tools have been translated into the Shared Advantage policies on best ways to conduct business while keeping the community and individual health as a priority in all transactions. Read the report!
Dr. Rodríguez is professor and vice chair in the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, founding director of the UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America, founding chair of the UCLA Global Health Minor, and medical director for innovative research at the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity. He also serves as: principal investigator of the CBRE Shared Advantage Research Initiative; co-chair of the UC-Mexico Initiative’s Violence Prevention Subgroup dedicated to preventing youth violence across borders; co-chair of the emerging Migration and Health online course; and co-director of UCLA Campus Activity for the UC Firearm Violence Prevention Center.
Dr. Rodríguez is committed to promoting health equity for all. He has been published widely while lecturing internationally on his areas of research that include, but are not limited to, ethnic/racial and immigrant health equity, gun and violence prevention, migration, food insecurity and the development of health research. His interest and work in cross-cultural medicine and collaborative development of domestic and international research capacity has made him a consultant for UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, among others. He serves as advisor or conducts collaborative programs with several Latin American institutions including: the International Centre for Health Equity; Social Cohesion Laboratory II (Mexico); Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas (CIDE); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (UNAN); Consejo de Minstros de Salud de Centroamerica y Republica Dominicana (COMISCA).
Dr. Rodríguez completed his undergraduate training at the University of California, Berkeley; received his medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; completed his residency from the UC San Francisco's Family Medicine Residency Program; received his Master of Public Health degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health; and was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at Stanford University.
Dr. Coates was recently named Director of the Center for World Health at the David Geffen School of Medicine and the UCLA Health Systems. He also leads the UCLA Program in Global Health within the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Co-Director of the University of California Global Health Institute (UCGHI). He was the founding Executive Director of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute, leading it from 1996 to 2003. His areas of emphasis and expertise are HIV prevention, the relationship of prevention and treatment for HIV, and HIV policies. With funding from USAID and WHO, he led a randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of HIV voluntary counseling and testing for individuals and couples in Kenya, Tanzania, and Trinidad. He is now directing a 48 community-randomized clinical trial in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Thailand to determine the impact of strategies for destigmatizing HIV on HIV incidence community-wide. He is also conducting research in Uganda, Peru, and China. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2000.
Dr. Commins is the Associate Director for Global Public Affairs and a Lecturer in the Department of Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He is currently on the Core Team for the World Bank's World Development Report 2015, 'The Behavioral and Social Foundations of Development Policy’. He has managed research projects for the World Bank, DFID, UNECA, UNFPA, ODI and UNESCAP. He is the Strategy and Partnerships Specialist for International Medical Corps, and the Secretary for the International Health and Fragile States Network.
Dr. Wallace has studied migration issues since the mid-1980s when he published work on Central American immigration to the U.S. and the effects of immigration reform (IRCA) on immigrant communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. His interest in migration issues since then has focused primarily on access to health care and services for the elderly. His work has included studies of both Latin American and Asian immigrant elders, as well as analyses of access to health care and preventive services for nonelderly adults. He has also published work on access to health care from an international comparative perspective, including multiple studies involving Mexico, Nicaragua, and Chile.
His current research includes projects an analysis of the impact of health care reform on undocumented immigrants, a capacity building project that fosters community-based participatory research skills among environment health science researchers and immigrant communities in Los Angeles, and several studies that identify the gaps in health policies for underserved elders in the state. Wallace received a Fulbright Fellowship for research and lecturing in Chile in 2000 where he studied the impact of public policies on health equity among the elderly. Wallace earned his doctorate in Sociology from the University of California, San Francisco.
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History and Mission
History
In 2012, the UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America became the third Blum Center within the University of California. Thanks to our founding benefactor, Regent Richard C. Blum and our founding director, Dr. Michael A. Rodriguez, the Center began its activities in research, policy and training to alleviate poverty and improve health among all Latin American populations. To complete its work, the Center collaborates with multi-disciplinary Centers throughout UCLA and institutions based in Latin America. Throughout its five-year history, the Center has built a rich cadre of organizations, experienced faculty, dedicated students and community leaders to help carry out the vision and mission of the Center. Read more.
Vision
The vision of the UCLA Blum Center is to improve the quality of health of all Latin Americans. The Center aims to become internationally recognized for its cross-disciplinary training, research and policy contributions, and its ability to drive and create high-impact innovations to improve health and promote resilience in Latin American communities throughout the Americas.
Mission
Every Latin American child, adult and family should have access to the resources required for healthy living. The mission of the Blum Center is to promote health and well-being for Latin American communities. The Center uses an inclusive approach to conduct research that informs policy, programs, and training for the next generation of leaders.
Core Program Areas
The UCLA Blum Center’s mission is achieved through three core program areas:
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History
THE UCLA BLUM CENTER, in collaboration with Latin American institutions, brings poverty and other social determinants of health to the forefront of research and training on health in Latin America. Through the work of our Center, students and faculty across disciplines and borders study the causes of poverty and health inequalities. Together, we seek to identify and promote solutions in health policy and practice. We achieve this mission through programs and activities addressing three goals related to research, policy and training.
PARTNERSHIPS
The UCLA Blum Center is built on a multidisciplinary approach connecting more than 18 schools and centers on the UCLA campus and partnering institutions in Latin America. Efforts to engage Latin American institutions in research partnering agreements are underway and include institutions such as Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexican Institute for Public Health, and Universidad Peruana Caetona Heredia.
FUNDING
The Center was initiated in third quarter 2012 with the appointment of Michael A. Rodríguez, MD, MPH as Center director and through a generous philanthropic gift from Mr. Richard C. Blum, UC Regent. UCLA contributes some matching funds to this gift and Center plans for a campaign to acquire additional funding are underway. The campaign will seek funding from diverse revenue streams such as private gifts, foundations, and federal and international agency grant support.
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The UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America is dedicated to the mission of bringing poverty and other social determinants of health to the forefront of research and training in Latin America.
Why Latin America?
Latin America is a region of almost 600 million diverse individuals and communities that make essential contributions to our global society1. While the natural resources, economic opportunities, diversity and industrious spirit of the people are tremendous, persistent legacies of inequity plague Latin America. These challenges spread across borders and effect many Latin Americans throughout the Americas, given widespread migration from the region. An interdisciplinary approach is necessary to tackle these complex issues impacting prosperity for all Latin American communities. The mission of the UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America is to collaborate with the regions institutions and communities to address health challenges and promote solutions to issues of poverty and other social determinants of health.
History and Demographics
Latin Americas unique and complex history is the foundation of its present day cultural diversity and societal structure. The region can be divided geo-politically into the following sub-regions: Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, the Guianas, Andean states, and the Southern Cone. Latin America is home to more than 400 diverse indigenous groups that vary linguistically, culturally, politically, and economically; their contributions, perspectives, and legacies play a vital role in the development of the region. A wealth of cultural traditions has cultivated a wide array of fine arts, film, music, dance, and lifestyles that range past the US-Mexico border down to the southern tip of South America. The region has also contributed to innovations in agriculture, math, astronomy, architecture, art, and literature that can be traced back to pre-Columbian centers of innovation and learning such as Tenochtitlan, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, and Monte Alban. Nations throughout the region have harnessed its bountiful resources to drive global economic activities, which include global production and supply of products, such as coffee, sugar, bananas, and oil. The European conquest led to rapid mestizaje, or mixing of races, between European, African, Asian and indigenous populations as an influx of slaves began to settle in Latin America. This fusion of cultures transformed the language, food, beliefs and entire society of Latin America as a whole. However, the European conquest brought much political and social unrest that has driven the growth of social inequities in Latin American societies. Latin Americas historical, political, and social contexts are critical for informing effective and sustainable health interventions to address the regions health disparities.
Health and Poverty in Latin America
There are pressing health issues in Latin America, both new and old, that have yet to be effectively tackled. The region faces a double burden of both communicable diseases, as well as increased rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Roughly 50% of child mortality in Latin America is due to high rates of malnutrition, which drives four main communicable diseases: acute respiratory diseases, diarrhea, neonatal sepsis and malaria. However, there is an increasing epidemiological transition present in this region as cases of communicable diseases are being replaced with an influx of NCDs, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases. This influx of NCDs is problematic throughout Latin America and is driven by high rates of obesity, hypertension, and lifestyle choices. Additionally, many other pressing challenges within the region include environmental, maternal and mental health issues.
While medical interventions are crucial in combating health challenges, they do not comprehensively address the root problems that are impacting the health of Latin Americans today. It is necessary to examine the social conditions Latinos are currently facing in order to effectively make long term, systemic and sustainable improvements in health and overall quality of life. Inequalities that exist in Latin Americas societal structures, such as gender, race and ethnicity, employment and access to education, are all essential determinants of health that need to be considered. There is an urgency to address these interconnected barriers to health in order to improve and eliminate growing disease burdens.
The Latin American Diaspora
Issues of poverty and health for Latin American communities are in no way limited to the region south of the US-Mexico border. In this global era, there are various complex drivers of migration, such as civil unrest, violence, unemployment, and poverty, which have driven waves of Latin Americans to migrate across the globe, especially north to the United States. Migration of Latin Americans has extended these issues beyond Latin Americas borders, and must be addressed collaboratively via cross-border efforts. Roughly 10% of Latin Americas population has emigrated to the United States. In 2013, 17% of the United States population was composed of Latinos, making them the largest minority group2. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2012, roughly 38% of Californias population was Latino and this number continues to rise3. As the population of Latin Americans continues to increase throughout the United States and other host countries, it is critical to address the health needs of these individuals while also focusing on the core health problems within Latin America itself.
The UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America
The UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America aims to understand the regions social determinants of health in order to collaboratively support the development of impactful, sustainable and culturally relevant health interventions. The Center applies a comprehensive understanding of the social, economic, cultural, and political contexts throughout the Americas to tackle the complex challenges of addressing poverty and improving health for Latin American populations. The UCLA Blum Center embraces an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach that harnesses the resources and expertise of a world-class university that not only serves Latin American immigrant communities domestically, but is geographically accessible to Latin American countries. Through the creation of networks and collaborations among institutions, innovative research approaches and solutions in health policy and practice are developed and implemented throughout the Americas.
1World Bank. Data derived from Countries and Economies Latin America and Caribbean (developing only). 2004. Available at http://data.worldbank.org/region/LAC, Accessed January 15, 2015. 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data derived from Minority Health: Hispanic or Latino Populations. 2014. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/populations/REMP/hispanic.html, Accessed January 15, 2015. 3U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts. Data derived from Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits. 6 January 2014. Available at http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html, Accessed March 3, 2014.
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Research
At the UCLA Blum Center, our goal is to promote a research program on health and poverty using an interdisciplinary action-oriented approach.
We harness innovation in research methodology. We collaborate with researchers across borders, across the country, across the state, and across town. We engage community members, leaders, and other policymakers to acquire new knowledge and gain insights related to factors that affect the health of Latin American populations.
Ultimately, we envision our research as inspirational, groundbreaking, evidence-based tools needed for program development and implementation, clinical practice improvements and policy reform.
University of California Firearm Violence Research Center (UCFC)
Our Center is now part of the newly formed University of California Firearm Violence Research Center (UCFC). The center’s mission is 1) to conduct basic, translational, and transformative research that provides sound scientific evidence on the nature, causes, consequences, and prevention of firearm violence; 2) to disseminate that evidence and promote the adoption of evidence-based firearm violence prevention measures; and 3) to expand and extend such efforts through education and training in firearm violence research and its applications. The Center will be based out of UCD and UCLA will be a partner (along with UCB, UCI).
This study is designed to understand the experiences that Latino and Asian immigrants' who live in California have encountered in the areas of health care, social services, employment, education, and law enforcement and how these experiences have had an impact on their health and access to health care. For details see Immigrant health access and policy - aims.pdf
Data are from a statewide follow-up survey to the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) as well as qualitative interviews with selected persons in Los Angeles and Fresno Counties.
The project is advised by a Community Advisory Board of representatives from nonprofit organizations that serve immigrant communities, as well as a group of academic experts.
Research Team: Steven P. Wallace, Ph.D.; Nady Pourat, Ph.D.; Michael Rodriguez, MD, MPH; Altaf Saadi, MD; May Sudhinaraset, Ph.D.; Maria Elena Young, MPH, CPhil; Iris Guzman, MPH; Tiffany Li, BA; Reyna Campos; Ana Reynoso
Funded by NIH/NIMHD grant #R01MD012292.
The CBRE Shared Advantage Project
The UCLA Blum Center is conducting research on the built environment and healthy communities to inform a recent initiative of CBRE titled CBRE Shared Advantage.
CBRE has collaborated with UCLA on this research project to identify best practices and understand the associations between the built environment and the health of communities. This research will inform strategies and activities of CBRE Shared Advantage. This project aims to identify published research linking the built environment to the health of communities, as well as current commercial real estate approaches to promote community health and wellness through operations including design, procurement, finance, and asset management.
A report on commercial real estate approaches that improve community health has now been published.
Through this collaborative effort with AltaMed, faculty and staff at UCLA will direct and implement a series of activities designed to incorporate a learning health care system throughout AltaMed clinical and operational lines. When these activities have been implemented, the AltaMed Institute for Health Equity will become institutionalized as an entity that promotes and supports an effective approach for delivering health care that results in improved patient outcomes at sustainable cost rates.
Next Steps:
Work toward the official launch of AIHE will continue. Staff will be hired; office space confirmed and setup; work plan developed and work begun to provide rapid response, prioritization, and evaluation and assessment of innovations.
A Binational Network for Research, Implementation, and Evaluation of Youth Violence Prevention in Mexico and in California: Making Large-Scale Change to Prevent Youth Violence across Borders
The overarching aim of this project is to reduce youth violence in México and California. Together with colleagues from the Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatria Ramon de la Fuente Muniz (Mexico), we will work toward this aim on many levels: through research (to identify underlying causes, risk, and protective factors) that will inform the subsequent design, development, implementation and evaluation of multi-level interventions addressing cross-cutting issues including migration, gender, and other special vulnerabilities and conditions. Through a binational network, we will launch an inaugural six interventions that seek to modify the environment (e.g., create safe meeting places), strengthen community ties, promote activities directed at the use of leisure time and incorporate other protective factors to prevent youth from engaging in violent or illegal activities. Inaugural interventions of this research network include:
Social Cohesion and Reduction of Youth Violence: A Community Intervention
PUERTAS, University Project for Healthy Students
Violence Perpetrated through Involuntary Drug Treatment among People who Inject Drugs in Tijuana, Mexico
Treatment of Aggressive and/or Dissocial Behavior in First Offenders with Psychiatric Disorders
Futuros, Youth-led Community Mobilization and Educational Savings to Reduce Partner Violence among Adolescents
Homeboy Industries
Status: Seeking funding. For proposal and more information, please contact our Center Coordinator at jbarnette(at)mednet(dot)ucla(dot)edu
Health Information Seeking Behavior and Proper Knowledge of Condom and Oral Contraceptive Use among Poor Adolescents in Costa Rica
Manuscript submitted to the Journal on International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Explores factors that influence knowledge of proper contraceptive use among 919 adolescents living in the poorest areas of Costa Rica. In review.
Call to Action: Restorative Justice for Guatemalan Victims, Reform the Common Rule to Prevent Shameful Atrocities
Invited Opinion Editorial for the American Journal of Public Health. In press.
Advisory Roles and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for International Research
The UCLA Blum Center has forged rich relationships with several Latin American institutions and researchers to expand its reach and impact throughout populations and communities in Latin America. In addition to institutions hosting our summer scholars, we work with these entities in various research capacities:
International Centre for Health Equity (ICHE)
The Center is a consortium member supporting the development of the emerging ICHE. The Institute, to be headquartered in Costa Rica, aims to promote research excellence, participatory analysis and strategic programming to influence values, lifestyles and policies at global, national, local and individual levels.
Social Cohesion in Mexico
The Center serves as a research advisor to Social Cohesion Laboratory II, funded by the European Union, and implemented by the Mexican government in Oaxaca and San Luis Potosi.
Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas (CIDE, Mexico)
MOU with Dean of Medical Sciences Alberto Meynard Mejia, MD to encourage student and faculty exchanges in opportunities. for training, research and education.
COMISCA. Consejo de Ministros de Salud de Centroamerica y Republica Dominicana.
Completed Research Efforts
Family and Community Health, Immigrant Health Issue, Jan – March 2016
Guest editors for this issue are Center Director Rodriguez and Center Steering Committee member Steven P. Wallace, PhD (professor and chair, Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health). The issue features seven original reports on health status, health care, and determinants of health for immigrants to the United States. Access full issue.
Evidence-Based Interventions Focused on Youth Risk Factors: A Global Systematic Review to Identify Effective Programs Addressing Pregnancy, Violence, Youth Idleness and Substance Use Among Teens, May 2016
This report presents findings from a systematic literature review to help decision makers, program planners, and evaluators identify evidence-based youth programs. In developing this report, we had two objectives:
To identify theory-based interventions that have been implemented and have proven effective in Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and other countries in Latin America – Caribbean (LAC) for reducing four youth risks: teen pregnancy and sexual and reproductive health (SRH), violence, youth idleness (because of dropping out of school and being unemployed), and substance use
To identify successful theory-based interventions that may be appropriate for replication to reduce the previously described four youth risks in Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.
This report also includes a chapter describing key theories, frameworks, and strategies that have been used in youth programs, and a chapter that presents an overview of the policies and laws in the LAC region that promote healthy youth behavior. We end the report with a discussion of the main implications of the literature review and offer recommendations to advance the implementation and evaluation of theory-based interventions to improve youth health in the LAC region. View or download complete report.
Operationalizing Social Cohesion in Latin America: Implications for the United States, December 2015
In partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we have explored how social cohesion can be implemented to tackle inequities and, in turn, improve health and outcomes for all populations within a community. This research examined efforts underway in Latin America and Europe to inform practices that may be implemented in the United States. Our results are informing the RWJF Culture of Health Initiative designed to foster optimum health through US regions, cities, and neighborhoods.
Investigative Research to Inform the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health: White Papers, September 2014
Using health equity data to inform policy, programming and actions within a culture of health framework, this research provides evidence on approaches to inform the RWJF culture of health action model. Effective multi-sector collaborations, shared values of health and social cohesion considerations are explored.
First, Do No Harm: The US Sexually Transmitted Disease Experiment in Guatemala, October 2013
This commentary published in American Journal of Public Health (2013;103(12):2122-2126) explores backdrop for the unethical medical research and violation of human rights related to the immoral, unethical and arguably illegal research experiments involving more than 5000 non-consenting Guatemalan people.
Center Director: 
Thomas J. Coates, PhD
Stephen K. Commins, PhD
In 2012, the UCLA Blum Center on Poverty and Health in Latin America became the third Blum Center within the University of California. Thanks to our founding benefactor, Regent Richard C. Blum and our founding director, Dr. Michael A. Rodriguez, the Center began its activities in research, policy and training to alleviate poverty and improve health among all Latin American populations. To complete its work, the Center collaborates with multi-disciplinary Centers throughout UCLA and institutions based in Latin America. Throughout its five-year history, the Center has built a rich cadre of organizations, experienced faculty, dedicated students and community leaders to help carry out the vision and mission of the Center. 
The CBRE Shared Advantage Project
The AltaMed Institute for Health Equity
A Binational Network for Research, Implementation, and Evaluation of Youth Violence Prevention in Mexico and in California: Making Large-Scale Change to Prevent Youth Violence across Borders
Operationalization of Social Cohesion
