Xochitl Castañeda

Xóchitl Castañeda is the Director of Health Initiative of the Americas (HIA) [1] at the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. A medical anthropologist by training, Xóchitl was educated in Guatemala and Mexico and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in reproductive health at UC San Francisco; and a post-doctoral in social science and medicine at Harvard and at Amsterdam Universities. She directed the Reproductive Health Department at Mexico’s National School of Public Health for seven years. Since 2008, she has served as a professor on Migration and Health at various UC campuses. Her fundraising efforts are significant, as she has received over 100 grants, donations, and other contributions from foundations, private entities, and state and federal agencies.

Her leadership and commitment to improve the health and the quality of life of underserved populations is recognized nationally and internationally. In 1999, she received the National Mexican Award on Social Science and Medicine, for the impact of her work on reproductive health. In 2010, the California Latino Legislative Caucus honored her with the National Spirit Award for her leadership in initiatives to improve the health of Latino immigrants in the U.S.

Xóchitl has over 150 publications [2] and has served as a consultant for more than 37 national and international institutions. She has also served in the Boards of Directors, and other honorable membership positions of 20 organizations and programs including, the California Wellness Foundation,[3] the Kaiser Permanente Latino Health Advisory Committee; the CDC National Diabetes Education Program; the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California; the United Health Care Children’s Foundation; and the National Council of Mexican Federations in North America (COFEM). She has contributed to the editorial board and has provided her services to 14 professional publications. She has presented the results of her academic and advocacy work in over 400 national/international conferences, symposiums, policy briefings, and other events.

Xochitl’s vision and commitment has led to the creation of nationally recognized health programs for underserved populations. Under her direction, HIA has coordinated for 15 consecutive years Binational Health Week,[4] one of the largest mobilization efforts in the Americas to improve the wellbeing of Latino immigrants. She has created the Annual Binational Policy Forum on Migration and Global Health,[5] a collaboration among 30 Universities and over 200 agencies. She is the founder of the Network of Mexican Immigrant Women in the US (REMEX); the Agricultural Workers Occupational Health and Safety Resource Center; the Migration and Health Resource Repository; and the Zacatecan Binational Health Initiative (IBIZA).[6] She is also the founder and co-director of the “Athenea Network” a world organization for Mental Health of Mobile Populations.[7] She has signed 46 Memorandums of Understandings with local, state and federal institutions. Through all these strategies, hundreds of thousands of low-income families have been served.

References

  1. ↑ , Health Initiative of the Americas
  2. ↑ , Selected Publications by Xochitl Castañeda UC Berkeley School of Public Health
  3. ↑ , Xóchitl Castañeda, Board Member, The California Wellness Foundation
  4. ↑ , Binational Health Week
  5. ↑ , Binational Policy Forum on Migration and Global Health
  6. ↑ , Iniciativa Binacional Zacatecana de Salud
  7. ↑ , La Red Atenea
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