Empowering Change: Advancing Evidence-Based Health Promotion Programs in Hispanic and Latino Communities

Kathleen Zuke was privileged to grow up with eight loving grandparents and developed a passion for supportive services for older adults as a caregiver for her grandfather. She has been a Senior Program Manager with the Center for Healthy Aging since 2015. In this role, she works collaboratively with community-based partners across the country to identify, implement, and sustain evidence-based programs that support older adults in staying well and aging in the community, including chronic disease self-management education, falls prevention, and behavioral health. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Hunter College and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Patty Keane is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a diverse, cross-sector background and a passion for building on community strengths to advance nutrition and health equity. Patty joined ACL in March 2024 as the National Nutritionist, and her role encompasses the Older Americans Act Title III-C Senior Nutrition Program and Title III-D Evidence-Based Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Services. She serves as the Project Officer for the National Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) Resource Center and for several CDSME and Innovations in Nutrition grantees. Before joining ACL, Patty held consulting roles advising USDA NIFA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) grantees and supporting the cultural adaptation of diabetes prevention curricula for American Indian and Alaska Native populations. In previous municipal and state government roles, Patty managed senior nutrition and transportation programs for the City of Albuquerque and advised New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham’s interagency food security initiatives and COVID-19 response. Patty served as an Associate Scientist and Principal Investigator at the University of New Mexico (UNM) Prevention Research Center and as Nutrition Faculty for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program at the UNM Center for Development and Disability. At UNM, Patty led chronic disease prevention and health promotion research and programs and provided nutrition, policy, and leadership expertise. Patty has served as a federal grant reviewer for ACL and in volunteer professional leadership roles at the local, state, regional, and national levels.

Dr. Lourdes Guerrero is AssociateDirector of the SOL-INCA (Study of Latinos – Investigation of NeurocognitiveAging) Lab at the University of California, San Diego. She was the former MultiplePrincipal Investigator for the Resource Center for Minority Aging Research(RCMAR) Coordinating Center at UCLA, and is currently serves as co-Investigatorof the San Diego Alzheimer’s disease Resource Center for Minority Aging (SanDiego -AD RCMAR).

Dr. Guerrero is a multidisciplinary,bilingual and bicultural researcher with training and experience working inmedical education, higher education policy, and community-based socialservices. She was the Associate Director of the Geriatric Workforce EnhancementProgram at UCLA, and served on the evaluation teams of the Clinical andTranslational Science Institute, and the NIH Diversity Program ConsortiumCoordination and Evaluation Center at UCLA.

Prior to working in academia, Dr.Guerrero was the Director of Special Projects for UC College Prep Online, andthe Programs and Communication Director for Excelenciain Education in Washington, DC. She has served on the board of directors ofvarious non-profit organizations including Ready, Set, Read! and MEND (MeetEach Need with Dignity. She is currently the Vice President of Operations forthe Berkeley Chicanx Latinx Alumni Association, and serves as an ExternalAdvisory Board member of Drexel University’s NIH FIRST award.

Dr. Guerrero obtained her Doctorof Education degree from UCLA and Master of Social Work degree from theCatholic University of America in Washington, DC. She also has a Master ofPastoral Ministry degree from the Franciscan School of Theology and a BA inChicano Studies from UC Berkeley. She is the principal of The Gigas Group, LLC,a consulting company focused on conducting culturally relevant evaluations andresearch. The Gigas Group, LLC client list includes the Latina ResearchersNetwork, the Alzheimer’s Association of Los Angeles, the Ventura County AreaAgency on Aging and Cornell University.

Her ORCID publication list ishere:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4208-4786

Christine Suzette Pérez Jiménez was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She earned her bachelor’s in Science (BS) degree in Industrial Microbiology and a Curricular Sequence in the Food Science and Technology Program from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus. In June 2016, she received a Master’s in Science (MS) degree with a concentration in Environmental Health from the School of Public Health of the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Science Campus. During graduate school, she participated in public health research such as environmental factors associated with health problems among older adults in Puerto Rico, worked in health database management, did literature research related to health issues, and participated in voluntary service at the environmental program of Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Ms. Pérez participated as a Health Equity Fellow in the 2016 summer Youth Health Equity Model of Practice (YHEMOP) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health (OMH), in Rockville, MD. During the fellowship, Ms. Pérez placement site was at The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), headquartered in Washington, DC, and helped develop a literature review on the status of Hispanic older adults’ report that highlighted the health inequities among Hispanic older adults in the United States.  Currently, Ms. Pérez is the Director of Programs at the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA), a national organization that works to improve the lives of Hispanic older adults, their families, and caregivers. Ms. Pérez has over 7 years of experience as a program specialist and effectively implementing and managing social and public health programs that are used to boost fundraising, increase partner membership, enlist support from government agencies and corporations, and benefit older adults, their families, and caregivers.

Ms. Pérez is passionate about working to reduce health disparities among the Hispanic community, particularly in older adults, and for this population to age in the best possible health and dignity. Ms. Perez continues to be involved in community outreach with the Hispanic community. 

Katherine Martinez is a licensed social worker with a profound dedication to the field of aging. With a career marked by impactful contributions, she has held key roles at NYC Health & Hospitals, various community-based organizations, nursing homes, and long-term care programs. In 2018, Katherine assumed the role of President/CEO at Neighborhood SHOPP, a community-based non-profit in the Bronx. In this capacity, she leads diverse initiatives aimed at serving older adults, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities. 

Katherine's academic background includes a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from New York University. Actively involved in the aging network, she holds influential positions such as serving on the NYC Department for the Aging Senior Advisory Council, Co-Chair at Hunts Point/Longwood Coalition, Bronx Regional Inter-Agency Aging Council, NY State Society on Aging, among others. Her commitment to the aging network extends nationally, as evidenced by her involvement in the NASW Aging Specialty Practice Committee and the NCOA National Institute of Senior Center's Leadership Collaborative. Katherine Martinez exemplifies a steadfast commitment to enhancing the well-being of older adults and their communities through her extensive professional and volunteer engagements. 

Yessenia Cervantes-Vazquez is a bilingual Lead Community Health Worker (LCHW) in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention team (known as Rush Generations) within the Social Work and Community Health Department at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, Yessenia provides direct patient and community member chronic disease self-management health education and social support resource connection. Yessenia also collaborates with various community partners to implement evidence-based programs (EBP) in their community and to train and support new facilitators. Yessenia is a Master Trainer of SMRC evidence-based programs. She is also a member of the Rush Immigrant Health Working Group and a CHW trainer with the Center for Health and Social Care Integration (CHASCI) at Rush. Most recently, Yessenia has become a trainer for the Mental Health First Aid adult program from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Yessenia began her career as a CHW with Alivio Medical Center in Chicago thanks to her years of work as a Parent Volunteer in the Chicago Public Schools. Yessenia obtained her AA from Harold Washington College in Chicago in 2012, before being granted DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). She completed the Community Health Worker Certificate Program at Malcolm X College in Chicago in 2022, and she was one of the collaborators for the Spanish Vaccine Ambassador Course developed in 2021 currently offered at Malcolm X Community College. 

Yoko Meusch, MA, is a Program Associate for the Center for Healthy Aging at National Council on Aging. Yoko provides technical assistance to U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) grant-funded community-based organizations promoting and implementing evidence-based Falls Prevention and Chronic Disease Self-Management education programs. In addition, she is a program administrator for Aging Mastery Program®, an NCOA’s signature program for aging well. 

Yoko holds a Bachelor's degree in Management Studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus and a Master's Degree in Health Communication from Johns Hopkins University. 

Cristina Estrella, CHES is a Program Specialist for the Center for Healthy Aging at the National Council on Aging. In this role, Cristina provides technical assistance to U.S. Administration for Community Living grantees implementing evidence-based falls prevention and chronic disease self-management education programs. Additionally, she assists in developing resources for professionals and older adults and coordination of the annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium.

Cristina began her career on the COVID-19 Containment and Mitigation team at the Alexandria Health Department where she conducted contact tracing, case investigation, outbreak reporting, and community outreach, and assisted in vaccine uptake initiatives. She holds a B.S. in Health Sciences and an M.S. in Public Health Education and Promotion from Marymount University.