Latina Researchers Network increases pipeline for future scholars

The City College of New York’s Kaliris Y. Salas-Ramirez, assistant medical professor of the Sophie Davis Program of Biomedical Sciences at the CUNY School of Medicine, is helping bring together undergraduate and senior researchers interested in enhancing the voice of Latinos for the 2018 Biennial Latina Researchers Network Conference, August 23-25. This year’s conference is titled “Collective Actions Towards Healing and Change” and will be held at John Jay College.

“When it comes to resources, researchers and Latinas in the professoriate, we’re a total of four-percent of all professors nationwide, and that’s just Latinos as a whole,” said Salas-Ramirez. “I think a lot of us can feel voiceless, or can feel like this system isn’t set up for us. Part of the goal of the conference is not to just provide role models for junior or undergraduates, but also to provide a safe space for people in academe, researchers, or healthcare providers.”

CCNY President Vince Boudreau will speak at the opening reception, and Doris Cintron, senior associate provost for Academic Affairs, Accreditation and Assessment, is a featured mentor for early career researchers. Jorge E. Gonzalez, professor of mechanical engineering at The Grove School of Engineering, will participate in a panel discussing what grant and research initiatives he has been working on in collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico.

Kaliris and CUNY School of Medicine professors Dr. Marlene Camacho-Rivera and Dr. Michelle Juarez will present a workshop “Unsettling Medical Education” looking at how to create inclusive classrooms in addition to enhancing scholarship amongst the student population so it is not intimidating. Other topics include immigration reform; the state of Puerto Rico; career development and empowerment to move social justice and equity forward.

Dr. Silvia Mazzula, executive director of the Latina Researchers Network and associate professor at John Jay College, founded the Latina Researchers Network in 2012 in response to the underrepresentation of historically disadvantaged populations with advanced degrees and in support of examining the barriers and opportunities for advancement in research and academic positions. For more information about the conference, please visit: http://latinaresearchers.com/.

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. Today The Chronicle of Higher Education ranks CCNY #2 among public colleges with the greatest success in ensuring the social mobility of our student body; at the same time the Center for world University Rankings places it in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight professional schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself.  View CCNY Media Kit.