Since 2004, Ms. Beltran has been a part of the University of New Mexico (UNM) Prevention Research Center (PRC) project funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Ms. Beltran provides leadership and management of evaluation activities, collaborative research initiatives, and education/training support to the PRC. She is responsible for data entry into the PRC Information System and assisting with the internal Research, Evaluation, Education and Dissemination (REED) database. Ms. Beltran assists in meeting all contract requirements including grant progress reports, work plans, Special Interest Project (SIP) applications and all PRC office requests. Ms. Beltran is involved in the coordination of the Rio Grande Institutes which is the Center’s education and training workshops that provide community-based education and training to community health educators, health care providers, tribal health workers, community members, students and program advocates from local communities and tribes across New Mexico. Ms. Beltran also assists with the Center with meeting the UNM Human Research Review Committee requirements and the submission of annual reports and grant applications.

Ms. Beltran joined UNM College of Pharmacy’s project the Integrated Environmental Health Middle School Project (IEHMSP) in 2006. The IEHMSP project engages students in community-based projects that empower them to make informed, responsible choices about their health and environment.

From April 2002 – October 2004, Ms. Beltran worked as Project Coordinator for the Tobacco Evaluation Resource Team (TERT) for the New Mexico Department of Health – Tobacco Use Prevention and Control (TUPAC). Ms. Beltran worked with schools across New Mexico as she coordinated the New Mexico Youth Tobacco Survey – YTS (2001 and 2003) and the New Mexico Youth Risk & Resiliency Survey – YRRS (2002).

Before joining the Center, Linda worked in both environmental health and public health arenas as a Program Development Coordinator for Scott County Health Department (Davenport, Iowa) and as a Senior Researcher for the Institute of Rural & Environmental Health at the University of Iowa, specializing in occupation exposure to pesticides. Ms. Beltran has a Master’s degree in Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health from the University of Iowa.