Francisco Soto Mas, MD, PhD, MPH

Biography

Francisco Soto Mas is a social and behavioral scientist with a background in medicine and public health. His areas of expertise include chronic disease prevention and control, program planning and evaluation, health behavior theory, Latino health issues, health equity, health communication and health literacy, and agricultural health and safety. Francisco Soto Mas has participated in more than 30 research studies using qualitative and quantitative methods; published 60 peer-reviewed articles in English and Spanish journals; delivered more than 80 scientific presentations at national and international meetings; written several book chapters on health disparities, health communication and health equity; and published two books on physical activity and health.

Personal Statement

My background includes more than 25 years of professional experience in medicine and public health as a practitioner, researcher and academician. As a researcher, I have served as principal investigator, co-principal investigator and co-investigator in several projects funded by federal and state agencies as well as private foundations. I conduct both qualitative and quantitative population-based research, and have a track record of observational and experimental studies.

Areas of Specialty

• Public Health
• Social Sciences

Key Publications

Recent peer-reviewed articles

• Soto Mas F, Jacobson H, Olivárez A. Adult education and the health literacy of Hispanic immigrants. Journal of Latinos and Education, 2017; 16(4): 314-322. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2016.1247707.
• Soto Mas F, Handal A, Rohrer R, Tomalá E. Health and safety in organic farming: a qualitative study. Journal of Agromedicine, 2018; 23(1): 92-104. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2017.1382409. PMID: 28937932.
• Soto Mas F, Schmitt C, Jacobson HE, Myers O. A cardiovascular health intervention for Spanish speakers: the Health Literacy& ESL Curriculum. Journal of Community Health, 2018; 43(4): 717-724. doi: 10.1007/s10900-018-0475-3. PMID: 29428986.
• Brigance C, Soto Mas F, Sanchez V, Handal AJ. The Mental Health of the Organic Farmer: Psychosocial and Contextual Actors. Workplace Health & Safety. 2018; 66(2): 606-616. doi: 10.1177/2165079918783211. PMID: 29962329.
• Soto Mas F, Iriart C, Pedroncelli R, Binder D, Qualls C, Price B. Impact of healthcare and socioeconomic needs on healthcare utilization and disease management: the University of New Mexico Hospital Care One Program. Population Health Management, 2018 (Published Online: 3 July. doi.org/10.1089/pop.2018.0048. PMID: 29969375).
• Soto Mas F, Jacobson HE. Advancing health literacy among Hispanic immigrants: the intersection between education and health. Health Promotion Practice, 2019; 20(2): 251-257. doi: 10.1177/1524839918761865. PMID: 29564920.
• Mings J, Soto Mas F. Barreiers to Pap smear among homeless women. Journal of Communicty Health, 2019; 44:1185-1192. doi.org/10.1007/s10900-019-00704-y

• Tan J, Soto Mas F, Hsu CE. E Public Health Systems: GIS Related Technologies in Public Health Preparedness and Surveillance (Chapter 5). In: Joseph Tan. E Health Care Information Systems: An Introduction for Students and Professionals. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass Publishers, 2005, pp 127-154 (ISBN: 0 7879 6618 5).
• Soto Mas F, Allensworth D, Jones C. Health promotion programs designed to eliminate health disparities. In: Carl I. Fertman & Diane D. Allensworth (Editors). Health Promotion Programs: From Theory to Practice. Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2010, pp. 29-55.
• Soto Mas F, Jacobson H, Balcázar H. Health literacy in minority populations. In: Amy Dore/Aly Eisenhardt (Editors). Cultural Learning in Healthcare: Recognizing and Navigating Differences. West Palm Beach, FL: North American Business Press, Inc., 2015, pp. 83-113.
• Jacobson H, Soto Mas F. Measuring health literacy in Spanish-speaking adults: a comparative study of two instruments. In: Rosemary Caron (Editor). Health Communication: Advocacy Strategies, Effectiveness, and Emerging Challenges. New York: Nova Publishers, Inc., 2015, pp. 147-155.
• Soto Mas F, Allensworth D, Jones C, Jacobson H. Advancing health equity and eliminating health disparities. In: Carl I. Fertman & Diane D. Allensworth (Editors). Health Promotion Programs: From Theory to Practice (2nd Edition). Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2016.
• Jacobson H, Soto Mas F, Nervi L. Advancing health equity and eliminating health disparities. In: Carl I. Fertman (Editor). Health Promotion Programs: From Theory to Practice (3rd Edition). Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/Wiley, (Forthcoming).

Languages

• Spanish, English

Research

My areas of research interest include program planning and evaluation, health behavior theory, Latino health/education issues, health disparities, health communication and literacy, and occupational safety and health. I serve on scientific review panels for NIH and CDC, as scientific reviewer for professional organizations such as SOPHE and APHA, and as peer reviewer for national and international medical and public health journals.

• Principal Investigator. Health, Safety & Psychosocial Organic Farming Survey. The aim of this project is to develop and administer a theory-based survey instrument that identifies and typifies health and safety risks among organic producers, and provides information on the psychosocial and contextual factors that may contribute to injury and disease prevention. CDC/NIOSH, SW Ag Center, October 2018-September 2021.
• Principal Investigator (contract). McKinley County Substance Abuse Prevention Program. Evaluation of the OSAP Program. McKinley County/OSAP, November 2019-July 2020.
• Principal Investigator (contract). Assessment, planning & evaluation of community centers services throughout the County. Bernalillo County Office of Senior & Social Services. January 2019-June 2020.
• Co-Investigator/Mentor. Addressing Language and Health Literacy Barriers among Spanish-Speakers through a Smart-Assisted Learning Program. CTSC, University of New Mexico. April 2020-March 2021.

Courses Taught

• Social and Behavioral Theory
• Research Methods
• Program Planning
• Program Evaluation
• Health Communication
• Intervention Research with Marginalized Populations
• Integrative Experience