Featured Faculty

The College of Population Health is honored to highlight our faculty education, research and service efforts.

Dr. Nina Wallerstein Named Distinguished Professor

Nina Wallerstein, Dr.P.H, was named UNM Distinguished Professor of Public Health in 2021. As Director of the Center for Participatory Research within COPH, she received this recognition for her contributions to community-based participatory research (CBPR) and empowerment/Freirian interventions for the last 40 years.Among 170 publications, her book, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) for Health: Advancing Social and Health Equity, 3^rd edition, 2018, is viewed as a field-defining work.

In 2016, she was awarded the inaugural Community-Engaged Research Lecture. Since 2006, she has had NIH-funding as Principal Investigator to identify best practices for community-engaged and CBPR projects that contribute to health equity outcomes, also providing a collective reflection/action toolkit to strengthen partnerships (https://engageforequity.org). She has worked with N.M. tribal partners for over 20 years with CDC & NIH funding to co-develop an evidence-based intergenerational culture-centered family program. She also works internationally, especially in Brazil, providing CBPR workshops and supporting a participatory research network. She has won over $25 million in funding, and currently has some $2.5 million in support. She oversees the annual UNM CBPR summer institute, which draws participants globally.

Dr. Tracie Collins returns as College of Population Health Dean

“I am grateful to my colleagues at the Department of Health and to the governor for her faith in me,” Collins said. “Our partnership has been the foundation of an incredibly successful vaccination drive. I’m proud of the work we’ve done to protect New Mexicans, especially with our emphasis on equity and reaching underserved populations. Although it’s time for me to return to my academic career, I look forward to continuing to work hand in hand with the governor and her administration to enhance public health throughout our state.”

COPH Faculty Promoted

The College of Population Health is proud to announce the promotion of two faculty members. Drs. Lisa Cacari Stone and Francisco Soto Mas have achieved the title of full Professor. Each of them has made critically important contributions to our college, to the state and to their prospective fields.

Lisa Cacari Stone, PhD

Promoted to Full Professor

July 1, 2021

"Lisa is widely seen as the single greatest theorist and contributor to the field of equity and policy focused community engaged research in the U.S. and globally." - Dean's Letter of Promotion

Dr. Cacari Stone (purepecha/mestiza) is the founding Director of the Equity in Policy Institute and Principal Investigator of many funded projects including the Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement Center and Wide Assessment for COVID-19 Vaccine Equity (NIH/NIMHD). Her research and teaching portfolio embrace engaged pedagogy and practice for policy impact. Her promotion to full Professor is is proceeded by 30+ years of public health leadership at the local, state and national levels. She has over 15 years of teaching, mentoring and coaching students, staff, faculty and community partners who share aspirations for racial justice, social change and healing. She credits the ancestors, abuelos/as and many giants whose shoulders she stands on: “This is a collective achievement to advance our communities and pave the road for future generations!" On July 1, 2021, Lisa embarked on a new career pathway in executive leadership training with the Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.

Francisco Soto Mas, MD, PhD

Promoted to Full Professor

July 1, 2021

Francisco Soto Mas is accredited to practice general medicine throughout the European Union, and earned his MD from the University of Granada (Spain) School of Medicine. He received his MPH from the University of Arizona and his PhD from UNM.

Francisco Soto Mas has more than 30 years of professional experience in medicine and public health as a practitioner, researcher, and academician. He is a social and behavioral scientist, and 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. He has participated in more than 35 research studies using qualitative and quantitative methods; published 60 peer-reviewed articles in English and Spanish journals; delivered more than 90 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. He is an internationally recognized health literacy researcher.

Francisco Soto Mas joined UNM in 2012. He contributes to the COPH in many ways, including developing and teaching graduate courses, advising and mentoring students and junior faculty, and advocating for equity and fairness. He leads the COPH Assessment, Planning and Evaluation Unit, whose mission is to provide technical support to local agencies and organizations and build community capacity for health promotion and disease prevention.

College of Population Health Faculty in The Pulse Magazine

Drs. Wallerstein and Sanchez-Youngman of the College of Population Health have been spotlighted for their work anti-racism and rural communities. Look for them in The Pulse Magazine by the UNM Health Sciences Center.

Read The Pulse