Community Spotlight

Last August 21, the Northeast Valley WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and the San Fernando & Santa Clarita Valleys African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Community Actions Team (SPA 2 AAIMM CAT) held their very first Breastfeeding Drive-Thru Event. Read More about the AAIMM Breastfeeding Drive-Thru Event

As a STEM transfer student, Veronica Villasenor faced the ordeal of transferring alone from her community college in Central California to Los Angeles. After garnering experience and expanding her network, she managed to establish the START Office, a resource center for transfer students. Read more

Growing up a block and a half from the United States’ largest paper mill, Steven Graves could smell the pollutants from the mill every day. He believes that if he and his family lived upwind from the factory, his sister would not have contracted leukemia. Read More About Steven Graves

Patchareeya “Patty” Kwan grew up in the 80s-era San Fernando Valley like many immigrant children did—navigating through unknown terrain and serving as an impromptu translator for their parents. When it came to medical matters, she acted as their bridge to information despite not being a medical professional. Read more about Patty Kwan

The word “diabetes” was something Claudia Toledo-Corral always heard throughout her childhood. Her family and her neighbors always talked about it, and from there, her curiosity morphed into an academic interest. Read more about Claudia Toledo-Corral

Saetermoe currently serves as the executive director of the HERE Center and a principal investigator of BUILD PODER. Her primary expertiselies in psychology, as she received her bachelor’s and master’s in psychology and her doctorate degree in developmental psychology and health psychology. Read More about Carrie Saetermoe

From the beginning of his academic career, Jose Hugo Vargas has always been interested in psychology thanks to his mentors’ influence. Specializing in psychology and education, Vargas has always advocated for social justice, particularly for students. Read More About Josey Vargas

As an advocate fighting against infant and maternal mortality, particularly among black populations, Kacie Blackman has dedicated most of her research to lactation resources, policies for maternal health and maternity support resources. Read more about Kacie Blackman

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Join us in spreading awareness about the unique struggles and disparities that underrepresented groups have to face regarding their mental health. Check out this list of local resources and share among your networks. Read more

Check out this list for some ongoing efforts at our campus to fight racism and support the Black community. Read more

Thank you for coming to our first annual CSUN Community-Academic Partnerships Conference: Collaborating for Change on February 26! Read more

As you may know, March of Dimes is conducting focus groups and listening sessions to learn more about the patient experiences of Black women as well as barriers and solutions to improving access to quality prenatal care in the Antelope Valley.  Focus groups will be held with Black women with a prior preterm birth, clinicians providing prenatal care to Black women, and community-based organizations serving Black women and families.  We will use the focus group learnings to develop programs and policies to improve birth outcomes and reduce racial disparities. Read more

Join us for the Women’s Policy Institute (WPI) Los Angeles Health Justice Team Community Doula Townhall on Saturday, February 22, 2020. After decades of Black women fighting to end the Black Infant and Maternal Mortality crisis, we have entered a new era of opportunity. Though the fight is far from over, there is new support and interest in community, from government and elected officials to work together and with communities to eliminate this health disparity. Read more