Claudia Lozano is determined to find ways to increase HPV vaccination rates and dispel myths surrounding the vaccine.
Lozano, who has a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas at El Paso, already has contributed a great deal to the field of public health through working with her city’s public health department and authoring several publications on community-based programs.
As a resident of the El Paso-Juarez border, Lozano has a keen understanding of the Latino community’s needs.
Since 2004, Lozano has managed El Paso’s Medicaid waiver program.
The program has served 18,000 participants with preventive health screenings. In July 2018, it was recognized as a model practice by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).
To further her experience and education, Lozano applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program.
The Éxito! program, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio with support from the National Cancer Institute, recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals each year for a five-day summer institute, optional internships, and ongoing networking and support to promote doctoral degrees and careers in Latino cancer. A recent study found significant increases in summer institute participants’ confidence to apply to a doctoral program and academic self-efficacy.
Lozano said the Éxito! Summer institute provided a “very important role” in guiding the next steps in her career.
“Listen with your heart and take advantage of this opportunity to place Latinos on the 2% of earned doctoral degrees,” Lozano said.
