Alvaro Medel-Herrero, PhD, MBA

Alvaro Medel-Herrero, PhD, MBA, is a social scientist and epidemiologist, with specific training in public policy, health services assessment, and social determinants of health. His career as an epidemiologist began in Spain at the Department of Public Health due to a competitive national scholarship that funded his entire PhD program. His research has focused on the social determinants of health in the most vulnerable populations, including the homeless, young immigrant prostitute women, undocumented immigrants and minorities, and those with mental health conditions and substance abuse problems. His research interests include public policy analysis, mental health, health disparities and health services assessment. The impact of economic recessions on health is a major research topic throughout his research tenure. Upon arriving to California with his wife few years ago, his goal was to primarily focus on the Latino population and undocumented immigrants, where he successfully led some studies on domestic violence, mental health and agricultural health and safety, including the California Agricultural Workers Stress Project (CAWSP). Dr. Medel-Herrero aims to infuse all of his projects with strong community engagement outcomes and patient-centered care strategies. He is passionate about hiking and nature and very much enjoys social life and live music in the Sacramento and San Francisco areas.