The University of Arizona Health Sciences Hispanic Center of Excellence (UAHS-HCOE) was founded years back as part of a national collaboration supported by the Department of Health and Human Services - Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
This program is now part of the administrative structure of The University Arizona Health Sciences and exists to promote the health of the community by meeting the needs of the state’s growing Hispanic population.
UAHS-HCOE is located near the U.S.-Mexico border, which is home to a large proportion of recent Latin-American immigrants to our country. This population faces unique social and health care challenges, and represents a distinct opportunity for education, service, research, and community partnerships.
The goals of the UAHS-HCOE are to: increase the number of Hispanic health providers; enhance health research that serves the Hispanic population of the Southwest; and improve the cultural competency of all health-care service providers for Hispanic communities.
This will be accomplished by hosting and collaboratively:
- Offering programming geared towards strengthening the pipeline of Hispanic applicants pursuing a degree in health professions;
- Enriching the education of Hispanic learners, with an emphasis on producing linguistically and culturally-competent health practitioners;
- Promoting Hispanic research/scholarly activities, and the participation of Hispanic subjects in research;
- Supporting Hispanic faculty and staff in their recruitment, engagement, and promotion;
- Recognizing, connecting and coordinating those involved in similar efforts at our institution, and other regional initiatives to promote community education and research in Hispanic health issues and health care disparities;
- Dedicating special attention to Arizona-Mexico border issues that affect health status, access to care, and outcomes among the population;
- Promoting in-state, regional, and international collaborations in support of the Centers for Border Health Disparities, and UAHS Office of Global Health;
- Expanding the clinical training exposure for UAHS students to Hispanic patients and communities;
- Promoting excellence in Hispanic services, and risk reduction within our partner organizations; and
- Building partnerships with others that share a similarly inclusive vision.
Francisco Moreno, MD
Associate Vice-President, Diversity and Inclusion
University of Arizona Health Sciences
