Funding from Cummings Foundation for the Youth Wellness Corps
UMass Boston’s Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The Gastón Institute was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process. It will receive $100,000 over two years.
The Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy is recognized as the region’s leading Latinx research and public policy institute. Through collaboration, the Gastón conducts applied research projects aimed at evaluating the impact of policies, programs, and practices on Latinx education, health, economic, and community outcomes. Recent research has focused on how social determinants of health have shaped COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality.
Funds will help to establish the Youth Wellness Corps Fellows (YWCF) program, which will provide underrepresented UMass Boston undergraduates interested in health careers with internships in community organizations and health centers focused on health equity in communities of color ravaged by COVID-19. As Boston neighborhoods have been devastated by impacts from the pandemic, this health careers training program will place students in their communities, allowing them to address issues of health equity while gaining skills to contribute to Greater Boston’s STEM-related workforce needs.
Principal Investigators:
Adan Colon-Carmona, PhD, University of California Irvine
Fabian Torres-Ardila, PhD, Boston University
Karla Corres-Luna, Doctoral Student at University of Massachusetts-Boston
