Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrates Downstate Leaders

By Office of the President | Oct 17, 2023

As Hispanic Heritage Month winds down, we are pleased to share this NY1 Spectrum News feature on Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Vice Chair of Education Christina Guillén, MD, FAAP, about her experience as a Fellow in the 2023 SUNY Hispanic Leadership Institute cohort.

In addition to her other leadership roles, Dr. Guillén also serves as the Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program and Director of Community Pediatrics. She has dedicated her career to advocacy and is committed to addressing health disparities in various Brooklyn communities. A proud first-generation Dominican American, Dr. Guillén oversees community outreach projects in the Department of Pediatrics and collaborates with community-based organizations throughout New York City.

Dr. Guillén joined eight other Fellows in a rigorous six-month experience for SUNY leaders of Hispanic descent that provides an opportunity to further develop higher education leadership skills and proficiencies.

The SUNY Hispanic Leadership Institute is designed to identify, develop, recruit, and ultimately support, retain, and foster the success of Hispanic/Latinx leaders at the University President and President’s Cabinet level (Provosts, Chief Financial Officers, and Chief Business Officers.) HLI Fellows represent 27 SUNY campuses from all four sectors, System Administration, and various university areas and positions. To date, HLI has graduated 60 professionals who serve as leaders and an inspiration for new generations.

Marlene Camacho-Rivera, ScD, MS, MPH Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences in the School of Public Health was featured in the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s (ASPPH) Celebrate Diversity campaign.

Dr. Camacho-Rivera, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, discusses her family upbringing in East New York, Brooklyn, and her pride in being a first-generation college student in her family.

Dr. Camacho-Rivera received her ScD and ScM degrees in Social Epidemiology from the  Harvard School of Public Health, an MPH in Health Policy and Management from Tufts University, and a BS in Biology and Society from Cornell University. Dr. Camacho-Rivera has additional postdoctoral training in cancer epidemiology.

A social epidemiologist by training, Dr. Camacho-Rivera’s research focuses on explaining structural and social determinants of chronic disease inequities among urban racial and ethnic minority communities and exploring patterns and determinants of within-group heterogeneity in chronic disease outcomes among Latinos. Dr. Camacho-Rivera designs implements, and evaluates multilevel and community-engaged interventions to advance chronic disease prevention and improve self-management among urban minority communities.  

Dr. Camacho-Rivera is strongly committed to strengthening and diversifying the public health workforce through education and training programs. Her scholarship and practice seek to incorporate structural and social determinants of health education into the training of health professionals across the public health pipeline.