Torres named director of Gastón Institute at UMass Boston

María Idalí Torres, a faculty member in the Department of Public Health since 1992, has been named director of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass Boston.

Her administrative appointment is effective Jan. 4 after she completes a fall semester sabbatical leave. In addition to the director’s post at the Gastón Institute, Torres will hold a joint faculty position in the Boston campus’ Department of Anthropology and the Department of Public Policy, effective Aug. 31.

She will continue to be connected to the Amherst campus through an adjunct faculty appointment in the Health Policy and Management Program of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, and collaborative work with faculty and students researching the experience of Latinos in Western Massachusetts.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected to lead the Gastón Institute” said Torres. “I will work to advance the mission of the institute by expanding its capacity for community participatory action research, building on the strengths of the faculty and students on campus and seeking the collaboration of Latino organizations across the state”.

“We are thrilled that Idalí Torres will lead the Gastón Institute,” said Miren Uriarte, current and founding director of the institute. “Her scholarly record, her applied research and policy work and her commitment to community development mirror our mission. We hope also that her presence will result in stronger ties to communities and organizations in Western Massachusetts.”

The Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy is a member of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research, a consortium of 16 Latino research centers based at major universities across the country. Established in 1989 through a partnership of the Legislature and Latino community activists and scholars, the primary mission of the institute is to research, document and disseminate information about the Commonwealth’s growing Latino population. Its strong program of applied research focuses on demographic trends, education and economic outcomes, political participation as well as social and health disparities. An advisory board comprised of Latino community leaders and researchers guides the work of the institute.

More Information

Gastón Institute website

August 25, 2008.

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