Martínez Receives 2021 Henry Montes President’s Award from the Latino Caucus for Public Health

UMass Amherst assistant professor of health promotion and policy Airín Martínez has been awarded the 2021 Henry Montes President’s Award from the Latino Caucus for Public Health. She received the honor on Oct. 25,  during the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting.

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The Latino Caucus for Public Health’s represents and advocates for the health interests of the Latino community, both within and outside the American Public Health Association, while providing leadership opportunities for students and young professionals to engage in research, policy and advocacy efforts. It gives the Henry Montes President’s Award in recognition to an individual with outstanding accomplishments and tangible contributions to the Latino Caucus for Public Health's mission and who has a strong commitment to serving the vulnerable and disadvantaged populations in order to improve their health and well-being. Martínez was recognized for leadership, service and practice in public health.

“When I learned that I was awarded the Henry Montes President’s Award, I was very surprised as my contributions are small compared to prior awardees,” says Martínez. “Nonetheless, I am honored and hopeful that I can continue the work to address racial and ethnic health inequities, particularly those affecting the Latinx community. This award renews my commitment to transformative research, teaching and service.”

The outgoing Scientific Chair for the Latino Caucus for Public Health (2018-21), Martínez joined the department of health promotion and policy in fall 2018. She is a medical sociologist with training from the University of California-San Francisco and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Martinez’s research examines the sociopolitical and institutional arrangements that produce chronic disease disparities among diverse Latinx populations in the United States. She investigates how institutional racism from immigration enforcement policies, housing and food environments, create material deprivation, psychosocial stress and biobehavioral effects in Latinx adults and children. She hopes that her research can inform community-based prevention strategies and inform equitable policies that support historically marginalized immigrant and racial and ethnic populations in the United States.

This past March, Martínez also received a 2021 Hispanic Health Professionals Leadership Network Award from the National Hispanic Medical Association.