Mariana Ramírez is the director of the JUNTOS Center for Advancing Latino Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
Mariana has over a decade of experience working with medically under-resourced Latino populations, both in the United States and Mexico. She oversees a growing number of research projects and academic-community partnerships with the ultimate aim of eliminating health disparities experienced by Latino communities. Mariana specializes in the cultural and linguistic adaptation of behavioral intervention programs having worked in the fields of diabetes prevention, smoking cessation, caregiver support, sleep health and community health worker education. Her work embraces community-engaged principles by partnering with community members to co-create and disseminate knowledge that addresses community needs.
Mariana is actively involved in her community, serving as a technical advisor for the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission and as a member of both the Health Equity Taskforce of Wyandotte County and the Kansas City Medical Society Foundation Charitable Care Committee.