Working with Communities in Research

RSVP at the link above and we will send you a calendar invitation with Zoom information to join the seminar.

Speakers and bios: 

• Luisa Blanco, Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University https://chime.ucla.edu/people/luisa-r-blanco-phd-mba 
• Evelyn Aleman, Founder, Our Voice: Communities for Quality Education, https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelynalemanmpp/
• Rocio Elorza, Parent Ambassador, Our Voice
• Project website: https://www.mivacunala.org/

Description: Informal discussion on current issues in collaborating with communities, especially those who are hard to reach, including engagement, recruitment, and ethics of paying research participants and CAB members. 

Selected publications:

• Blanco L, Klomhaus A, Dudovitz R, Marquez D, Lopez-Chang R, Aleman E, Weerman B, Moldoff M, Norris K, Castellon-Lopez Y. Digital Intervention (MiVacunaLA 2.0) to Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Hispanic Children: Community-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.J Med Internet Res 2026;28:e78103, URL: https://www.jmir.org/2026/1/e78103, DOI: 10.2196/78103
• Castellon-Lopez, Y. M., Klomhaus, A. M., Garcia, C., Marquez, D., Avila, H., Gravette, H., Lopez-Chang, R., Ortega, B., Norris, K. C., Brown, A. F., & Blanco, L. (2024). MivacunaLA (MyshotLA): A Community-Partnered Mobile Phone Intervention to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Behaviors among Low-Income, Spanish-Speaking, and Immigrant Latino Parents or Caregivers. Vaccines, 12(5), 511. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12050511
• Panameno, M., Blanco, L. R., Hernandez, A. M., Escobar, R., Zendejas, B., Rafaela, S., & Castellon-Lopez, Y. M. (2023). Using Digital Technology to Build COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence: A Qualitative Study among Latinx Parents of Children Aged 5–11 in Under-Resourced Communities across Los Angeles County. Vaccines, 11(6), 1042. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11061042