Monthly Archives: April, 2018

Posted: April 4th, 2018

For National Public Health Week, the Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (CoE-MCH) would like to highlight important people working with some of the most vulnerable populations in maternal and child health. On April 4^th, we would like to honor community health workers and folks who do work around birth justice. We invite you to read about amazing individuals who have dedicated their lives to improve the overall health and well-being of women and children. Click on the picture or name of the community health worker below to learn more about their work!

Angel Griffin

Angel Griffin is a first-year Master of Public Health student studying Maternal and Child Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Health at Xavier University of Louisiana in 2016. Outside of school, she is a birth doula serving Chicago mothers through Chicago Volunteer Doulas.

Ana Mendez

Ana Mendez has been a community health worker for over 12 years. As a young mother herself, Ana experiences first-hand the systemic forces that can impact a family’s capacity to be healthy. Ana decided to dedicate her career to advocating and working with other young mothers as a home visitor and as a community-based doula. She is currently a family support worker for Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness in the Healthy Families of America program, while working on her bachelor’s degree at St. Augustine College.

Xavier Ramirez

Xavier Ramirez earned a Bachelor of Arts in Latina/Latino Studies and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015. Then, he received a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago in 2017. Xavier is currently a perinatal case manager at Pediatric Aids Chicago Prevention Initiative (PACPI) with the University of Chicago where he works with pregnant women who are HIV-positive.