Manager, Lower Rio Grande Valley Area Health Education Center (LRGV-AHEC). Juana is a founding member of the Community Council. She has partnered with the study team (Dr. Sara Masoud) for several projects since 2019. Juana serves as the Council Lead for their Dementia research efforts and has been a co-investigator and co-lead with Dr. Masoud for numerous projects. They have developed programs to support community health workers in South Texas to promote brain health and community-centered research and have co-conducted studies funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to align research with South Texans’ needs.

Juana is currently working closely with Dr. Masoud to co-create proposals to sustain and expand their research partnership. They are interested in deepening the impact of research to produce meaningful social change.