Many university students and staff members across the country face food insecurity at their institutions and the University of Massachusetts Amherst is similarly impacted. With the rise of prices for university tuition, housing on & off campus, and meal plans, food insecurity becomes an increasingly prevalent issue that negatively impacts the well-being and successful performance of UMass Amherst community members. This project evaluates the effectiveness of institutional food security policies at UMass Amherst and examines how mutual aid initiatives supplement these resources.

My project dives into this issue by contextualizing and critically analyzing the current policies and resources that UMass Amherst upholds to support their campus community. My analysis reveals mutual aid as a beneficial and necessary framework to supporting UMass Amherst community members because of inherent limitations with institutional resources. My time spent working with The UMass Amherst Food Recovery Network is highlighted as a prime example of the power of mutual aid to support communities. Data collection for this project includes analysis of campus food insecurity policies, anecdotal evidence from university members, and a qualitative review of Food Recovery Network distribution metrics. The general conclusion of this research is that mutual aid organizations empower communities to meet their own needs, and that this is a critical role in the on-going efforts for UMass Amherst food insecurity prevention.

The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework encapsulates how social and environmental conditions can impact health. However, this approach fails to capture how colonization and land dispossession can affect the health of Indigenous communities. Indigenous knowledge systems emphasize the interconnectedness of determinants, including relationships with land, non-human relatives, and cultural practices. Conventional SDOH models often overlook these protective factors, focusing instead on deficits and comparisons with mainstream populations, which are not representative in this scenario. The Hassanimisco Nipmuc are native to central and western Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island and Connecticut for thousands of years. They have been trying to rematriate their land, Lampson Brook Farm in Belchertown, and have faced significant obstacles from a lack of awareness and understanding from the non-Native community about how land is central to their livelihood and wellbeing. The Land Back movement is an international Indigenous-led movement that calls for land to be returned to Indigenous tribes. By tying in elements from our public and political education campaign and the Land Back movement, this project aims to synthesize alternative health frameworks from Indigenous scholars to create a more holistic, Indigenous-led framework for community health and wellness. Land is a critical determinant of health for Indigenous communities and must be recognized in health policy. For many tribes, the relationship with land is inseparable from physical, mental, spiritual, and cultural well-being. Advancing land sovereignty is essential because it enables tribes to restore and center their relationships with land as a foundation of community health. 

Social isolation and loneliness among older adults represent a growing public health concern in the United States, contributing to increased risks of depression, cognitive decline, and reduced quality of life. However, loneliness also affects college students, who face social transitions, academic pressure, and separation from established support systems. Despite evidence that social connection improves health outcomes across the lifespan, loneliness is often treated as an inevitable part of aging rather than a preventable social condition shaped by structural factors and limited community support. This civic engagement project explores digital storytelling as a strategy to foster intergenerational connections for older adults and college students. 

Northampton Neighbors is an organization that supports older adults in maintaining connection, dignity, and independence. Through a university course led by Dr. Gloria DiFulvio, students are paired with older adult members for weekly meetings focused on relationship-building and storytelling. These relationships culminate in recorded personal narratives uploaded to StoryShare and the Library of Congress. 

My project addresses delays in uploading these stories through organizing, editing, and publishing. I oversee a team of student editors, coordinate workflow using a shared tracking system, edit audio recordings, write summaries, and upload finalized stories with photos and transcripts. This applied methodology is informed by literature demonstrating that digital storytelling can enhance memory, self-efficacy, mood, and social connectedness among older adults. By increasing public access to participants’ narratives, this project supports intergenerational relationships and highlights digital storytelling as a practical, community-based response to loneliness.

People living with dementia and their caregivers often face isolation, stigma, and limited access to clear and practical support. While dementia is commonly understood as a medical condition, many of the challenges caregivers face are shaped by social and structural barriers rather than the condition alone. The social model of disability highlights how systems, environments, and attitudes create barriers that limit people’s ability to fully participate in their communities. Ageism, ableism, economic inequality, and gaps in healthcare and social services contribute to caregivers feeling unsupported and overwhelmed. Many caregivers must navigate complex responsibilities without accessible information, which can increase stress and reduce their sense of confidence and connection.

This civic engagement project, developed in partnership with the Springfield Dementia Friendly Coalition, aims to create an accessible caregiver resource guide to help caregivers better navigate available support systems. To inform the guide, I am conducting interviews with caregivers, social workers, dementia care specialists, and community leaders to understand their experiences and identify important local resources. The guide will include safety planning tips, emergency contacts, housing and respite care options, communication strategies, and information about community support services. It will be available in both print and digital formats.

This project aims to empower caregivers by increasing access to information and support. More broadly, it contributes to creating a more inclusive and dementia-friendly community by addressing social barriers and strengthening community-based care.

Smokeless tobacco use has long been embedded within baseball culture. National data from 2017 indicate that approximately 28% of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) baseball players reported past-year smokeless tobacco use; however, contemporary prevalence remains unclear. Since then, the nicotine product landscape has evolved, with increased availability and marketing of smokeless tobacco and tobacco-free nicotine products (e.g., nicotine pouches and electronic delivery systems). Despite this shift, limited data exist on current patterns of use and the influences associated with nicotine consumption among collegiate baseball athletes. The purpose is to (1) quantify the prevalence of smokeless tobacco and tobacco-free nicotine product use and (2) examine social, behavioral, and sport-related factors associated with use among NCAA varsity baseball players in the Northeast. This cross-sectional study will recruit NCAA Division I–III baseball athletes (≥18 years) from institutions in the Northeast. Participants will complete an anonymous online questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, lifetime and past-30-day nicotine use, contextual patterns of use (e.g., during baseball activities vs. social settings), perceived performance effects, and team- and family-related influences. Participation is voluntary; no identifiable information is collected. Descriptive statistics will quantify prevalence and frequency of use. Logistic regression models will examine associations between social/sport-related factors and current nicotine use. It is hypothesized that nicotine use will remain prevalent among collegiate baseball athletes and will be positively associated with perceived team norms, peer use, and role-model exposure. Findings will provide contemporary, region-specific data on nicotine use in collegiate baseball and inform sport-specific prevention and education strategies.

Eugenics was a widely held belief used within medicine and science in early 20th century America that has been largely disproven, however there are still supporters, and remnants in current science. Eugenicists believe only those with desirable traits should reproduce and that genetics are the cause behind good character. It has racist and discriminatory roots, originally created as a way to make a white wealthy America. Involuntary sterilization was legalized federally in America because of eugenic rhetoric, and as such there are many victims. This project aims to provide a look into the pervasive way eugenics have stayed within science, especially genetics. The research involved analysis of many recent genetic studies into hereditary traits and genetic engineering, such as CRISPR. These studies were compared to historical sources on eugenic science, and modern eugenicists’ writings to see similarities. Based on these comparisons the research shows there is still an undercurrent of eugenics in modern science and public health that seems to only be growing. I predict as gene editing technology becomes more advanced its applications will only further highlight the racism, classism, and sexism found in eugenics. It is only by addressing these discriminatory beliefs still in science that the solution to rid them is created.

Women’s reproductive health has historically been an under-researched topic in medicine. The effects of alternative protein diets on women’s reproductive health remain unclear despite their rapidly increasing adoption. This study will use a systematic review approach to identify the limited, existing literature and analyze data on the relationship between alternative protein diets and women’s reproductive health outcomes. It will also highlight whether alternative protein sources provide adequate nutritional support for reproductive health, identifying both potential benefits and deficiencies that may require dietary supplementation or other modifications. This study seeks to understand whether the quality of alternative proteins lacks, meets, or exceeds the reproductive health benefits traditionally associated with animal-based protein sources. 

In 2013, the introduction of illicitly made opioids to the drug supply marked the beginning of The Third Wave in the ongoing Opioid Epidemic. Between 1999 and 2023 in the U.S., opioid overdose mortality rates increased ten times nationwide. Furthermore, the burden of overdose death varies among racial and ethnic groups, sex, and socioeconomic status. Geographic level differences in overdose death rates are also pronounced in the United States and across Massachusetts marked by persistent income inequalities. 

This review aims to examine how illicit fentanyl contamination of the drug supply has impacted the drug overdose death rates.  In addition, there is limited research on the impact of fentanyl contamination on the overdose mortality rates within diverse groups of age, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. I will conduct a review of the literature, and review state and community data from PubMed, PsychInfo, MassGov, CDC, County Health Rankings, among others to learn more about the impact of illicit fentanyl contamination. I expect to observe a significant increase in overdose-related mortality rates following the addition of illicitly-made fentanyl contamination among different geographic regions and demographic groups. I anticipate that the impact will be strongest in communities facing other health disparities.  After completing my analysis, I will make recommendations for state health departments which may include state-level recommendations for naloxone distribution, harm reduction expansion, and policies addressing structural inequities. 

The rapid expansion of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) into non-diabetic weight-loss markets has shifted significant health risk from regulated medical systems onto individual consumers, particularly young women. Originally approved for diabetes treatment, medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have become some of the most sought-after drugs in the United States. Their popularity has been driven not only by clinical effectiveness but also by algorithm-driven marketing, social media normalization, and intensified societal pressures surrounding thinness. High prices, inconsistent insurance coverage, and nationwide shortages have simultaneously fueled demand for compounded and non-FDA-approved GLP-1 products, expanding consumer exposure to regulatory gray areas and potential public health risks.

This research examines the societal impacts of the rise in GLP-1 medications for weight loss and asks how these drugs can be marketed and distributed to prioritize patient safety. This study conducts a structured literature-based analysis of regulatory documents, peer-reviewed scientific studies, investigative journalism, public health reports, and federal data published after 2017. Sources were analyzed comparatively to identify recurring themes related to marketing practices, safety, regulatory oversight, and consumer access. 

The findings are organized into a mapped framework of challenges associated with the weight-loss GLP-1 market, including regulatory gaps in compounding practices, risks of misleading advertising, inequitable access, and shifting responsibility for risk onto consumers. This analysis then pairs documented challenges with targeted policy and regulatory interventions. By evaluating how commercial incentives intersect with public health regulation, this research proposes strategies to strengthen oversight, protect consumers, and mitigate long-term societal harm. 

Bedsharing with an infant is a common caregiving practice across many cultures, and appears to be particularly prevalent among Latinx caregivers. Nonetheless, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not currently recommend bedsharing under any circumstances. Limited research has examined how to promote safer bedsharing practices among communities where it is common. This study addresses this gap by exploring the behaviors, perceptions, and decision-making processes related to bedsharing among Latinx caregivers.

Ten Latinx caregivers from Western Massachusetts participated in a focus group. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods, including open coding and thematic analysis, to identify patterns and themes in participant dialogue. 

This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of safe infant sleep behaviors by centering caregiver perspectives and cultural context. Findings will inform the development of bilingual, culturally responsive, harm-reduction-oriented bedsharing education materials.

Food insecurity is a major public health concern in the United States given its association to diet quality and consequently health outcomes. Routine county-level estimates of food insecurity have played a key role in informing intervention programs, policies, and monitoring progress. Although the definition of food insecurity encompasses access to nutritious food, estimates of food insecurity are commonly based on metrics that focus on access to adequate food and not necessarily nutritious food. Though people experiencing food insecurity are also likely to be nutrition insecure, there is growing interest in monitoring broader nutrition security, to identify context-specific contributing factors and better inform suitable intervention programs. This exploratory research uses data from national-level surveys and machine-learning to develop predictive models for food and nutrition insecurity to inform predictive models for county-level estimates.

Data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was preprocessed and analyzed through the Science Collaborative for Health and Artificial Intelligence Reduction of Errors (SCHARE) on the Terra cloud platform. eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) models were trained for each dataset to classify individuals as food and nutrition secure or insecure based on identified socioeconomic and health predictors. Hyperparameters were tuned to maximize F1 scores, ensuring high classification performance for these unbalanced datasets. Shapely Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were utilized to identify dominant predictors for each model and multicollinearity was assessed with Spearman’s ρ. Expected results include identifying important predictors of nutrition security and a comparative analysis with features influencing food security.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep, and is associated with significant mental and physical health consequences. Insomnia is increasingly prevalent among college students, and personality dimensions such as attachment styles are gaining attention among mental health professionals concerning treatment of psychological disorders. Attachment styles are patterns of psychological and emotional responses within relationships that are largely shaped by childhood experiences. An avoidant attachment style is characterized by emotional distance, conflict avoidance, and need for independence. This may influence insomnia by increasing emotional suppression and physiological hyperarousal, making it more difficult to relax and sleep. 

The aim of our project is to examine the association between insomnia and attachment style among students at UMass Amherst. In Fall 2025, a cross-sectional survey was administered to 232 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate-level courses in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Insomnia symptoms were measured using the Insomnia Severity Index, developed in 1993 by Charles Morin and colleagues, and attachment style was assessed using a questionnaire based on Experiences in Close Relationships framework developed by researchers at the University of Illinois. We will use SAS 9.4 and Stats Blue to evaluate the relationship between insomnia and attachment style based on the screening questionnaires. 

We expect to find a positive relationship between avoidant attachment style and insomnia severity. These findings may inform future research surrounding psychological and sleep disorders along with treatment options aimed to alleviate related symptoms among college students.

Alcohol consumption among college students remains a critical public health problem driven by high-risk social dynamics and university culture. National datasets establish broad trends, but fail to address the potential for variability across specific academic environments.

We will compare alcohol consumption patterns within the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) against national collegiate trends. Specifically, we aim to investigate whether SPHHS students, who receive specialized public health education, are applying their knowledge of health risks to inform their own behaviors and choices. We will compare our survey data to data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NES-ARC), a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults conducted in 2001–2002. This survey data indicates that 73.1% of young adults reported past-year alcohol use and 39.6% reported heavy episodic drinking, with slightly higher rates observed among college students compared with nonstudents. We will measure alcohol intake among SPHHS students using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and will compare students’ reported drinking behaviors with data from the NES-ARC survey.

National data provides a baseline for college student drinking rates, and we hypothesize that SPHHS students will exhibit lower rates of alcohol use than the national average. This hypothesis is based on what we describe as a "curriculum effect," where health-centered education fosters protective attitudes against substance misuse. These findings will inform targeted campus interventions and help bridge the gap between public health knowledge and personal behavioral change.

Anxiety is a response to natural life stressors and can be useful in a variety of situations. Most people experience balanced levels of anxiety. However, anxiety in the extremes (low and high) can have disadvantageous life impacts, which may be relevant in the realm of academia. Anxiety has the potential to impact academic attitudes through a variety of mechanisms, with both very high and very low levels of anxiety having the potential to negatively impact academic attitudes and performance.

This project will identify if there is an association between anxiety and academic attitudes, and will address the potential for a non-linear pattern in this association. We will use data collected from a cross-sectional survey of 232 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate-level courses in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences at UMass Amherst. In this survey, anxiety was measured using the validated GAD-7 survey, and academic attitudes were determined using the Academic Performance Scale.

We hypothesize that individuals with moderate anxiety scores in the mid-range of the GAD-7 will demonstrate more positive academic attitudes, while for those with scores at the extreme ends of the range, academic attitudes may be more negative. Our results will help to inform further research related to the association between anxiety and academic performance. It is important to understand how different levels of anxiety affect academic performance, especially if the association is more complex than a simple, linear pattern of increasing anxiety having a steady, dose-response effect on academic performance. 

This project looks at post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans. There are a number of reasons why someone might develop PTSD, such as battle trauma, military sexual assault, or underlying mental health problems. PTSD symptoms can persist for years after veterans return home, and can continue to affect relationships, employment, daily life, and general health. PTSD is not only an obstacle for the affected person; it is also a public health concern that can affect families, communities, and healthcare systems.

While veteran mental health has gotten increased attention in the last several years, many veterans still face barriers to receiving care. Veterans may not get help due to perceived stigma associated with mental health issues, or because they are worried about how mental health problems are seen in the military community. Individuals may not be diagnosed due to insufficient screenings or because they don't accurately disclose their symptoms. These obstacles may delay treatment and hinder recovery. 

We will apply the PERIE framework (i.e., Problem, Etiology, Recommendations, Implementation, and Evaluation) to address the problem of PTSD among military veterans. We will look at the main risk factors linked to PTSD, as well as barriers that may prevent veterans from accessing appropriate care, and will identify evidence-based strategies that may support earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment. We will outline a feasible plan for how these strategies could be put into practice in real-world settings, followed by an evaluation plan to assess their effectiveness in improving outcomes for veterans experiencing PTSD.

Incarcerated individuals are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes as compared to non-incarcerated individuals. These disparities are greater for female incarcerated individuals, due to a lack of funding, screening, and awareness of issues important to women’s health. 

Incarcerated women are more likely to suffer adverse menstrual and reproductive health outcomes, and are four times more likely to develop cervical cancer than non-incarcerated women. This is partially due to the lack of access to healthcare in correctional facilities, which results in missed or infrequent screenings. Between 0-58% of incarcerated women have regular mammogram screenings. Many incarcerated women lack health literacy and adequate health education, and may not be aware that they are not being screened sufficiently. This increases their risk of adverse health outcomes. 

Our project will involve developing feasible, evidence-informed recommendations to address this problem, and will follow the PERIE framework: Problem, Etiology, Recommendations, Implementation, and Evaluation. We will conduct a systematic literature review to inform our recommendations, which will allow us to utilize evidence from other studies and gain insight into useful strategies that have been effective in other settings and populations. 

Incarcerated women in California are at a higher risk of breast and cervical cancer, and have higher mortality rates due to the lack of healthcare access and education. Developing recommendations to help improve these rates is vital when addressing health disparities, especially for outcomes with effective screening measures in place.

Dengue fever is a viral infection that is spread through mosquitoes and is found in tropical and subtropical climates worldwide. It is classified as a vector-borne disease where the vector, the mosquito, carries the virus and transmits it to humans via primary contact with the vector or occasionally through an actively infected person. The infection can progress into severe dengue, a more aggressive and possibly fatal form of the disease.

In Brazil, dengue is found throughout the country, but has recently reported higher incidence rates in the previously protected Southern regions due to the climate change and rising temperatures. Some populations that are disproportionately affected include the elderly, young children, as well as populations with low socioeconomic status.

Our objective is to apply the PERIE framework (Problem, Etiology, Recommendations, Implementation, Evaluation) to develop practical, evidence‑informed recommendations addressing the problem of increasing rates of dengue in Brazil. These recommendations will be grounded in a systematic review of the literature and accompanied by a realistic implementation plan and an evaluation strategy to measure effectiveness.

We chose Brazil as the focus of our project due to its high incidence rates of dengue fever, its recent 2024 epidemic, and the need to expand the country’s various prevention efforts. Our recommendations will involve the intentional release of Wolbachia mosquitoes in various parts of the country, whose bacteria help prevent the spread of viruses like dengue. Our goal is to determine how to effectively implement this intervention, as well as any co-interventions that would support effective mosquito control. 

Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is a persistent chemical previously used in stain-resistant products and firefighting foam. The extensive usage has enabled widespread exposure that has been shown to induce oxidative stress via enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is linked to numerous negative health outcomes. Early life stages of development are especially vulnerable to PFOS and ROS. This study aims to characterize the spatial distribution of ROS induced by PFOS in embryonic zebrafish at different developmental stages. 

Embryos from a zebrafish strain lacking pigment (mitfab692/b692) were exposed to 0 (0.01% DMSO), 1, 2, and 4 μM PFOS beginning at 3 hours post-fertilization (hpf); treatments were refreshed daily. At 24, 48, or 72 hpf, 96 embryos were washed then incubated in 10 μM CellROX Green for 1 hour, fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, then stored in 25% glycerol. Imaging was performed using an EVOS FL Auto microscope at 4x magnification under a GFP filter. Fluorescence, indicative of ROS, was assessed via whole body tracing and heat maps generated using ImageJ software.

Results illustrate increased fluorescence intensity in the PFOS-exposed groups compared to the control, with higher fluorescence intensity around the head. With increasing age, differences in fluorescence between the PFOS-exposed and control groups decreased, suggesting maturation of the antioxidant defense responses. These findings show increased ROS detection after exposure to PFOS and provide a baseline for larval zebrafish response to oxidative stress. Future research will probe at the implications of this oxidative stress on metabolic health and development. 

Maternal mortality and morbidity in the U.S. have risen in recent years, becoming a bigger public health concern. Within this crisis, racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health are persistent and alarming, especially given that Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Postpartum hemorrhage is one of the leading and most preventable causes of maternal mortality and morbidity in Black women. There is an urgent need to understand the causes of these disparities, given the advanced nature of the U.S healthcare system and resources available.

The purpose of this research is to examine structural, clinical, and social determinants that contribute to disproportionate postpartum hemorrhage outcomes in Black women and to evaluate the effectiveness of current maternal health policies and interventions, such as toolkits that can be implemented by hospitals to reduce hemorrhage complications. Through a systematic review, this research will synthesize peer-reviewed research, maternal health reports, and various postpartum hemorrhage protocols to assess their impact on racial and ethnic disparities. 

Initial findings suggest that available hemorrhage toolkits improve overall maternal health outcomes, but do not fully address underlying inequities. This research seeks to address the various contributors that prevent the implementation of policies addressing all areas of disparities. By highlighting gaps in policy implementation, this research will aim to bring awareness to the need for further research, reform, and implementation of policies that will protect Black women and improve maternal health. 

Environmental pollutants have posed a great threat to public health for decades as levels of toxic chemicals have been found higher than documented in the past. One of important mention are Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). There's concern for how exposure to these semi-volatile organic structures may play a negative role in women’s reproductive outcomes. A prospective cohort study (EAGeR) enrolled 1,228 women trying to conceive between 2007 and 2011. PAHs such as 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OHNAP), 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OHPHE), and 1- and 9-hydroxyphenanthrene (1,9-OHPHE), were measured in urine at ovulation among a subset 280 women in the first menstrual cycle of follow-up. Reproductive hormone metabolite were measured in urine at ovulation, with estrone glucuronide (E1G), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) being of focus. Generalized linear regression models estimated the relationship between PAHs and reproductive hormones. We observed an association of an increase of 1 ng/mL 2-Napthalene with 3.14 (CI 1.40, 4.90) ng/mL higher estrone-3-glucoronide at ovulation. Additionally, an elevation in E1G was seen with higher 2-Phenanthrene and 1- and 9-Phenanthrene. All three phthalates were associated with higher LH levels, although not significant. We found no clear associations with FSH and PdG. The only PAH that had a statistically significant pronounced effect on the reproductive hormones studied was 2-Napthalene with E1G. It’s hypothesized that this result could be due to PAHs’ ability to act as an endocrine disrupter, with the most mimicable hormone being estrogen. Exposure to 2-Napthalene may more broadly impact women’s reproductive outcomes across the menstrual cycle.

College students face food insecurity at rates of up to 4 times the national average. The purpose of our research is to identify and evaluate causes that contribute to food insecurity among college students. This paper will be a comprehensive review of peer reviewed studies. Due to factors such as replacing meals with fast food, low income status, and availability of community programs. This can lead to many secondary complications with physical health including higher rates of obesity, higher blood pressure and diabetes. The mental tolls of students who face food insecurity include higher rates of depression and mental health issues. These students tend to also have lower gpas and high rates of dropping out. The US Government Accountability Office showed that about 7.3 million US college students qualified financially for SNAP benefits, but only 2.26 million of them actively were enrolled, which equates to 31% proving that interventions do exist but are not fully being implemented effectively. For how prevalent an issue of food insecurity among college students is, there is often very little done by the colleges to address this issue. College students are a population that exhibit food insecurity at high rates and this contributes to negative health outcomes and shows a need for public health interventions. 

This study examines determinants of mental health effects among Latino migrants and evaluates gaps in services and resources. Migrants within the United States experience adverse mental health outcomes due to reduced access to care, pre- and post- migration stress, discrimination, lack of resources and community support. The accumulation of these factors highlight the need for equitable change for this growing population. Neglecting these various stressors has severe implications for this population and the U.S. health care system as they increase the risk for anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. Previous studies have identified key concerns regarding Latino migrant mental health, but have lacked substantial recommendations for approaching this issue in the current U.S. context. We conducted a systematic literature review to create recommendations based upon previous evidence to improve Latino migrant adverse mental health in the United States and address the components contributing to the public health issue. We utilized PubMed, National Library of Medicine and Google Scholar to find peer-reviewed articles with the search terms including “Latino migrants”, “mental health”, “barriers”, and “discrimination.” Using existing evidence-based research, we propose community-based interventions to address the adverse mental health outcomes in Latino migrants. Interventions include utilizing trusted community health workers and members to bridge the gaps between this community and formal services as well as providing culturally tailored services in appropriate languages.