The Latino Center for Health (LCH) stands as the only research center in Washington state dedicated exclusively to the health and well-being of Latino communities. Launched in April 2014 and administered by the University of Washington's School of Social Work, LCH operates at the intersection of community-engaged research, clinical practice, and health policy. As the Hispanic/Latino population in Washington continues to grow — surpassing one million residents and representing 15% of the state's total population in 2024 — the Center's mission has never been more urgent or more consequential.
LCH’s primary focus is Washington state, where its work is concentrated in the rural and underserved communities where Latino populations face the greatest barriers to care — including agricultural and farmworker communities in central and eastern Washington. Yet the Center's influence extends meaningfully across the broader WWAMI region — the five-state medical education network spanning Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho — through its research collaborations, workforce development initiatives, and training of the next generation of Latino health professionals who go on to serve underrepresented communities throughout the region. In a part of the country where Latino and Spanish-speaking populations face persistent gaps in healthcare access, culturally responsive providers are in critically short supply. LCH is working to change that.
Research That Centers Communities
At its core, LCH is an innovative research center — with an agenda that is unapologetically responsive to Latinx communities. Rather than studying Latinx communities from a distance, LCH partners with grassroots organizations, community leaders, and elected officials to identify health priorities, co-design interventions, and translate findings into real-world impact. The Center's work spans chronic disease prevention, mental health, immigrant health, and the structural determinants of health inequities that shape the lived experience of Latino families across the state.
This commitment to community-engaged, population health research positions LCH as a vital bridge between health sciences higher education and the communities most affected by health disparities. By centering the voices and expertise of Latino community members alongside those of academic researchers, LCH produces scholarship that is both scientifically rigorous and practically relevant — work that informs clinical care, shapes health policy, and strengthens the organizations delivering services on the ground.
Mi Salud: Meeting Communities Where They Are
One of LCH's most visible programs is Mi Salud, a mobile health initiative that brings preventive care directly into underserved communities across Washington state. In collaboration with grassroots community-based organizations, Mi Salud deploys bilingual and bicultural health faculty and students to deliver free health screenings — including A1C testing, blood pressure checks, and height, weight, and BMI measurements — paired with brief, individualized counseling on nutrition and physical activity. The program also offers vaccinations and dental exams, and connects participants who require follow-up care to local clinics, including the UW Latinx Diabetes Clinic. Since January 2024, more than fifteen community health clinics have been held in Washington counties including King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Grays Harbor, and Walla Walla, serving more than 500 community residents.
Investing in the Workforce of the Future
Washington state — and the broader WWAMI region — faces a significant and growing shortage of Latinx and Spanish-speaking healthcare providers. The number of Latino doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, public health practitioners, and social workers remains far below the proportion of the Latinx population in the state — a gap that functions as a direct barrier to linguistically and culturally concordant care, and one that perpetuates the very health inequities LCH exists to address.
LCH is tackling this challenge on two fronts. The first is the Phyllis Gutiérrez-Kenney Graduate Student Scholars Fellowship Program, now entering its seventh cohort. The fellowship supports graduate students in health sciences at four universities — the University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, Heritage University, and Washington State University — providing each fellow a $5,000 scholarship ($2,500 from LCH with a 1:1 institutional match), along with professional development, mentorship, and connection to a growing network of Latino health leaders. The program has awarded 87 fellowships to date, representing a cumulative investment of nearly $465,000 in emerging health professionals who go on to serve communities across Washington state and the WWAMI region.
The second, and more expansive, initiative is the proposed Latinx Health Sciences Traineeship Program — an interdisciplinary effort LCH is developing in partnership with UW's six health science schools. The Traineeship is designed to prepare a skilled, culturally responsive workforce committed to serving urban and rural Latinx communities. Its proposed curriculum includes a required course grounded in Latinx health across the lifespan — covering social determinants, immigration, culture, spirituality, and policy — alongside a recurring seminar series drawing on interdisciplinary expertise from UW, Pacific Northwest University, Heritage University, and other institutions. Students also select elective coursework tailored to their interests, with options including the existing School of Medicine Hispanic Health Pathways course and courses focused on immigration or women's health.
A centerpiece of the Traineeship is its practicum and mentorship component. LCH proposes to develop new practicum sites at Latino-centered organizations across Washington state — including at institutions like the Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic, Yakima Memorial Hospital, and the Family Health Centers in Okanogan County — so that students can complete clinical training in or near the communities they will ultimately serve. Traineeship participants will also have access to LCH research and volunteer opportunities, pathways to co-authorship and co-presentation with LCH faculty, and the possibility of an international immersion experience through the UW Study Abroad Program. LCH seeks formal designation as the lead institution for this expanded Traineeship, with shared investment from the Health Science Schools to fund administrative support, faculty time, practicum supervisor stipends, and student financial support.
Building the Evidence Base Through Community-Academic Partnerships
LCH's Small Grants Program awards community–academic research grants to advance health equity for Latino and immigrant communities. Three recent grants of $20,000 each support projects addressing healthcare access for Latina domestic workers (in partnership with Casa Latina), mental health care expansion through promotores de salud (with Villa Comunitaria), and trauma-informed care for sexual and gender minority immigrant survivors (in collaboration with Entre Hermanos and the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center). Together, these projects reflect LCH's conviction that the most effective health equity research emerges from genuine partnerships between academic institutions and the community organizations that know their constituents best.
Addressing Emerging and Overlooked Health Threats
LCH is also breaking new ground on the largely invisible epidemic of traumatic brain injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy linked to domestic violence among disadvantaged populations. In Spring 2025, with support from the Pánfila Domestic Violence HOPE Foundation and Casey Family Programs, LCH convened statewide leaders from medicine, public health, social work, and advocacy to develop strategic approaches to screening, awareness, and research. The Washington State Domestic Violence–Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board, comprising ten members, launched in September 2025 — positioning LCH at the forefront of this critical and underrecognized area of health equity work.
A Catalyst for Change
In twelve years, the Latino Center for Health has established itself as a catalyst for change in Washington state and across the WWAMI region — delivering care to underserved communities, building the evidence base for health equity, and training the next generation of culturally responsive health professionals. With the proposed Latinx Health Sciences Traineeship poised to expand LCH's workforce development reach across all six UW health science schools, the Center's impact is set to grow significantly. As the Latino population continues to expand and the health disparities they face demand ever more urgent action, LCH's leadership and work are not merely important — they are indispensable to the region´s future health and prosperity.
About the authors
Leo S. Morales is a Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean with the Office for Healthcare Equity and Adjunct Professor of Public Health and Social Work at the University of Washington (UW). He serves as Co-Director of the Latino Center for Health, a multidisciplinary state-funded community-engaged research center at the University of Washington. Dr. Morales completed a residency in primary care internal medicine at the San Francisco General Hospital/UCSF and a general internal medicine fellowship at UCLA. His research focuses on Latino Health, racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health, and the measurement of patient-reported outcomes in diverse communities. He has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles. Dr. Morales is an attending physician at the Latinx Diabetes Clinic at the UW Medicine Diabetes Institute. In recognition of his efforts to improve the health of Washingtonians, he received the Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA)’s 2023 Annual Secretary’s Award, and is also a recipient of a 2021 Washington State Medical Association Grassroots Advocate Award.
Dr. Gino Aisenberg, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work, is a bilingual/bicultural Latino mental health researcher. He is a founding co-director of the Latino Center for Health, established in 2014. Previously, he served as Associate Dean for Diversity and Student Affairs of the Graduate School from 2013-2019. Dr. Aisenberg is staunchly committed to addressing inequities in access to and utilization of health and behavioral health services. His primary research interest focuses on the delivery and dissemination of an innovative training and treatment program providing evidence-based and culturally tailored depression care to Latinx adults via telephone. Undergraduate students and promotoras are trained and supervised to effectively deliver this manualized treatment.
