STEVEN LOPEZ, MPP, MPH
Manager, Health Policy Project at National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
Steven T. Lopez is the manager of the Health Policy Project at the National Council of La Raza. As manager, Mr. Lopez leads the development and advancement of public policies aimed at increasing the opportunity and ability of Latinos to achieve optimal health no matter who they are, where they live, or how much they earn.
His work has focused on increasing health coverage opportunities for the millions of Latinos who could gain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as well as advancing options for the remaining uninsured.
The intersection of nutrition, hunger, and childhood obesity is another priority area for Lopez, given that Hispanic children are more likely than their peers to be overweight or obese. His current attention focuses most specifically on these two priorities.
Lopez holds master’s degrees in public policy and public health from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.
As our Opening Keynote speaker, Steven Lopez will engage the conference attendees in a discussion of national immigration policies and the connection to Latino health disparities.
Immigration and Latino Health:
The Journey Ahead
The 2016 LHEC will examine the unique health issues faced by Latino immigrant communities in the United States. While conflict and poverty in the immigrants’ countries of origin are major reasons for crossing the border in the U.S., it is less clear what impact this trauma has on the health of immigrant communities. Crossing without documents can produce long term health effects; even if documented, immigrants still face major political, cultural, and economic barriers that impact health. We will explore these experiences in relation to age, gender, economics, language, and sociocultural traditions, focusing on how these factors affect health and healthcare delivery in the U.S.
