معرفی
Elizabeth Aparicio is an Assistant Professor in the Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland, with an affiliation in Behavioral and Community Health. Her research focuses on intersectional health disparities, particularly among marginalized populations including LGBTQ+ communities, immigrant youth, and young mothers with histories of child maltreatment. Key areas of study include maternal and child health, trauma resilience, cultural competency in healthcare, and sexual/reproductive health equity. She has pioneered interventions like Rosie, a chatbot for maternal health support, and developed programs such as Wahine Talk to address sexual health among homeless youth.
Her work integrates qualitative and quantitative methods to examine systemic inequities, such as racial disparities in maternal care, LGBTQ+ mental health service gaps, and the impact of foster care on parenting outcomes. Notable projects include latent profile analyses of psychosocial stressors in Latinx immigrant youth and evaluations of LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for mental health providers.
Aparicio’s contributions span academic publications, program development, and policy advocacy. Her research highlights the interplay between sociocultural factors, trauma histories, and health outcomes, with a focus on creating trauma-informed, culturally responsive interventions. Recent efforts include addressing vaccine hesitancy among young parents and improving access to breastfeeding support for maltreated mothers.
