Frania Mendoza Lua

Dr. Frania Mendoza Lua, PhD, MSW, is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Health Disparities Research Scholars Program. Her work focuses on how social policies and systemic inequalities—particularly immigration restrictions and welfare policies—affect reproductive health, family dynamics, and HIV/STI prevention outcomes in marginalized communities.

• Education: PhD in Social Work from the University of Chicago, MSW from the University of Michigan, and dual B.A. degrees in Political Science and Anthropology from UCLA.

Dr. Mendoza Lua's research intersects health disparities, digital health innovation, and structural inequities. She has led studies on:

• mHealth interventions for HIV/STI testing and substance use reduction among adolescents
• State-level policy impacts on Latine and immigrant communities
• Biobehavioral research frameworks with Latino youth

Her work often combines technology-driven solutions with critical policy analysis, emphasizing the role of exclusionary legislation in perpetuating health inequalities. She has published extensively on pandemic-era stressors in low-income families and the acceptability of culturally responsive research methods.