Laura Villa Torres

Laura Villa Torres, PhD, MSPH is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, specifically in the Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice. Her research focuses on health disparities among immigrant populations in the U.S., employing qualitative and community-based participatory methods. Key areas include transnational migration effects, healthcare access for mixed-status families, and HIV care continuum challenges among LGBTQ+ communities.

Education:

• PhD in Health Behavior, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (2018)
• MSPH in Health Behavior, UNC Gillings (2014)
• BS in Sociology, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (2004)

Research Interests:

• Immigrant health equity
• Transnational migration’s health impacts
• Community-based participatory research methodologies
• HIV care continuum for Latino populations
• Disability participation and rehabilitation systems

Key Contributions:

• Co-founded the New Roots Latino Oral History initiative documenting migration narratives
• Developed culturally adapted health interventions for Latinx communities
• Published widely on undocumented immigrants’ mental health challenges and healthcare access barriers

Awards & Honors:

• Mellon Dissertation Award (2016)
• CONACYT Postgraduate Scholarship (2011-2016)
• Lucy Morgan Award for Health Behavior Research (2012)

Labs & Initiatives: Active member of Gillings Innovation Labs, contributing to digital health equity projects and transnational health research collaborations.