"What PHIWM and regional partners have put together is basically a whole curriculum for us educators to use and empower our students..."

July 19, 2023
Gloria Caballero Roca is a Professor at Bard Micro College, and she serves on the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts' Board of Directors.

Gloria Caballero Roca is a Professor at Bard Micro College, and she serves on the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts' Board of Directors.


"I will be teaching a course this fall that´s titled Medical Humanities. The Race and Health Equity Resource Guide will be our main source of resources, data interpretation, and policies that in one way or the other affect the lives of our student population. We work with mostly a Latinx student body, all of whom are young mothers. This is a demographic that is generally highly affected by the social determinants of health; i.e., housing, access to quality education, access to healthcare, healthy food, transportation, etc. What PHIWM and regional partners have put together is basically a whole curriculum for us educators to use and empower our students with the language, the knowledge of the policies, and concepts, that would ultimately prepare them to be agents of change in their own communities." 


Visit the Race and Health Equity Guide to see resources and learn how other people in the region are working to advance race and health equity.


share this

Related Articles

June 27, 2025
Access webinar materials from the June 25, 2025 webinar, Fighting for Air: Updates on the proposed biomass plant in Springfield : Recording Slides This webinar featured: State Senator Adam Gomez Attorney Michael Fenton, Springfield City Council President Rusty Polsgrove, Associate Director, Arise for Social Justice Dr. Matthew Sadof, pediatrician, Baystate Health Sarita Hudson, Senior Director of Strategy and Development, Public Health Institute of Western MA Learn more about the bills discussed in the webinar: An Act to remove woody biomass from the greenhouse gas emissions standard for municipal lighting plants An Act limiting the eligibility of woody biomass as an alternative energy supply Written testimony can be submitted via email to Benjamin Minerva at Ben.Minerva@masenate.gov and Caleb Oakes at Caleb.Oakes@mahouse.gov . When submitting written testimony, please send it as an attachment and use the following document title format: Bill# - Your Organization’s Name – Support/Oppose. View some of the media coverage of the event: Webinar held to address possible Springfield biomass plant, Western Mass News, 6/25/25 Battle over proposed Springfield biomass plant rages on, New England Public Media, 6/26/25 Foes, officials won’t shrink from fight to keep ‘Frankenstein’ plant out of city, The Republican, 6/26/25
June 18, 2025
Putting Resources Into Practice
June 6, 2025
Fighting For Air: Updates on the proposed biomass plan in Springfield