Board of Directors
Past Board members
VIVIANA MARTINEZ-BIANCHI MD, FAAFP
Family doctor
Co-founder of LATIN-19 Board Chair
Advisor to the NC DHHS on Latina community health 2020-2023
President-elect World Organization of Family Doctors 2023-2025
Interested in global and community health equity, advocacy, social justice and accountability
PABLO FRIEDMANN
GABRIELA MARADIAGA PANAYOTTI, MD
Primary care pediatrician proudly serving a diverse community in Durham, NC
Retired from the Board in 2024, co-founder of LATIN-19
Experienced leader and clinician with interest in breastfeeding, nutrition, childhood obesity, and advocacy for immigrant families
Works to improve communication of medical information to families through writing and social media
ROSA M. GONZALEZ-GUARDA, PHD, MPH, RN, CPH, FAA
Board Member 2021-2024
Nurse scientist dedicated to promoting health equity among Latinx communities in the U.S. through addressing social and structural determinants of health in this population
Uses community-engaged participatory approaches to develop, test, and disseminate culturally tailored and strengths-based health promotion programs addressing acculturation stress, resilience, and co-occurring mental and physical health conditions among Latinx communities, especially first-generation immigrants
Long history of working prevention of intimate partner and community violence, HIV, substance abuse, and mental health through research, practice, and policy
IRENE FELSMAN, DNP, MPH, RN,C-GH
Board Member 2021- 2024
Nurse-educator and researcher with expertise in global and community/public health
Focused on using community engaged methods for the development of culturally aligned interventions to improve health and access to care for marginalized women and children and families in diverse settings, including refugees and Latinx immigrants
ROSA SOLORZANO, MD, MPH
Board Member 2022-2023
Consulting Associate in School of Nursing
Public health, community engagement
Director, Multilingual Resource Center, Durham Public Schools
Member-at-large on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs
GABRIELA PLASENCIA, MD, MAS
Family doctor
Associate physician policy researcher at RAND
Her current research focuses on understanding the experiences of Latinx communities with Medicaid Expansion in North Carolina, policy and practical interventions for improving language concordance in health care settings, policy strategies for sustaining multisectoral partnerships with community health workers and community-based organizations for improving equitable crisis response, and the measurement and impact of systemic racism on Latinx communities.
Board member since 2023
PERLA NUNEZ
Community Engagement & Outreach and Clinical Research
Patient Advocacy & Empowerment Champion
passion for working in the community and making an impact on any level.
Board member since 2025
ALICIA RICO-LAZAROWSKI
Retired researcher and senior director in clinical marketing
Tango dancer and teacher
Board member since 2025
MARIANA RODRIGUEZ-PARDY
Ceramic artist
Advocate for the Triad LatinX residents, both in their creative endeavors and in their effort to access health care and community services
ANDREA THOUMI, MPP MSc
Board Member 2023-2024
Health policy researcher aiming to reduce health inequities by generating and translating evidence to change policy and clinical practice while centering community perspectives in my research and scholarship
Uses community-engaged methods to study structural determinants of health using a disease-agnostic approach due to well-established influence these determinants have on multiple health outcomes during the lifespan
Support Team
Lea Efird-Green, MSW, MPA
Lea supports calendaring and social media for LATIN-19
She is a doctoral student at the UNC School of Social Work. She holds a BA in History and Hispanic Literatures and Cultures, an MSW, and an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.