UTEP Faculty Member to Serve on National Diabetes and Latino Public Health Committees

Last Updated on February 16, 2022 at 12:00 AM

Originally published February 16, 2022

By Laura L. Acosta

UTEP Marketing and Communications

Jeannie B. Concha, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor in The University of Texas at El Paso’s Department of Public Health Sciences, has been selected to serve on committees for two major diabetes and Latino public health organizations in the United States starting in January 2022.

Jeannie B. Concha, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor in The University of Texas at El Paso’s Department of Public Health Sciences, has been selected to serve on committees for two major diabetes and Latino public health organizations in the United States starting in Jan. 2022.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) appointed Concha to serve a two-year term on the ADA’s Education Recognition Program (ERP) Committee. The ERP Committee oversees the audits of all national Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) programs. DSMES is a cost-effective tool provided by the ADA and the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES) to teach people with diabetes how to improve health behaviors to better control their diabetes and related conditions.

Concha’s term will end Jan. 1, 2024, at which time she will be eligible for consideration for a second two-year term.

Concha was nominated and elected scientific co-chair of the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Latino Caucus for Public Health (LCPH). The LCPH’s mission is to represent and advocate for the health interests of the Latino community, both within and outside the APHA, while providing leadership opportunities for students and young professional to engage in research, policy, and advocacy efforts. The caucus plays a pivotal role in policy and health issues that impact Latinos throughout the Americas.

As LCPH’s scientific co-chair, Concha will set the agenda for scientific sessions at the APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo in November 2022. She also will oversee the review process of abstracts and presentations for submissions for the Latino Caucus.

Concha is the founder of the Diabetes Garage at UTEP, a diabetes management and self-care program for men with diabetes. The program offers educational workshops to men in El Paso, San Antonio and Harlingen, Texas.

Concha’s research interests include Hispanic disparities in diabetes, mental health and coping, cultural health beliefs and community health. Her work has been published in leading public health journals. In 2021, she was recognized with the ADA’s Young Investigators Abstract Award.