Laura Avellaneda-Cruz's Email

Community bridge builder and catalyst for chance. Bilingual (Spanish-English) Master of Social Work and educator with experience leading training and systems change efforts around domestic and sexual violence, reproductive coercion, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma in healthcare and other systems. Have experience designing, leading, and analyzing multi-methods research; aggregating and disseminating epidemiological surveillance data; creating culturally and locally-relevant health materials; providing technical assistance to health care organizations & social service projects with diverse communities; and teaching and training ages 8 - adult. Visual artist, community builder and writer. Specialties & Interests: Domestic violence, sexual violence, reproductive coercion, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Prevention of and intervention in violence within healthcare settings. Trauma-informed institutions and organizations. Perinatal health and healthcare. Maternal child health. Gender, racial, and reproductive justice issues. The Alaska Tribal Health System. Immigrant and refugee health and social services. Cultural and community-based violence prevention and intervention. Children and youth. Community-based participatory research. Multi-lingual and multi-cultural research and planning. Qualitative research methods. Community organizing and community engagement. Policy and systems-level change. Youth and arts-based research. Photovoice. Teaching. Dialogue facilitation

Program Manager @ I work on a grant from the Office of Minority Health to collect, analyze, and report data on intimate partner and sexual violence in Alaska, focusing on disparities affecting Alaska Native people, and disseminate this data to tribal leaders and the health care system; to improve data and information about resources on violence in Alaska; to assist tribal health organizations to improve their screening for domestic violence and sexual violence and their services and supported referrals for patients, and to support organizations and communities to become "trauma-informed" and "trauma-responsive." From December 2010 to Present (5 years 1 month) Adjunct Faculty @ Taught HS220, "Core Concepts in the Health Sciences" to undergraduate students. This course covered the determinants of health, the functions and approaches of public health, population health data, an introduction to the medical system and the roles of medical professionals, behavioral change and social marketing, and a strong focus on health disparities. From October 2011 to June 2012 (9 months) Researcher, grant-writer, educational planner @ For Friends of the Jesse Lee Home: Coordinated meetings, conducted background research, did educational planning and grantwriting for a proposed Alaska Native leadership-based charter school to be located in the former Jesse Lee Home orphanage in Seward, Alaska For Home Base After School Program: Created and implemented challenging, life skills-based mathematics curriculum for youth ages 9 - 14, resulting in .75 grade levels growth in math skills in .4 of a school year. From March 2010 to October 2010 (8 months) Community researcher/organizer and program planner @ Short, grant-funded position to pull together needs assessment and community engagement project in the Mt. View community of Anchorage for the planning of a Community Justice and Family Services Center and work with service providers to articulate the vision and details of the center. From May 2009 to January 2010 (9 months) Evaluator/public health intern @ Recruited for, conducted and analyzed English and Spanish language focus groups with 39 breast cancer survivors in Alaska for Providence Cancer Center Co-designed and evaluated breast and cervical cancer education and screening program for immigrant and refugee women with the Anchorage Health Literacy Coalition From May 2008 to September 2008 (5 months) Educator & Advocate @ Gave age-appropriate educational presentations to K-12 students on sexual violence & professional trainings to adults, from bartenders and bouncers to principals to priests Provided advocacy to victims of sexual violence From 2006 to 2008 (2 years) 3rd grade bilingual teacher @ Accepted into rigorous program in a year with 11% acceptance rate Designed and implemented challenging and empowering curriculum for lowincome students, primarily English Language Learners Coordinated School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Committee, Served on district planning committee for literacy practices and delivered literacy workshop at Teach For America’s spring conference From 2004 to 2006 (2 years)

MSW, Management of Human Services & Community Organizing, Children & Youth @ University of Michigan School of Social Work From 2007 to 2009 K-8 teaching credential, Elementary Education and Teaching @ Alliant International University From 2004 to 2005 BA, Critical Social Thought & Studio Art @ Mount Holyoke College From 2000 to 2004 HS diploma @ Steller Secondary School From 1994 to 2000 Laura Avellaneda-Cruz is skilled in: community bridge-building, Community Engagement, Program Evaluation, Focus Groups, Teaching, Grants, Public Speaking, Survey Design, Community Organizing, Non-profits, Research Design, Community, Public Health, Fundraising, Research