Aquí Nos Cuidamos

Since September 2020, I have directed Aquí Nos Cuidamos, a community-centered project improving the capacity and agency of marginalized and vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico to promote COVID-19 prevention and vaccination and mental health through science engagement and multimedia education. Aquí Nos Cuidamos was named the 2021 Breakthought of the Year in Science Engagement at Falling Walls. Learn more by watching my talk below.

Aquí Nos Cuidamos, which roughly translates to "we take care of each other" features a multimedia education toolkit consisting of four public service campaigns with images, infographics, videos (in Spanish and sign language), audios, and written materials that present science in accessible and practical ways, contextualized to the Puerto Rican reality and culture, and that anyone, from individuals to government entities, can use to promote COVID prevention and community well-being. Meanwhile, our community engagement program consists of listening sessions, conversations, WhatsApp chats to listen to leaders and representatives of marginalized communities and entities that provide them with services and a Community Ambassadors Program, to train and support 10 Puerto Rican leaders intheir efforts, with funding, communications and graphic design help and mental health workshops. 

PRESS FOR AQUÍ NOS CUIDAMOS

• Conoce a CienciaPR: Empoderando las comunidades a través de la educación sobre el covid-19 (Meet CienciaPR: empowering communities through covid-19 education) (September 12, 2021) Noticel
• Aquí Nos Cuidamos: A COVID-19 toolkit for Puerto Rican communities (May 1, 2021) Engineers & Scientists Acting Locally (ESAL)
• Taking Care of Each Other, With Science and Solidarity (April 19, 2021) Simons Foundation

"Infórmate, protégete, vacúnate", a rumor tracking program

From March to June 2021, CienciaPR, with Puerto Rico Public Health Trust (PRPHT), Ciencia en Tus Manos (CETM) and Internews, participated of a rumor tracking program called "Infórmate, protégete, vacunate", led by Mercy Corps Puerto Rico. The program monitored social media and worked collaboratively with 14 communities in different parts of Puerto Rico to collect rumors about COVID-19 and vaccines, and create and provide science- and needs-based information in real time to address them. I was CienciaPR's lead for the project. You can see examples of the content below and read more about our approaches and results HERE and HERE.

Cuídate, Cuídame

In the fall 2020, the Puerto Rico Public Health Trust (PRPHT), Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR), and the humanitarian organization Mercy Corps Puerto Rico, ran "Cuídate, Cuídame" (Take care of yourself, Take care of me) campaign to encourage young adults between 20-39 years of age (who have consistently had the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Puerto Rico) to adopt healthy behaviors to minimize their risk of infection. The campaign included social media content, public service announcements, and conversations between scientists and influencers. I was CienciaPR's lead for the campaign. You can find all the content HERE. 

Connecting scientists with media

Since early March 2020, I have guided more than 60 members of the CienciaPR network in the publication of more than 90 Spanish-language articles about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. I have also coordinated or facilitated more than 70 Spanish-language radio, TV, podcast, and press interviews with scientists and experts who are members of the CienciaPR network. You can learn more about the story behind some these efforts in this NPR interview. You can read, check out of the articles and many of the interviews HERE (in Spanish).

Hay que tomar acciones contundentes (We most take urgent actions) (April 25, 2022) TeleOnce

• 'Perfect storm of factors' advanced surge of omicron infections in Puerto Rico (December 28, 2021) MSNBC
• Cinco puntos importantes para frenar contagios de COVID (Five ways to curb COVID infections) (December 20, 2021) Noticentro Edición Estelar WAPA TV
• "Aquí Nos Cuidamos" al vacunarse contra el COVID-19 ("Aquí Nos Cuidamos" (Here, we take care of each other) by getting vaccinated against COVID-19) (May 7, 2021) Noticentro al Amanecer WAPA TV

Op-eds & articles

• Las mascarillas son libertad y solidaridad (Why I will keep wearing my mask in public) (March 5, 2022) El Nuevo Día
• COVID-19: La pandemia de todos (COVID-19: Everyone's pandemic) (July 23, 2021) El Nuevo Día
• Vacunas de COVID-19 pa' los barrios (COVID-19 vaccines for marginalized communities) (December 21, 2020) El Nuevo Día
• Solidaridad en Acción de Gracias: Cómo evitar el COVID-19 (Thanksgiving solidarity: How to avoid COVID-19 (November 23, 2020) El Nuevo Día
• The government of Puerto Rico’s main strategies during COVID-19: ineptitude, misinformation and secrecy (April 19, 2020) Latino Rebels
• Faltan datos y transparencia ante la pandemia de COVID-19 (Data and transparency are lacking in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic) (April 2, 2020) El Nuevo Día

• Salubristas urgen reforzar medidas preventivas ante aumento en casos de COVID-19 (March 24, 2022) El Nuevo Día
• A la expectativa del anuncio de Pierluisi el lunes sobre flexibilizaciones a medidas por el COVID-19 (Awaiting Pierluisi's Monday announcement on new COVID-19 measures) (March 5, 2022) El Nuevo Día
• Pareja que se negó a llenar Declaración de Viajero irá a juicio por desafiar orden salubrista (Couple who refused to fill out Travel Declaration Form will go to trial) (January 12, 2022) El Nuevo Día
• Puerto Rico's COVID-19 positive rate jumps from 2% to over 30% in just two weeks (January 3, 2022) ABC News
• Esto es lo que debes hacer para reducir el riesgo de contraer COVID-19 en las fiestas navideñas (This is what you should do to reduce your risk of getting COVID-19 during the holidays) (December 19, 2021) El Nuevo Día
• "Science and solidarity": Why Puerto Rico leads US in Covid vaccinations ("Ciencia y solidaridad": Porque Puerto Rico lidera la vacunación anticovid en EEUU) (November 9, 2021) AFP
• Destacan logros de la isla ante el virus (Puerto Rico's achievements in the face of the virus highlighted by international media and personalities) (October 28, 2021) El Nuevo Día
• We are already barreling towards the next pandemic (September 29, 2021) The Atlantic
• For the most part, Puerto Ricans didn’t politicize the COVID vaccine. Here’s the result. Mayoría de puertorriqueños no politizó la vacunación contra el COVID. Este es el resultado. (September 3, 2021) Miami Herald y El Nuevo Herald
• These videos could boost COVID vaccination rates (June 22, 2021) Scientific American
• ¿Con la vacuna contra el covid-19 te inyectan un poco del coronavirus vivo para que desarrolles anticuerpos? (With the covid-19 vaccine, do they inject you with some of the live coronavirus to make you develop antibodies?) (April 26, 2021) Univisión
• Puerto Rico Just Had Its ‘Worst Moment’ for Covid-19 (Puerto Rico acaba de experimentar su ‘peor momento’ con la COVID-19) (April 23, 2021) The New York Times
• Rol protagónico de la comunidad científica ante la pandemia del COVID-19 (The leading role of the scientific community in the COVID-19 pandemic) (March 15, 2021) Primera Hora

• Ómicron ¿cuánto preocupa la nueva variante y cómo me protejo? (Omicron: How concerning is this new variant and how do I protect myself?) (November 30, 2021) El Nuevo Día

• Temporada de Huracanes 2021 y la vacunación para COVID-19 (2021 hurricane season and COVID-19 vaccination) (August 3, 2021) Ada Monzón

• ¿Causalidad o coincidencia? Cómo comunicar la ciencia detrás detrás de los efectos secundarios de las vacunas de COVID-19 (Causality or coincidence? How to communicate about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines) (March 2, 2021) Association of Journalists of Puerto Rico