American Democracy & Health Security

American Democracy and Health Security

Lighting a path forward amid pandemic Polarization

Gabriela Plasencia

Health Equity Policy & Primary Care Fellow, Duke-Margolis and Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community  | Family Medicine and Primary Care Physician, Duke Family Medicine  |  National Clinician Scholar  |  LATIN-19 Executive Board Member

Gabriela Plasencia

Gabriela Plasencia is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and health equity policy researcher, currently completing the National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) at Duke University. Her research focuses on measuring and addressing health inequities among marginalized and minoritized populations, with a particular focus on Latinx populations. She uses qualitative, mixed methods, community-based participatory, systems mapping, and implementation methods in her research. Recent projects have focused on the experience of systemic racism among Latinx communities during the pandemic, community-engaged strategies to improve COVID-19 testing and vaccination for Latinx communities, and increasing outreach and enrollment in Medicaid and ACA Marketplace-based insurance for eligible, but not enrolled Latinx populations.  She is also the Health Equity Policy and Primary Care Research Fellow for Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. As part of this policy fellowship, she serves as a Policy Fellow at Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation (CMMI) in the Policy and Programs Group. She aims to address root causes of health inequities observed in her clinical practice by improving the understanding and measurement of systemic racism, how it impacts diverse marginalized and minoritized populations, and integrating improved measures in value-based care

 “There were a lot of policies – institutional, state, and federal – that were harmful to Latino populations because they did not consider the unique needs of the Latino populations in the process of creating and implementing. LATIN-19 started off with people that were aware of their position of power.”

Gabriela Plasencia

Health Equity Policy & Primary Care Fellow, Duke-Margolis and Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community  |  Family Medicine and Primary Care Physician, Duke Family Medicine  |  National Clinician Scholar  |  LATIN-19 Executive Board Member

Gabriela Plasencia

Gabriela Plasencia is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and health equity policy researcher, currently completing the National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) at Duke University. Her research focuses on measuring and addressing health inequities among marginalized and minoritized populations, with a particular focus on Latinx populations. She uses qualitative, mixed methods, community-based participatory, systems mapping, and implementation methods in her research. Recent projects have focused on the experience of systemic racism among Latinx communities during the pandemic, community-engaged strategies to improve COVID-19 testing and vaccination for Latinx communities, and increasing outreach and enrollment in Medicaid and ACA Marketplace-based insurance for eligible, but not enrolled Latinx populations.  She is also the Health Equity Policy and Primary Care Research Fellow for Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. As part of this policy fellowship, she serves as a Policy Fellow at Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Innovation (CMMI) in the Policy and Programs Group. She aims to address root causes of health inequities observed in her clinical practice by improving the understanding and measurement of systemic racism, how it impacts diverse marginalized and minoritized populations, and integrating improved measures in value-based care

 “There were a lot of policies – institutional, state, and federal – that were harmful to Latino populations because they did not consider the unique needs of the Latino populations in the process of creating and implementing. LATIN-19 started off with people that were aware of their position of power.”