Sofia I. Morales, MPH
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
Morales' research centers around health equity and disparities, with a focus on community engagement and cross-sector collaborations to address social determinants of health. Morales is particularly interested in understanding and addressing the root causes of health inequities, including structural racism and other forms of oppression. In her research, Morales incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex factors that impact food access, nutrition, and breast/chestfeeding outcomes, with the goal of identifying effective strategies to improve health outcomes for marginalized communities.
Public Health Interests
Breastfeeding; Chronic Diseases; Community Health; Epidemiology Methods; Health Policy; Maternal & Child Health; Nutrition; Poverty and Economic Security; Community Engagement; Stigma and Discrimination; Health Equity, Disparities, Social Determinants and Justice; Implementation Science; Qualitative Methods
Selected Publications
- The Implementation of a Nutrition Intervention in Food Pantries: The Spirit of SWAPMorales, S. I., Vicente, G., LaMonaca, K., Rios, J., Cunningham, S., Higginbottom, J., Mathios, E., Werlin, S., Cramer, J., Santilli, A., & O’Connor Duffany, K. (2023). The Spirit of SWAP. Health Promotion Practice. 2023;24(1_suppl):80S-91S. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399221112454
- Coalition Building and Food Insecurity: How an Equity and Justice Framework Guided a Viable Food Assistance NetworkSantilli, A., Lin-Schweitzer, A., Morales, S. I., Werlin, S., Hart, K., Cramer, J., Martinez, J. A., & O’Connor Duffany, K. (2022). Coalition Building and Food Insecurity: How an Equity and Justice Framework Guided a Viable Food Assistance Network. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11666. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811666
- Advancing Health Equity: An Innovative Program for Building Community Engagement in ResearchSantilli, A., LaMonaca, K., Carr, K., Rue, B., D’Angelo, K., Higginbottom, J., Morales, S. I, Taylor, M. A., Vicente, G. A., & Lin-Schweitzer, A., & O’Connor Duffany, K. (2022). Advancing Health Equity: An Innovative Program for Building Community Engagement in Research. Progress in Community Health Partnerships.
- Latina Women's Experiences with Health Facility Breastfeeding Care: Implications for Quality ImprovementRhodes, E., Vicente, G., Morales, S. I., Brown, L., O’Connor Duffany, K., VanderWoude, E., & Pérez-Escamilla, R. (2022). Latina Women's Experiences with Health Facility Breastfeeding Care: Implications for Quality Improvement. Current Developments in Nutrition, 6(Supplement_1), 707-707. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzac061.091
- Screening for social determinants of health among children: patients' preferences for receiving information to meet social needs and a comparison of screening instrumentsOldfield, B. J., Casey, M., DeCew, A., Morales, S. I., & Olson, D. P. (2021). Screening for social determinants of health among children: patients' preferences for receiving information to meet social needs and a comparison of screening instruments. Population Health Management, 24(1), 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1089/pop.2019.0211
- Standardizing Social Determinants of Health AssessmentsOlson, D. P., Oldfield, B. J., & Morales, S. I. (2019). Standardizing Social Determinants of Health Assessments. Health Affairs Forefront. https://doi.org/10.1377/forefront.20190311.823116
- Recognizing National Health Center WeekMorales, S. I., & Olson, D. P. (2018, August 12). Forum: Recognizing National Health Center Week. New Haven Register. https://www.nhregister.com/opinion/article/Forum-Recognizing-National-Health-Center-Week-13149342.php