HEALTHY AGING MONTH
Every September, Healthy Aging® Month invites us to look at aging from a positive perspective: not as a process of loss, but as a stage that can be lived with physical, mental, social, and financial well-being.
Safe Water Management During Droughts
During a drought, the water supply can become limited or less reliable, and in some cases the available water may not be safe to drink or cook with.
Protect Yourself from Sun and Heat This July
July is one of the most intense months of the year in Puerto Rico. The sun hits hard from early morning, and the heat lingers well into the night. This newsletter gives you practical, science-backed guidance from studies conducted right here in Puerto Rico and among Hispanic communities, so you and your family can stay safe.
Multisectorial Retreat 2026
Event Highlights Multisectoral Retreat Advances Community-Engaged Research and Health Priorities in Puerto Rico The Alliance, in collaboration with CEO and GROW-PR, successfully organized a Multisectoral Retreat at the Royal Sonesta San Juan on May 8, 2026. The retreat focused on strengthening collaboration among community organizations, healthcare providers, researchers, and institutional partners to advance community-engaged and…
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS IN PUERTO RICO
The mental health of the Puerto Rican population has been fundamentally reshaped by a rapid, chronological succession of large-scale emergencies. This cycle of disasters has created a complex environment of sustained psychological distress
Measuring Community Engagement in Research: Reflections from Puerto Rico’s Experience with the Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research
By: Edna Acosta Pérez, PhD, MSc Co-Leader, Community Engagement and Outreach Core Representing Puerto Rico at ACCEL Delaware 2025 I had the honor of representing The Alliance at the 2025 Community Research Exchange (CRE) hosted by IDeA‑ Clinical and Translational Research (CTR) from Delaware (Delaware‑CTR ACCEL), where I presented a workshop titled “Measuring the Impact…
MAPPING COLLABORATION IN THE ALLIANCE: SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS (2020–2025)
The Evaluation Core conducted a Social Network Analysis (SNA) to map and understand collaboration patterns across five years of the Alliance Pilot Project Calls (2020–2025). This innovative approach mapped Principal Investigators (PI)-centered collaborations (i.e., PI-to-collaborator links), representing the proposal-based connections across the research proposals applications submitted (research concepts papers and proposals) from 2020 to 2025.…
PHSU Doctoral Student Heidi Carrero Vallés Successfully Defends Dissertation on Buprenorphine Treatment Adherence in Southern Puerto Rico
On April 24, 2025, Ponce Health Sciences University Public Health Program doctoral student, Mrs. Heidi Carrero Vallés, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in epidemiology titled “Retention and Adherence to Buprenorphine Medication in Patients Diagnosed with Opioid Use at a Community-Based Clinic in Southern Puerto Rico.” The objectives of the research project were to describe the…
Poster on Technological Connectivity and Social Isolation in Puerto Rican Communities Wins Student Award at VI Puerto Rican Public Health Conference
The poster titled “Technological Connectivity, Social Isolation, and Community Resilience: A Qualitative Analysis of Community Forums in Puerto Rico” examines the challenges faced by isolated communities in Puerto Rico regarding access to technology, social connection, and the ability to recover from adversities. This study, conducted by the Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research, highlights how…
Strengthening Community Engagement and Support Through Capacity Building in Public Health
The Puerto Rico Community Engagement Alliance (PR-CEAL), in collaboration with Castañer General Hospital, Inc. (CGH), has enhanced public health preparedness in rural areas of Castañer-Lares, Jayuya, Adjuntas, and Maricao. From October 2023 to June 2024, PR-CEAL impacted 150 participants through initiatives in clinical research, first responder support, and public health policy education. Capacity Building for…