For more than twenty years, Soto has dedicated her career to being a leading advocate for Latino immigrant equality, inclusion and health equity in Colorado and throughout the nation. From working with teen parent programs and serving on the Colorado Vaccine Equity Task Force, to promoting health equity at the American Diabetes Association, Soto has pioneered a wide range of programming designed to empower marginalized communities.
Her advocacy efforts have appeared in publications throughout Colorado, as well as NPR, Time magazine, Hispanic Executive, the American Public Health Association’s Public Health, Religion and Spirituality Bulletin, and a new documentary from the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition. She has been a featured TEDx Talk speaker, and her success in leading and managing evidence-based prevention programs serving new immigrants has been recognized at both the state and national levels:
Her work and achievements continue to inspire other immigrant hopefuls and newcomers in Colorado and across the globe. A Channel 22 documentary chronicling her journey navigating systems in the United States and becoming successful in a new country, Mexicanos Exitosos, aired in both Mexico and Spain. In 2021, Soto’s innovative programming and community-based intervention strategies earned one of Colorado’s most prestigious honors when Colorado Governor Jared Polis proclaimed September 20, 2021 as “Julissa Soto Day”. Since then, Julissa’s efforts have led to the vaccination of more than 30,000 Latino adults, youth and children, as well as the distribution of more than 180,000 COVID-19 tests and 90,000 masks.
Today, Soto is proud to continue to provide consulting and education services to partners and agencies throughout Colorado and the United States as CEO and founder of Julissa Soto Latino Health Equity Consulting. She serves on the Health Equity Commission for the Colorado Department of Public Health and is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Co-Chair of the Regional Accountable Entity (RAE) Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC), which provides guidance on health equity and outcomes. She also serves on the Suicide Prevention Commission for Colorado representing the voices of suicide attempt survivors – and particularly those facing multiple disparities. As a member of the Vaccine Community Advisory Board, Julissa contributes to research at the University of Colorado and Childrens Hospital by advising research recruitment efforts, connecting staff to community organizations, participating in discussions about vaccine and COVID treatment, and advocating for inclusive research practices. She also serves as a board member for Colorado Migrant Rural Coalition (CMRC) – where she advocates for healthy equity and economic justice – and is member of the DEI Advisory Committee for Early Milestones Colorado as well as the KIPP Colorado Public Schools Board of Directors. She is a board member of Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice (CAHEP), and in 2022, Julissa became a member of the Legislative Leadership Network for the Colorado Catholic Conference, where she combines her faith and health equity advocacy, and is a member of the Denver Catholic Medical Association.
At the national level, Julissa Soto is an active member of the National Hispanic Medical Association, and she currently serves on the United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s Behavioral Health Equity steering committee. She is also a member of the National Conference for Immunization Coalitions and Partnerships Planning Committee and serves on the Immunization Workgroup for the National Association of County and City Health Officials. As a Cultural Advisory Board member for Vaccinate Your Family – a national nonprofit organization that strives to protect people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases – she shares her extensive health equity expertise to aid in the development of outreach plans to increase pediatric COVID vaccine uptake in marginalized communities.
In her spare time, Julissa serves as an Ambassador with the Colorado Department of Public Health Care and Finance, and is proud to partner with Young Invincibles as a mentor empowering young adults to enhance their voices, impact and economic opportunities.
Topics: Health Equity and Vaccines, Experiences of Immigrants and Refugees
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