Biography

Cynthia M. Mojica is a Mexican-American who “grew up with the realization that there were not enough services targeting underserved, ethnically diverse communities, and not enough individuals with the skills, training, or knowledge to spearhead changes in those communities.” She is a graduate of the University of California, Davis (BAS, Biology and Psychology) and the University of California, Los Angeles (MPH). During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a clinic coordinator and Executive Administrator for Clinica Tepati, a non-profit, student-run organization providing free or low-cost medical care to a medically indigent barrio in Sacramento, CA. She also served as a health educator for migrant children living in Northern California. Following her graduate studies, Ms. Mojica became a project director in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at UCLA, managing two NIH funded research studies on breast and colon cancer. Ms. Mojica has been actively involved in the Latino Caucus of the American Public Health Association for over 10 years, receiving an award for Outstanding Leadership and Extraordinary Service in 1999 and chairing the caucus from 2000-2002. As a doctoral candidate in Health Services at UCLA, Ms. Mojica’s goal is to become an independent researcher focusing on issues of access, insurance coverage, cost, and quality as they pertain to underserved communities, particularly Latinos. Ms. Mojica will submit three papers in fulfillment of her dissertation requirements. The papers will address various aspects of “Predictors of Diagnostic Resolution of a Breast Abnormality Among a Low-income, Latina Population."