Education
MSW, School of Social Welfare, UC Berkeley
BA, Interdisciplinary Studies Field, UC Berkeley
Minor Public Policy
Research Interests
Political government structures and governance, health equity, structurally disadvantaged communities, disadvantaged unincorporated communities facing environmental injustice, climate change, and health inequities, GIS and mixed methods for small populations.
Research Description
My research examines how U.S. political structures and governance render low-income communities of color structurally vulnerable to adverse health, environmental, and social outcomes. Currently, I am examining how the absence of a local government structure in rural disadvantaged unincorporated communities that rely solely on distal county government and electorate for decision-making impacts the distribution and quality of social determinants of health and health outcomes. Many of these communities are on the front lines of climate change and environmental injustice. However, little is understood on how their political structure may make unincorporated communities vulnerable to adverse health events. I am using mixed methods, including GIS, to conduct research studies in the San Joaquin Valley and broadly in California and Texas. Additionally, I am interested in identifying productive methods for understanding the challenges of small hard to count populations. My research interests are grounded in over a decade of work alongside rural communities of color in the San Joaquin Valley, addressing racial and spatial health inequities associated with the built and social environment while working at a federally qualified health care center and non-profit organizations. My work is inspired by the ingenuity, tireless work, and situated knowledge of residents throughout the Valley and in particular Madera Country.
Selected Publications
Gomez-Vidal, Cristina, and Anu Manchikanti Gomez. “Invisible and unequal: Unincorporated community status as a structural determinant of health.” Social Science & Medicine 285 (2021): 114292.
Honors and Awards
RWJF Health Policy Research Scholar
2021-2022 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, Research Grants
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
Measuring County Incorporation Status for Examination of Racial and Spatial Health Inequities
Role: Co-Investigator
2020-2021 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Dissertation Grant
The Legal Reproduction of Infant Health Inequities in Unincorporated Communities
Role: Principal Investigator
2015-2016 Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Grant, University of California, Berkeley
Underrepresented Student Research Ambassador Program
Role: Co-Project Lead