Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville
FOCUS
As a pediatrician, child advocate, and educator, I have dedicated my career to clinical care, education, advocacy, community engagement, and scholarship to promote health equity for all children and families, with a particular focus on children in immigrant families. I prioritize work outside the walls of the medical center in an effort to learn from community partners, build cross-sector collaboration, and activate systems-level promotion of health equity and social justice.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: Cross-sector Policy Initiative to Support Health Equity for Latinx Migrant Families
When all children, no matter their ZIP code or passport, can achieve optimal health and wellbeing, we all collectively benefit. In the United States, one in four children lives in an immigrant family, meaning that child or at least one parent was born outside of the US. In South Carolina, this number has reached one in 10, the majority of whom identify as Latinx. Over the past several years, restrictive immigration-related policies have increasingly jeopardized the health and wellbeing of immigrant families. Families have been systematically separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S.-born children in immigrant families have not participated in public programs due to the chilling effect of the proposed public charge regulation, refugee resettlement has been dramatically reduced, and families fear separation due to increased interior enforcement.
My strategic initiative is focused on cross-sector, multilevel capacity to support health equity for Latinx families, with an emphasis on immigration-related policy and practice. As a pediatrician and advocate, I will collaborate with colleagues from diverse sectors, including health, education, and legal sectors, working via my roles with the American Academy of Pediatrics at the national and state levels and at the local level through my role as the medical director of PASOs, an organization that seeks to build a stronger South Carolina by supporting Latinx communities with education, advocacy, and leadership development. My priorities include: (1) education and advocacy regarding immigration-related policies, (2) workforce development, and (3) access to critical services, such as healthcare, education, and legal representation.
MORE ABOUT JULIE
I am a pediatrician dedicated to building a national, regional, and local Culture of Health that includes all children and families. My health lens is focused on the social determinants of health, with recognition of family immigration status as a neglected social determinant of health.
Click here to watch Julie’s Legacy Project video.