Dr. Alba Diaz

Dr. Alba Lucia Diaz is a Professor in the Department of Healthcare Leadership.

She served the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and other United Nations (UN) agencies for 15 years at full time Senior L-4 level positions, designing, implementing and managing large, complex community-level educational and health projects for excluded and vulnerable groups in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Based on this tenure, she retains a valuable global network with UN agencies, for which she has continued consulting.

Dr. Diaz graduated from the University of San Francisco (USF) with an Ed.D in International and Multicultural Education. She is the author of over 25 UNICEF/WHO/UNESCO educational manuals, co-author of a textbook chapter, as well as author of over 35 peer-reviewed publications.

While her formal teaching focused on excellence in coursework, she motivates students to take on leadership roles with local, national, and international organizations to advance the mission of National University beyond its classroom borders.

Research Interests
  • Investigation of burden of disease, social justice, and equitable health care, with special emphasis on international migration, population dynamics, complex humanitarian emergencies, reproductive health, globalization, and global cooperation.
  • Reinforcement of cultural sensitivity, cultural competence, and appropriateness of any community health promotion intervention.
  • Identification of the influence of culture on illness, health and rehabilitation
  • Application of social marketing, community organization and ecological approaches within strategic health education framework.
  • Evaluation and implications of social determinants of health in social justice
  • Study of grassroots interventions in the reduction of health and education disparities.
  • Analysis of the interconnections between politics, power and poverty: Building the essential link between education- advocacy and empowerment.
  • Promotion of Peace processes and Conflict Resolution
Professional Memberships
  • American Public Health Association (APHA)
  • American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)
  • United Nations Association of USA (UNA-USA) Birmingham Chapter
  • UAB Leadership Foundation Program
  • Athena – European Network – Migration and Health. Paris/Barcelona
  • Southeast Asian Association of Indigenous Cultural Psychology. Denpasar (Bali).
  • UNICEF/WHO/UNESCO

Over fifty (50) International Conferences in Europe, Asia, and Africa
As keynote speaker and presenter.

  • Stanford University

Doctoral Degree Program on Tropical Medicine
Five (5) of Dr. Diaz publications with UNICEF/WHO/UNESCO are on Tropical Medicine.

  • University of San Diego

Doctoral Program on Strategies in Curriculum Development

  • University of Connecticut

Three years as keynote presenter at the Strategies for Accelerated Schools Plus

  • University of California- Berkeley

Graduate program on Occupational Health

UN Publications:

1988- 1998:
Author and Editor of over 30 UNICEF/UNESCO manuals, textbooks, and teaching materials. Some of them:

  • Health Education and Community Mobilization Strategies for Local Program Managers
  • Child-to-Child Training manuals for school teachers on School based health education
  • Field manuals for integrated WES approaches
  • National Health Education Strategy (Nigeria)
  • Teachers and CHWs: Strategies for Community Based Programs.
Scholarly Publications:

Diaz-Cuellar, AL; Evans, S (2014) “Working with Diverse Groups” chapter of the book “Cultural Competence for Health Education Practitioners” 2nd edition John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (“Jossey-Bass).

Diaz, A.L., Schoeller-Diaz, D.A (2013) Community Health Workers’ effectiveness in the prevention of the Ulysses Syndrome. Proceedings Second International Conference of Indigenous and Cultural Psychology, Factors Promoting Happiness, Health, and Quality of Life 2011, 2011 December, 23(061):18

Diaz, A.L., Labarca C. (2011) Ulyses Syndrome. Athena Migration and Health. Into Rev Psychiatry. 2011 November.

Diaz, A.L., (2007). Indigenous Culturally Connected Health Educators/Promotoras: Preventing HIV/AIDS in the Latino community of San Francisco and San Mateo, University of San Francisco, California. Dissertation.

Diaz, A.L., Rifo, M (2006) Popular Education and Participatory Research: Proceedings international Conference, University of California, Berkeley

Diaz, A.L. (1999) Women and the new millennium: Scientific contributions in favor of humankind. Technical Report 90. Vatican Research Center, Italy.

Diaz, A.L., Osorio JA, (1997) Serving Afro- Colombian- Indigenous and rural communities in extreme levels of poverty: Choco, Nariño, Guajira, Amazonas. Technical Report – UNICEF, Bogotá, Colombia.

Diaz, A.L. (1996) Community-based Care during the Childbearing years. Technical Report – UNICEF, Bogotá, Colombia.

Diaz, A.L. (1996) PROANDES- UNICEF – National strategies on Basic Health & Education.

Dr. Alba Diaz

Contact Information

Dr. Alba Diaz

College: School of Health Professions

Department: Community Health

[email protected]

(858) 309-3497

Kearny Mesa Campus

Education

UC San Francisco - EDD - International/ Multicultural