Junta Cultural Ambassadors

Although Hispanics suffer disproportionately from such diseases as diabetes, asthma, and certain cancers, they are underrepresented in clinical trials. The Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI) is collaborating with JUNTA for Progressive Action to help increase the participation of the local Latino community in clinical trials. The partnership helps ensure that clinical studies are designed to combat diseases that affect New Haven’s Hispanic community.

Representatives of JUNTA, New Haven’s oldest Latino community based non-profit organization, are serving as cultural ambassadors to Yale’s research programs, advising investigators how best to raise awareness of clinical research. YCCI provides cultural ambassadors with intensive training on clinical research topics so that they are able to answer your questions about participating in research. It is our hope that this collaboration will increase the participation of members of the Hispanic community in clinical research. Our goal is to bring medical advances to patients who need them.

Director of Operations, Junta for Progressive Action

Cheila Serrano is a co-founder, along with Yale leader, Tesheia Johnson, and community leaders of the AME Zion Church and Junta for Progressive Action, of the Yale Cultural Ambassadors program, launched more than ten years ago with a mission to catalyze the sustainable advancement of patient diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical research.

Born and raised in New Haven, CT, Cheila Serrano is currently pursuing a career in social work. In 2004 she joined Junta for Progressive Action as a volunteer for the Energy Assistance program. Seven months later she joined the staff as program director for the Family Management program. As a well known and trusted member of the community, she enjoys helping people and making their goals a reality.

Ms. Serrano decided to become a Cultural Ambassador because she recognized the importance for members of her community to be involved in clinical trials and informed about research studies. She knew that although they were not familiar with clinical research, it would benefit them and their families. Today, she feels confident when informing her community about research studies.

“The partnership with YCCI and Junta has open doors for our community to be informed and involved on research studies that some didn’t even know existed,” she said. “Now they have the chance to be informed about studies that could help their families and generations to come.”

Case Manager, Junta for Progressive Action

Rosaida Maldonado was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico and moved to the United States in 1993 with her family. She finished high school in Las Delicias High School in Ponce, went to Catholic University of Puerto Rico for a year, and then moved to the Ponce Paramedical College where she completed an Associate’s Degree in Pharmacy. After working several years with CVS Pharmacy, she switched to working with the community, serving as the Immigration Associate with Junta for Progressive Action. Currently she serves as an Intake Specialist.

Representative for Junta

Kattia Mendez is originally from Cienfuegos, Cuba. She became a Doctor of Medicine in 1996 in Cuba, receiving a specialist degree in general medicine in 2003. She continued to work in medicine until her immigration to the United States in 2008.

In 2008, Ms. Mendez received certification from RMA. She volunteered at the Hospital of Saint Raphael and Yale-New Haven Hospital from 2009 to 2011 and has also worked as a community educator and patient coordinator for Kool Smiles Company. In 2011, she became an instructor at Junta and a medical interpreter at Xtra Mile Interpreting. She also works in New Haven adult education as a Spanish GED teacher in reading, writing, math and science.

Ms. Mendez joined YCCI as a Cultural Ambassador because she enjoys helping the Latino community face many barriers when they come to the U.S. She is committed to promoting health education in order to change the lifestyle of her community. The Cultural Ambassadors program has enabled her to expand her knowledge about risk factors that influence transmissible and non-transmissible diseases. She appreciates the importance of disease prevention and disseminating research to obtain better outcomes when monitoring and treating disease.

Representative for Junta, Junta for Progressive Action and Cultural Ambassador to the Yale Clinical Research program.

Agueda Ocasio is originally from the Dominican Republic, where she studied medicine at Universidad Tecnologica del Cibao (UTECI) of La Vega. In 2007, she joined Junta for Progressive Action as the Program Coordinator of The Neighborhood Place. Agueda earned her Associates degree in Education, from Gateway Community College.

Ms. Ocasio works for the New Haven Board of Education. She is an In Home Support provider and Mentor with the Department of Developmental Services and was previously a paraprofessional at Christopher Columbus Academy. In recent years, she has been working to refer students and their families to resources at Junta. She is fully bilingual (English and Spanish).

Former Executive Director, Junta Lead Ambassador

Sandra Trevino-Ranalli, M.S.S.W., L.C.S.W., is a Cultural Ambassador and Former Executive Director of Junta for Progressive Action, a role she held for over 10 years. Previously, she also served as Associate Director for Community Research at the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI). She is a Licensed Certified Clinical Social Worker, specializing in mental disorders, treating individuals and their families since 2005.

In her role at YCCI, she developed and updated the strategic long-range plans for the Yale's community engagement activities to support clinical research at Yale to promote bi-directional collaborations between the clinical researchers and community partners. She oversaw YCCI's community outreach program which includes the YCCI cultural ambassadors program and new initiatives to expand this program throughout Connecticut, North Carolina, Puerto Rico and beyond. Her expertise in community engagement and support to underserved and underrepresented communities has been invaluable to YCCI’s Cultural Ambassador program, of which she was a co-founder, along with Yale leader, Tesheia Johnson, and community leaders of the AME Zion Church and Junta for Progressive Action, of the Yale Cultural Ambassadors program, launched more than ten years ago with a mission to catalyze the sustainable advancement of patient diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical research.

Ms. Trevino-Ranalli also served as a New Haven Police Commissioner from 2007 to 2014 and continues to serve on several boards, including the Tow Youth Justice Initiative Advisory Council at the University of New Haven, the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, and Read to Grow. She was recently a recipient of The Key to the City of New Haven Award, by Mayor Toni Harp, for her invaluable work towards social justice. She was a recipient, in 2014, of the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) One Woman Makes a Difference Award. In 2010, and again in 2017, she received the Yale University Seton Elm-Ivy Award, which recognizes those whose work strengthens collaboration and relationships between Yale and the New Haven community.