Cristina's Story

Focused on Understanding

Cristina Gomez-Vidal, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Riverside, in the Department of Society, Environment, and Health Equity. She is a UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare graduate and is a former UC Merced Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Health. Her interdisciplinary research bridges public health, social welfare, and public policy as she investigates the role of governance structures in shaping health outcomes in underserved and unincorporated communities.​​

​

As a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar alumna, Dr. Gomez-Vidal has a track record of addressing critical health and social inequities. Her current research is funded by the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program, where she is developing governance indices to explore the impact of county governance on health outcomes nationwide. Dr. Gomez-Vidal’s research provides actionable insights to improve governance structures and enhance the health outcomes of vulnerable populations, particularly in underserved communities in rural and urban unincorporated communities.