Geraldine Puerto, MPH
Geraldine Puerto (she/her/ella) is a Colombian, Indigenous, queer, first-generation immigrant scholar, artist, and educator. She is currently a doctoral student in Community Health Education at UMass Amherst. Her work aims to bridge research, art, and community organizing to advance health equity and collective liberation. Shaped by her experiences navigating migration, bilingualism, and systemic inequities, Geraldine is committed to decolonizing the spaces she works in while amplifying the wisdom and brilliance of marginalized communities.
Her facilitation draws from social justice pedagogy, community cultural wealth, and asset-based approaches that honor and uplift the lived experiences of community members. She has led and collaborated on numerous community-based research projects and creative initiatives.
Geraldine brings both critical insight and deep care into the spaces she co-creates. Her work invites collective reflection and storytelling, cultural affirmation, and reimagined possibilities for joy and belonging.
Research Coordinator II at UMass Chan (2018 - 2025)
Health Equity and Community-Engaged Research | Clinical and Non-Clinical Research
Projects: CONSULT BP, SPECTORx, Goal-Concordant Prescribing, ACP for Spanish-Speaking Community Members, US Deprescribing Research Network, DM-BOOST, Science Participation Resource Center
Graduate Research Assistant at the School of Public Health & Health Sciences, UMass Amherst (2023 - Present)
Health Equity and Community-Based Research | Clinical and Non-Clinical Research
Projects: ProMeSA, Faith Based Health Alliance (FBHA) Health Needs Assessment, Gambling Awareness Research Initiative (GARI)
Teaching Fellow at the School of Public Health & Health Sciences, UMass Amherst (2025)
Instructor in the Department of of Sustainability and Social Justice, Clark University (2025-Present)
Co-Principal Investigator for The Graffiti Storytelling Project through the Center for Community Health Equity Research at UMass Amherst (2024 - 2025)
Consultant, Project Manager, and Operations Manager at Promoting Good (2023 - Present)
Associate Producer for the Creative Content & Press Team for Love Your Labels Queer Art + Fashion Show, Worcester, MA (2025 - Present)
Board Member for Tapestry Health (2025 - Present)
Geraldine’s Work
I am a self-taught digital artist whose work largely focuses on social justice themes, intersectionality, and identity. As a result of my work in public health research, my most recent artwork has focused on exploring how art can be used as a communication tool to foster conversations around public health topics and epidemiological data.
My art piece “Perseverancia” was featured at the 2021 and 2022 Día de los Muertos Celebration in Worcester, MA.
In May 2022, I presented the art piece “The Snake” co-created with a fellow local artist, Germán Chiriboga, at the 2022 Child Health Equity Community Summit in Worcester, MA.
Additionally, my piece "La Lucha Seguirá" was selected to be part of the Ayer, hoy y siempre: Día de los Metros 2022 PopUp at the Jean McDonough Arts Center in Worcester, MA.
In May 2023, I presented the art piece “INCLU-ZONA” co-created with a fellow local artist, Germán Chiriboga, at the 2023 Child Health Equity Community Summit in Worcester, MA.
La Lucha Seguirá (2022)
Artist: Geraldine Puerto
Perseverancia (2021)
Artist: Geraldine Puerto
Joyful Bloom (2024)
Artist: Geraldine Puerto