Latino Health Collective Retreat Gathered City Officials, Policymakers, Public Health Workers, Medical Professionals, and Community Leaders to Unite Latino Voices
November 6, 2025
Held at George D. Behrakis Grand Hall at Drexel University on October 10, 2025, the Latino Health Collective (LHC) hosted its third annual retreat with city officials, policymakers, public health workers, medical professionals, and community leaders in attendance. This year’s theme was “Advancing Latino Health: Learning, Connecting, and Cultivating Strength.”
Organizers of the event included LHC founder and co-director, Ana Martinez-Donate, PhD, professor of community health and prevention and associate dean for public health practice and external relations at the Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH), Mariana Lazo, MD, PhD, LHC co-director and research professor of community health and prevention at DSPH, Reina Lopez, MS, senior project manager at DSPH, Annelies Smilde, MPHTM, project manager at DSPH, Claudia Zumaeta-Castillo, MPH, research coordinator and PhD student, and Paula Garcia, MPH student.
"These collaborations are essential to cover the gaps in services experienced by Latinos and other disadvantaged communities in our region." - Ana Martinez-Donate, PhD
The organization was recently selected as the Health and Wellness Achievement award winner for the 2025 Philadelphia Welcoming Awards, in recognition of their outstanding commitment to immigrant inclusion and empowerment. They will be recognized at the Welcoming Awards Dinner on November 13 at Temple University’s Center City Campus.
The LHC consists of over 60 different organizations that serve Philadelphia’s Latino community. The collective was formed in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has since expanded to address a range of social, economic, and health issues impacting communities to reduce health disparities.
The retreat aimed to build community, resilience, and connection within the collective while fostering meaningful networking and collaboration opportunities among participants. It also sought to strengthen skills and expand resources to enhance participants’ ability to better serve communities. In addition, the retreat provided space to explore strategies for addressing pressing issues in Latino health.
The day began with opening remarks from Martinez-Donate who provided an overview of the LHC’s work and what the day ahead would entail. Next, Usama Bilal, MD, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and co-director of Drexel Urban Health Collaborative, presented about unlocking the power of data, introducing real tools that are accessible to the public. He shared different strategies to have a meaningful impact and effect change as well as provided take home materials.
Following a brief coffee break, attendees then gathered for a panel discussion on navigating policy shifts while sustaining services for Latino communities. Panelists gave a brief presentation on their organization or office’s services then an interactive Q&A with attendees commenced. Panelists included Orfelina Payne, executive director of the Puentes de Salud; Charlie Elison, executive director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs for City of Philadelphia; Drexel Kline School of Law alumnus Marlee McCadden, JD ’22, clinical fellow at the Clinic for Asylum, Refugee, and Emigrant Services at Villanova University; DSPH alumnus Palak Raval-Nelson, PhD, health commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health; Julia Rivera, MA, chief external affairs officer at Congreso de Latinos Unidos; and Lisa Pozzi, executive director at the Philadelphia AIDS Consortium.
After the panel, attendees paused for lunch and a resource fair with several vendors sharing handouts with vital information about their services for Latino communities and giveaways. During this hour of the retreat, live Andean music was played by Patricio Acevedo, a Chilean musician.
The schedule of events began again with a networking activity. True to the retreat’s overachieving goal to leverage connections, participants were paired and guided through conversation prompts to foster collaboration opportunities.
“While we maintain an ongoing dialogue and exchange of resources virtually throughout the year, getting together and sharing time and space once a year helps strengthen our collaborative ties and foster new partnerships. These collaborations are essential to cover the gaps in services experienced by Latinos and other disadvantaged communities in our region,” said Martinez-Donate.
Next attendees took part in a workshop on fundraising strategies for Latino health initiatives. The workshop was facilitated by Leah Reisman of the Barra Foundation, Peter Gonzales, Esq, of PG Law, P.C., and alumnus Caitlin O’Brien, Scattergood Foundation, who each shared different methods and campaign ideas to secure funding that will support organizations’ missions and long term success.
To conclude the event, Lazo delivered closing remarks then welcomed attendees to stay for a networking reception with light refreshments.
Some key takeaways from the event include:
- We are living in a rapidly changing landscape and there are multiple threats to Latinos’ health and well being.
- Now more than ever, accurate and timely information regarding resources and needs is essential to inform programs and initiatives that support Latino health.
- Collective efforts by local partners representing multiple sectors and areas of expertise can facilitate information sharing, resource exchange, and partnership building to promote Latino health.
LEARN MORE ABOUT the Latino Health Collective