Betty graduated with a BA in Psychology from Columbia University in 2018. She then obtained her MPH from the Yale School of Public Health with a focus on Social Behavioral Sciences and a concentration in U.S Health Justice in 2022. Before coming to Yale, Betty worked in the Dominican Republic as a health educator and at the Columbia Cancer Center as a project coordinator for a tobacco cessation program.
In graduate school, Betty served as one of the Executive Directors at the HAVEN Free Clinic, a student-run clinic that partners with Yale Medicine and community organizations to provide comprehensive primary care services to the uninsured community in New Haven. Additionally, Betty worked with the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement on program evaluation for projects related to COVID-19 and maternal child health inequities in New Haven.
Betty is passionate about empowering girls of color as well as developing and implementing youth-led programs to address health inequities. As part of her MPH thesis and under the mentorship of Dr. Opara, Betty utilized a strengths-based approach to develop a healthy relationships toolkit with the goal of providing Latina girls from Paterson, NJ with the tools to make their own best decisions when it comes to romantic relationships. Betty is excited to be back at the SASH lab as a Postgraduate Associate and is looking forward to collaborating with youth to create empowering interventions for youth of color.