Rate My Professor Gloria Coronado

Gloria Coronado, PhD, serves as Professor of Public Health and Director of the Center for Health Disparities Research in the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She holds the position of Associate Director of Population Sciences at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. Dr. Coronado earned her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Washington, where she previously worked as a research associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and as an associate member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She received additional training at Stanford University. Before joining the University of Arizona, she directed a research program at the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest, focusing on colorectal cancer early detection through systems-based approaches to enhance screening and follow-up in health plans and clinics across Washington, Oregon, and California.

As an epidemiologist dedicated to addressing health disparities, Dr. Coronado leads a well-funded research portfolio that promotes evidence-informed strategies to engage hard-to-reach populations in preventive health behaviors, particularly cancer screening. Her innovative, cost-effective interventions have improved participation rates among patients at community health centers, fostering partnerships with large health plans, state institutions, and community clinics. Utilizing health system data and population segmentation, her work delivers targeted outreach and tailored messaging to advance health equity and efficiency. Her team develops culturally relevant patient education materials in English and Spanish—including fact sheets, videos, and training modules—that have been disseminated to hundreds of health systems and organizations throughout the United States. Dr. Coronado has served as principal investigator, co-investigator, or co-principal investigator on over 50 federally funded grants and has authored or co-authored more than 230 peer-reviewed manuscripts. She previously served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Cancer Institute and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Improving the Representation of Women and Minorities in Clinical Trials and Research. In 2020, she was recognized as Mentor of the Year by the Health Care Systems Research Network.