McSorley Champions Health Equity for Latinos

Anna-Michelle McSorley, assistant professor of allied health sciences, joined the faculty of the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) this fall. Her work focuses on addressing health inequities related to policies and data collection for Latinos, particularly Puerto Ricans.

"I'm well-situated at UConn to engage with the very population that is migrating from that territorial context into the state of Connecticut," McSorley says.

According to the most recent U.S. Census data, 18.6% of Connecticut's population is Hispanic or Latino, equating to more than 670,000 people. Puerto Ricans constitute the largest Latino group within this population, representing roughly 45%. Nearly six million Puerto Ricans live outside of Puerto Rico in the States in total.

McSorley is based at UConn Waterbury. Waterbury has a large Latino population, including more than 110,000 Puerto Ricans. This positions McSorley well to engage directly with the communities her research stands to impact.

"It's the rigor of research translated into policy action to benefit the people we are trying to serve," McSorley says.

Much of McSorley's work focuses on Puerto Rico, which is neither an independent nation nor a state, but a territory of the United States.

McSorley, who identifies as a "Nuyorican" raised between New York and Puerto Rico, understood this unique status from a young age. She realized there was something about how she was able to travel between the U.S. and Puerto Rico that was distinct from other Latino communities and countries.

"I started thinking about that very early in my life," McSorley says. "Then, through my education, I was able to pinpoint this difference, identify policies and structures that affect it, and have the vocabulary to highlight it as part of my research."

In her research, McSorley takes an expansive view of the federal and local policies, systems, and agencies that affect our health.

"I think of traditional health policies," McSorley says. "But I also think of others in our social sphere, like economic policies, that also ultimately shape health outcomes."

McSorley recently contributed three papers to a historical special edition of the American Journal of Public Health - the first to exclusively focus on Latino health issues - in which Puerto Rico is prominently featured.

McSorley was the first author on one of these papers focusing on three key policy areas contributing to health and health care inequities in Puerto Rico: FEMA, Medicaid, and political representation in the island area.

McSorley and her collaborators assess the ways in which the distribution of FEMA aid and Medicaid funds to the territory perpetuate health disparities.

McSorley's paper also highlights the role of political representation, or the lack thereof, in the differential application of federal policies in the territory of Puerto Rico.

"Yes, these are matters of health policy," says McSorley. "However, it's also a question of political processes, potential political biases, and power dynamics."

As a territory, Puerto Rico is not a self-governing state. Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens but cannot vote in presidential elections. They are governed by policies enacted by the U.S. Congress, thousands of miles away.

In a major election year, Puerto Rico's unresolved status as a territory could become a mobilizing issue across the Latino community, McSorley says.

"After all, what is being observed in Puerto Rico also serves as a sort of 'canary in the coal mine' for communities across the States," says McSorley. "For instance, the Medicaid block grant structure employed in Puerto Rico has been proposed as an alternative Medicaid funding structure in the States. If applied, this could lead to the same types of cuts to benefits we see in Puerto Rico."

The other papers to which McSorley contributed in this edition focus on improving data collected on Latino groups. Data often treats Latino populations as a monolith. However, this group includes dozens of unique populations.

One paper calls for better empirical methods for data collection and health statistics that more accurately represent the population. The second paper focuses on Latino reproductive health inequities.

"I want to address data gaps," McSorley says. "How we collect data on Latinos, and Puerto Ricans specifically in the U.S. or the territory matters in terms of honoring different needs of populations."

This work relates to CAHNR's Strategic Vision area focused on Promoting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice and Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally.