Alumni Perspective: Angie Nataly Coronado, MPH ’23
With extensive experience as a health promoter, research assistant, and trained physician, Angie Nataly Coronado, MPH ’23, carries a deep commitment to advancing health equity through community-rooted work. Today, that commitment guides her role as a director of health equity at La Colaborativa, an organization focused on supporting and empowering Latinx immigrants and their families in Greater Boston.
Empowering and elevating Latinx immigrants and their families in Greater Boston as told by Angie Nataly Coronado, MPH ’23
“I wanted to be in a place where I felt valued and where my work had purpose. This is La Colaborativa. Its ethos is simple yet profound: to support and empower immigrants and their families, and ensure they have the resources, opportunities, and voice they need to thrive. This mission—to empower immigrants and hold institutions accountable—is something that is lived every minute of my day.
Through grassroots organizing, economic and environmental justice advocacy, youth leadership development, food access programs, and health initiatives, we work to meet the community’s most pressing needs while also trying to shift the systems that shape them to create lasting change. We need to invest in systemic solutions, and that requires centering the voices of those directly impacted.
As a Latina daughter of immigrants, I carry the weight of statistics that too often define communities of color: higher rates of chronic illness, low–birth-weight outcomes, education gaps, and healthcare bias, to name a few. These inequities are deeply personal to me. I spent years immersed in research on the social determinants of health, only to feel disillusioned by the constant emphasis on deficits rather than community strengths and assets. My lived experience taught me that we are more than data points—we are resilient, resourceful, and powerful.
That realization led me out of the academic library and into the heart of the community and into my role at La Colaborativa. My work is driven by a commitment to social justice, community power, and measurable change. I’ve led initiatives to make healthcare accessible in historically disinvested neighborhoods, built strong relationships with community members, and developed accountability systems to track equity outcomes. This is a much harder task than it may seem—especially during this particularly challenging season for many of the immigrant families we serve at La Colaborativa.
I’m devoting my energy to support them during this time. I believe educating others about the programs and initiatives led by La Colaborativa is a powerful way to show how valuable the organization’s work is.
One of the most impactful collaborations I’ve been part of is our partnership with fellow Harvard Chan alumna Elsie Taveras, MPH ’01, whose leadership has helped bring the Puente a la Salud Clinic to life. This first-of-its-kind initiative, in partnership with Mass General Brigham, offers accessible preventive care, chronic disease management, and adult immunizations directly within a trusted community setting.
At Puente a la Salud, residents can receive screenings and treatment for hypertension, diabetes, and cancer, along with culturally-relevant education and insight on nutrition and wellness. Beyond clinical services, our social risk mitigation team helps participants connect with primary care providers, navigate patient portals, and access essential social support systems. By integrating care with community-based resources, the clinic doesn’t just treat illness—it strengthens the relationships, trust, and systems that enable long-term wellbeing for our community members. Our executive director, Gladys Vega, said “This collaboration signifies a new model of addressing the root causes of health disparities in our community. By providing our residents with this new, holistic resource in an accessible, trusted location, we can bring to fruition a future where all residents, regardless of race or income, can live healthy, prosperous lives.”
Currently, we are working to integrate three of our key health-related programs into a unified, evidence-based intervention aimed at supporting whole-family health: Semillas al Bienestar. This is a pilot program that brings together clinical care through Puente a la Salud, food access via El Mercado, and hands-on cooking education in the Teaching Kitchen.
On January 5, 2026, we will celebrate five years of this groundbreaking partnership, a milestone that honors what can happen when community organizations and health systems work side by side. The anniversary will also mark the grand opening of our newly dedicated clinic space inside La Colaborativa’s Survival Center. I’m proud to not only be commemorating this milestone, but also the meaningful collaboration of two Harvard Chan alumnae working to dismantle structural barriers to care. I’m channeling much of what I learned at the School in this work, and felt inspired to share La Colaborativa’s work after reading what my fellow alumni are up to in Harvard Chan Monthly.
I know I cannot solve systemic problems alone. But I also know that real change happens when philanthropy listens to, partners with, and invests in the communities it serves. My philosophy is that the most sustainable form of giving is co-creating with community—not for them, but with them.
I’m grateful to be reminded that we’re all in this together, with our shared values and commitment to equity, justice, and public health.”
