Ileana María Ponce-Gonzalez

CEO/Executive Director

Ileana María Ponce-Gonzalez, MD, MPH is a clinical faculty member in the Department of Health Services, School of Public Health at the University of Washington. Her work has spanned from academia, clinical services, local and state government, and public health administration, where she has extensive experience working with diverse segments of the community in three different countries: Nicaragua, Chile and the United States. Her areas of interest include infectious diseases, community health and public health administration.

In Nicaragua, she directed the Infectious Disease Prevention Program, focused on the prevention of STDs, HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, and other tropical illnesses found in rural communities of Tipitapa, Managua. In the U.S., Dr. Ponce-Gonzalez’s work has focused on developing health care programs and outreach initiatives for underserved communities, building collaborative networks, performing needs assessments, and devising technical assistance and training programs for community health workers. Currently, she is the Executive Director and founder of the Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants and Refugees (CHWCMR), a passionate group of volunteers dedicated to the promotion, empowerment, leadership, continuing education and integration of community health workers into the health care system to improve the quality of life of underserved communities.