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Home » Programs » Instituto de Salud y Educación sobre Tratamientos » Biographies
Instituto de Salud y Educación sobre Tratamientos
Carlos Maldonado cmaldonado@latinoaids.org
Director
(212) 584-9314

Biographies


Yanira Arias

The Institute’s director Carlos Maldonado and assistant director Maria Luisa Hernandez, MD, have more than 30 years combined experience in Spanish-language healthcare and HIV treatment education.   

Carlos Maldonado was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He obtains his BA in Fine Arts in the University of Puerto Rico and started his MFA in Film making at NYU. In Puerto Rico he was involved in the advancement of the LGBT community co-founding the first LGBT organization in the island. In 1974 he moved to NYC, were he worked for the District Council 1707 and the Local 205 Union, processing medical claims and managing the retirement plan. In 1988 with the rise of the HIV/AIDS pandemic he joined the Latino Caucus of ACT-UP and the Treatment Committee of ACT-UP where he was assigned to create and strengthen international links with other activists. During that time he helped to organize ACT-UP Americas a chapter dedicated to promote the access of treatment medications in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1992 he joined the International Organization of People Living with HIV/AIDS based in the Netherlands were he help to coordinate with Dr. Peter Piot director of UNAIDS a forum on access to medications during the XI International AIDS Conference in Vancouver, Canada . Mr. Maldonado has been invited as a guest speaker at the First and Second National Vaccine Conference in Brazil hosted by the World Health Organization. In 1996 he collaborated with the US/Cuban Project in the first HIV/AIDS conference held in Cuba; during that time he started to work in the Latino Commission on AIDS were he developed the Bilingual Treatment Education Program capacitating health service providers on a monthly basis in NY for 11 years. In 2000 the program expanded trough the USA and territories. Mr. Maldonado serves in several pharmaceuticals Community Advisory Board. In 2009 he started as a Director of “Puente Para la Salud” a capacity building program gear to expand services provided to the LGBT community in NYC. 

Dr. Maria Luisa Miranda was born in Ecuador where she studied medicine at the Universidad Central del Ecuador, specializing in Gynecology and Obstetrics. In 1994 settled in New York City and 3 years later she started working for the Latino Commission on AIDS in 1997 as Health Educator. Under the Ryan White contract she coordinated and developed various curriculum and educational materials aimed at training personnel from community agencies and people living with HIV / AIDS. She participated as a lecturer at the conference Rayos de Esperanza in Rochester 1997. Dr. Miranda was an active member of the Planning Council of the City of New York from 2004 to 2006. She also provided HIV training for clients and service providers. In 2006 she started working with the Religious Project of the Latino Commission on AIDS and started training leaders of various religious denominations on HIV/AIDS. During 2007-2008 she served as coordinator of the Cumbre Nacional de Educadores de VIH/SIDA and the Spanish-speaking Conference of ONECA sponsored by the United Nations in Honduras. On several occasions she has been invited as the keynote speaker at the Conference of the GPC of New York state covering issues on immigration and HIV. In February 2009, Dr. Miranda served as one of the exhibitors at the International Conference of Women in Managua, Nicaragua.


 
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