USF College of Public Health (COPH) grad Monica Beltran emigrated to the U.S. from Colombia when she was 11 years old and put herself through Rollins College in Orlando by working as a hotel housekeeper. 

From Orlando to Tampa

Beltran graduated from Rollins in 2009—not exactly a booming time for the economy. Instead of heading into the workforce, she decided to head to graduate school. She had an inkling that she’d like to do something health related, but she knew she didn’t want to focus on anything clinical in nature. 

After investigating her options, Beltran settled on the COPH where she pursued an MPH in epidemiology. “I read about the epidemiology program and thought, ‘This is exactly what I want to do,’ ” she said.

To help cover her expenses, Beltran worked in the university’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs—but the hours she put in prevented her from participating in just about all student organizations and extracurricular activities. 

Except one.

Beltran became active in the USF BRIDGE Clinic, a student-driven free health clinic for uninsured patients living in Tampa. BRIDGE is a collaborative effort between public health students and their medical, social work, pharmacy and physical therapy counterparts.

As part of the public health team, Beltran provided HIV screening and counseling, often interpreting for Spanish-speaking clinic goers. “I also acted as a kind of cultural bridge,” she said, “helping patients feel like they were being treated with dignity and respect. It was the first time I really saw how broken the health care system was. I felt like it was my responsibility to help fix it. I really wanted to do something that could help the health care experience of black and brown patients.”

From Epidemiology to Philanthropy

Thanks to the connections she made at the BRIDGE Clinic, Beltran was able to get a job with CityMatCH after graduation.

CityMatCH is a national membership organization of maternal and child health (MCH) programs and leaders in city and county health departments. The group represents urban communities in the U.S. 

“Honestly, I didn’t even really know what the organization was about,” Beltran confesses. “I was just really excited to get a job.”

As program coordinator of CityMatCH’s program supporting birth equity, Beltran traveled across the country assisting local health departments in their efforts to achieve equitable birth outcomes. 

“For example,” Beltran said, “if we found that a community had a lot of infant deaths due to prematurity, we investigated what was driving it. In one area in Ohio, we found that 90 percent of births in the region were taking place at a Catholic hospital and women weren’t being given information about contraceptives and spacing their children to help avoid premature births.”

From CityMatCH, Beltran went to the Colorado Health Foundation in Denver. In her role as a program officer, she acted as a liaison between the community and the foundation’s resources, helping with programs focused on affordable housing, food access and security, access to opportunities for physical activity and healthy schools.

Today, Beltran is a program officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. According to its website, its mission is to “support children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions to propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society.”

Beltran manages the maternal and child health investments and works with a philanthropic budget of about $3 million a year.

“Everything we do is about the children,” Beltran stated. “Everything that we do has to be connected to the goal of having a nation in which all children thrive. And anything that we do has to align with our DNA, which is racial equity and racial healing, developing leaders and engaging communities in solving their own problems.”

Beltran says she works to create a network of services and interventions to ensure infants are born alive and healthy with equity in outcomes for all populations and that moms exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least six months. She also works on supporting policies that change the narrative about birth outcome disparities. 

“For example, right now I am working with an organization called the Institute for Medicaid Innovation on increasing access to midwifery services for Medicaid patients. We’re working to close the health equity gaps and make sure everyone has the same opportunity to thrive.” 

Alumni Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

A veterinarian.

Where can we find you on the weekends?

If it’s sunny in Michigan, then sitting outside!

What is the last book you read?

“Born a Crime,” by Trevor Noah.

What superpower do you wish you had?

“I’d really like to make people understand that everyone deserves a chance to achieve their best health and live to their full potential.”

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

“Coraline.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health