Dr. Ali Hurtado

Dr. Hurtado is an assistant professor and extension specialist at the Department of Family Science, School of Public Health. He has led the development, implementation, and evaluation of several health promotion interventions. He is currently leading a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture-CYFAR), a community-based participatory research project that aims to strengthen youth mental health. He is the lead investigator at UMD collaborating in the initiative ‘Well-Connected Communities’ funded by RWJF (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). His team is also engaged in parent-school engagement programs to increase youth academic performance and is conducting impact studies of school-based nutrition/health education programs.