Dual Awards Foretell a Bright Future
Growing up in a poor community in Brazil, Dr. Rogério Pinto knows what it’s like to live without all the things we take for granted in the U.S. This has inspired his community-based approach to social work and his commitment to involving members of the community in the development of questions for his research studies.
“Many things are happening in labs without community participation, and at the end of the day we still see a lot of hypertension, diabetes, and HIV, all health risks that are preventable,” he says. “Instead of getting better, people often actually see a worsening of their health.”
The Society for Social Work Research recognized Dr. Pinto’s doctoral research with its Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2004 for his paper “Factors that Influence African-American Women’s Participation in HIV Prevention Programs: An Ecological Perspective.” This year, Dr. Pinto, an assistant professor at the School of Social Work, received yet another award from the Society: the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Award, given to individuals who are doing innovative, rigorous research and having a notable impact on their field and profession.
Dr. Pinto has spent the last three years developing facilitative relationships with secretaries of health, mayors, and local coordinators in the Brazil Family Health Program. He and his research partners have interviewed nearly 300 Brazilians working for the program, including community health workers, physicians, and nurses.
The research aimed to determine the most pressing issues these professionals face as they provide preventive care to thousands of poor families. Now Dr. Pinto is working with a committee of health care professionals and researchers from Brazil to decide on specific interventions and trainings to address the identified concerns.
“The idea is not to have an entire community agreeing—this would be impossible—but to have the needs of a community reflected in the research I do,” he says.