Cultural Tailoring

I am a professional from a mixed background, my parents were of Irish descent on one side and born in Mexico on the other.  I've spent a lot of my life and career straddling cultural fences, trying to walk to stay connected to those worldviews and cultures.  Over time, I've seen my role more and more in terms of cultural tailoring -- trying to get key messages from the biomedical and public health research side transliterated for communities who may struggle to engage with this information.  And vice-versa, trying to express the values and perspectives of the communities I serve back to the biomedical research complex so that a deeper dialogue can occur.  Several of my publications focus on the public understanding of science.

Artificial Intelligence & Communities of Color

A group of faculty at Marquette University and I were contracted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to explore views of on the use of artificial intelligence held by four communities of color.  African American, Hispanic, Native American and South East Asian community representatives were included in a series of focus groups on the topic.  The white paper for this is here.  

All of Us Wisconsin - Culturally Tailored, Localized Advertising

With this NIH program, I have emphasized integrating local photography that speaks directly to the Hispanic community in Milwaukee, and working with African American media partners, we have used similar strategies to reach both communities.

Culturally Tailored COVID-19 Response for Communities of Color

I served as the Principal Investigator for a Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin COVID-19 rapid response grant focused on tailoring public health messaging early in the pandemic for communities of color who might not receive these messages through standard media outlets.  We used a wide range of strategies including street level art work, local influencers and artists as public health spokespeople, video, and music.

Hispanic COVID-19 Community messaging:

African American COVID-19 Community messaging:

The COVID-19 rapid response grant also allowed us to fund the production of a hip-hop song "Mask On It" featuring DJ Ray Nitty:

Mask On It Preview from Brian Klewin on Vimeo.