2018 Latina of Influence | Natalie Sanchez, MPH
Hispanic Lifestyle is pleased to recognize for her professional achievements in Healthcare Strategy, Operations, Filmmaker and Community Educator Natalie Sanchez, MPH as a 2018 Latina of Influence. Ms. Sanchez along with our entire list of 2018 Latinas of Influence are invited to participate in Hispanic Lifestyle’s 2018 Latina Conference taking place April 4 and 5, 2018 in Ontario, California.
Natalie Sanchez is a third generation Mexican-American born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She has brought Latino social and psychological issues center stage into arenas for discussion and in raising the social consciousness that is shifting cultural norms around female roles, sexuality, gender identity, and addiction. She is passionate about writing, Latina Leadership, and changing organization and cultural norms around oppressive issues. She is currently working on a new film project to address and prevent child sexual abuse within the Latino community.
She is well-known for her work as co-creator, co-writer and producer of the award-winning telenovela web-series “Sin Vergüenza” which addresses the stigma of HIV in Latino communities. In 2013, her series won the Imagen Award for “Best Online Series: Informative or Reality” and in 2016 the second season received 5 Imagen nominations. On January 8th, 2018 season 3 of the ground-breaking award winning series was released covering topics that include addiction, mental health, and recovery. Her training in socio-cultural and gender related topics has influenced her approach to addressing public health issues to educate and eliminate HIV shame and stigma. Sin Verguenza is the first online series of its kind filmed in both English and Spanish using the same cast and script. This innovative decision to film the show bilingually — meaning both English and Spanish version doubled the show’s reach and made it an international educational success.
Natalie is a two time BRUIN with a Masters in Public Health from UCLA’s Executive MPH Program and holds a Bachelor Degree in Sociology. She has a background in program development, project management, and community planning. She is the Chair for UCLA’s Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services Community Advisory Board and is a member of the statewide California HIV Planning Group. She also served a two year term on the Los Angeles County HIV Commission representing the needs of Latino providers and consumers. She has dedicated 15 years of her career to reducing HIV and improving medical outcomes in Latino communities. Natalie is currently the Administrator of AltaMed’s Specialty Department where she manages a team of 50 employees overseeing medical and prevention services for HIV and Hepatitis C serving over 1,700 HIV positive clients each year. For the past 9 years she has worked at AltaMed the largest Latino HIV medical providers in Southern California with clinics in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Natalie has created and led some of the largest and most successful multicultural HIV campaigns as well as implemented a combination of public health strategies to reduce HIV infections in Southern California. Sin Vergüenza and Ask Me About PrEP campaigns have become a prominent HIV educational tool among community health organizations across the country aimed at reducing HIV health disparities in the Latino community. She is not only a leader in HIV but has broken into the film industry where she has used film for public health messages and had created a space showcasing Latinos as main characters in their own lives.
