Alexandra E. Samarron Longorio, MPH, RDN

About
In 2016, Samarron Longorio received a Bachelor’s in nutritional sciences (dietetic emphasis) with minors in biochemistry and women and gender studies at the University of Arizona where she also completed her dietetic internship becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist in 2017. The summer of 2020, she obtained a master's in public health (health promotion emphasis) at Northern Arizona University. As a Mexican immigrant, being a first-generation student and growing up in a single parent working class household, Samarron Longorio holds lived experiences that have informed her passion, and dedication for community engaged research, and program development. Since 2009, through grassroots community organizing, Samarron Longorio has led anti-deportation campaigns, immigrant workers’ rights collective advocacy strategies, housing justice efforts, and the design of higher education resources for Undocumented students in Arizona. In addition, she has worked with domestic violence survivors addressing issues of food insecurity, disordered eating, nutrition education and counseling. Her community engaged experiences led her to work as a research coordinator at the Center for Health Equity Research in Northern Arizona University (NAU-CHER) where she led the design and implementation of diverse health equity community engaged research projects. Some of her experiences in health equity research include: smoking cessation intervention design within Lakota communities in South Dakota, occupational health and safety research among Mexican Immigrant hotel housekeepers, health equity research capacity development, and community needs/assets assessment design using photovoice in Coconino County. Samarron Longorio has also combined her dietetics training and experiences in community engaged research to support the development of nutrition education and programming among Trans and Queer immigrant communities in Arizona. Some of her research and program design interests include: community based participatory research, immigrant health, food justice, occupational health and safety, culturally responsive nutrition intervention design and implementation, reproductive justice and immigrant Trans and Queer nutrition affirming care.