Gilberto Lopez

Gilberto Lopez is an award-winning interdisciplinary scholar and applied social scientist. As Charter Professor in the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University, he leads research on addressing social and health inequities in Latino communities. He is also the founding director of El Laboratorio, an innovative research and design studio dedicated to creating impactful projects that tackle social inequities affecting Latinx communities.

Dr. Lopez’s notable projects include COVIDLatino.org, a pioneering health communication campaign that delivers culturally tailored COVID-19 information to Latinos across the U.S., and the Migratory Student Summer Academy (MSSA), a STEM camp for the children of Arizona’s migrant seasonal farmworkers. These initiatives have garnered prestigious accolades, such as the 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award, the Hermes Creative Award, and numerous national health organizations and film festival recognitions.

An engaged public scholar, Dr. Lopez's work has been cited in major media outlets, including Univision, ABC, PBS, Kaiser Health News, NPR, Telemundo, and the Associated Press. Additionally, Dr. Lopez has served as an expert witness on federal immigration cases and has co-authored op-eds with public figures like Congressman Raul Grijalva and State Representative Megan Srinivas.

Dr. Lopez is a strong proponent of interdisciplinary approaches and has launched several key initiatives at Arizona State University. He created the Social and Health Inequities Research Training (SHIRT) program, which empowers students to conduct interdisciplinary research and develop critical thinking skills to address social inequities. Additionally, he launched Cien Cerebritos, a pilot program inspired by the Ronald E. McNair program, aimed at helping historically underrepresented groups succeed in graduate school. Under his mentorship, many students have advanced to prestigious PhD, MPH, and MD programs at institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Brown University, the University of Arizona, and UC Berkeley. His dedication to research and mentorship has earned him multiple awards, including the Dr. Manuel Servin Faculty Award and the inaugural Provost Charter Professor Award for embodying ASU’s charter of inclusion, public value, and community well-being.

Dr. Lopez received his Ph.D. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Harvard University, an MPH from Johns Hopkins University, and an MA in Medical Anthropology from Southern Methodist University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Institute at Oxford, UK. Born and raised in California's Central Valley to Mexican immigrant farmworkers, his journey from community college transfer student to Ivy League scholar fuels his unwavering commitment to social justice and empowering underrepresented communities.

Sneak Peek at Upcoming Work: Dr. Lopez is developing two innovative projects. The first is a cannabis education campaign that reimagines (and challenges) public health outreach by incorporating the arts, science, culture, and history into a culturally tailored campaign specifically for Latinx communities. The second is the Corrido Lab, an ambitious archive and research initiative inspired by his lifelong passion for the corrido genre (he used to sell music CDs at swap meets). This project aims to delve into the genre’s rich artistic, cultural, and historical layers.