Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity
Health Equity Action Lab
An equity-based, coalitional space for individuals and communities to collectively collaborate, participate, research, and engage in social health and wellbeing.
About HEAL
The CCDE Health Equity Lab supports and promotes community-based health equity research. HEAL engages a holistic definition of health that includes individual, community, and social health and wellbeing. Through a focus on academic-community partnerships and participatory methodologies, HEAL serves as a resource for researchers, community leaders, policymakers, and practitioners working toward greater health equity.
Roundtable Series
Meet the Roundtable Speakers
Dr. Carmen Gonzalez
Associate Professor, Communication,
UW Seattle
Dr. Carmen Gonzalez is the Dart Endowed Assistant Professor in Trauma, Journalism, and Communication. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Communication, and B.A. in Journalism and American Studies, from the University of Southern California. Through interdisciplinary and community-based research, Dr. Gonzalez’ work is focused on digital equity and health communication.
Dr. Jody Early
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Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies, UW Bothell
As a social scientist, health education specialist, and certified health coach, Dr. Early's work with and in communities is rooted in principles of community-based participatory research, transnational feminism, and health justice. Her scholarship examines the intersections of structural, historical, and social ecological factors on health equity, gender equity, and health behavior and the application of critical and digital methods in health promotion and higher education.
Dr. Timeka Tounsel
Assistant Professor, Communication,
UW Seattle
Timeka N. Tounsel is an Assistant Professor of Black Studies in Communication. She earned a Ph.D. in Communication Studies with a Graduate Certificate in African American and Diaspora Studies from the University of Michigan, where she was also a Rackham Merit Fellow. Dr. Tounsel’s work considers the stories that society tells about Black women and the narratives that Black women craft about themselves.
Dr. Jessica D. Moorman
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Assistant Professor, Communication,
Wayne State University
Dr. Jessica D. Moorman is a fourth generation Detroiter who researches how media shape health and development over the life course. In her primary area of research, Dr. Moorman examines the media’s role in shaping Black women’s single socialization; the process by which attitudes and beliefs about single status are acquired.
Dr. Jessica Chen
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Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
UW Medicine
Dr. Jessica Chen is a clinical psychologist, chronic pain specialist, and health services researcher. She previously worked as a staff psychologist at the VA Puget Sound Pain Medicine & Functional Restoration Center. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on social determinants of health and the implementation of evidence-based psychosocial interventions for chronic pain and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Dr. Chen’s current projects are focused on increasing patient involvement in treatment decision-making and leveraging national VA data to examine disparities in access to telehealth treatments for chronic pain and opioid use disorder.
Mercy Bertero
Graduate Student, Health Communication,
UW Department of Communication
Mercy Bertero is an MA/PhD student in Health Communication at the University of Washington, and our lead research assistant in the Health Equity Action Lab. Her work explores culturally responsive healthcare solutions, community-based interventions, and strategies to enhance equitable care access. Mercy is currently focusing on projects that inform tailored, accessible postpartum depression interventions for new mothers and identify effective mental health support for first responders and military veterans.
What does community engagement mean to you?