San Jose State University
10/04/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/04/2024 11:43
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra Introduces New Health Care Initiative During SJSU Visit
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra visited San José State on an unseasonably overcast Monday morning, but his message was anything but gloomy. Becerra, the first Latino to hold the position, toured campus alongside President Cynthia Teniente-Matson and other campus leaders, as well as Society of Latino Engineers and Scientists (SOLES) President Antonio Hueso-Fernandez, '25 Mechanical Engineering, and CSU Student Trustee and CSU Channel Islands student Jazmin Guajardo.
Their journey began at the Arch of Dignity, an SJSU landmark commemorating Mexican-American labor leader and civil rights activist César Chávez, where Becerra was greeted by SJSU leadership as well as a group of student innovators and STEM majors.
20-Year plans
Becerra spoke briefly about his background as a child of farmworkers and then took student questions. He seemed as eager to hear from them as they were to hear from him - at one point, he asked them all to consider where and what they'd be in 20 years, eliciting impressive answers ranging from "president of a global company" to "sustainability professor" to "head of the engineering department at a university."
Katy Reyes, '26 Aviation, told the secretary that she hopes to be a commercial pilot. "[His question] really made me think," she says. "Now it feels like, 'Okay, this is what we're doing. This is the goal.'"
As both the child of immigrants from El Salvador and a transfer student, the visit meant a lot to Reyes. She found out about the secretary's visit the day before, and she says, "I ran to Target to get every single detail ready. That's how important it was to me. I wanted to be meticulous because things like this are what make the college experience for me."
Emerging Health Innovators (EHI)
Becerra traveled with and spoke alongside HHS colleagues - including Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Deputy Director Susan Monarez, and ARPA-H Portfolio Lead Patricia Gonzales Hurtado - to describe the newARPA-H Emerging Health Innovators (EHI) Initiative, which aims "to increase access to government research funding and address health care gaps in the U.S." ARPA-H, a government research funding agency, was founded in 2022 in order to "support high-impact research capable of driving biomedical and health breakthroughs that can deliver transformative, sustainable and equitable health solutions for everyone."
Along with U.S. Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Anna Eshoo,Becerra also visited the eighth floor of the newInterdisciplinary Science Building(ISB), where he heard brief presentations on health care innovations from SJSU faculty, including asmart breast pumpengineered by Lin Jiang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Biological SciencesProfessor Katie Wilkinson's workon understanding muscle stretch sensitivity to treat neuromuscular diseases; and the noninvasive wearable bioimpedance bladder sensor created by Nicole Zhang, assistant professor of nursing. Other elected officials in attendance included San José Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Assemblymember Alex Lee, Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei and Councilmember Domingo Candelas.
Becerra rounded out his morning visit with a press conference, which included remarks by both Lofgren and Eshoo, who helped fund the EHI initiative through their legislation and advocacy, as well as SOLES President Hueso-Fernandez and SJSU President Teniente-Matson. The speakers emphasized the importance of diversity in health care innovation, as well as the inclusion of Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSI) like SJSU in the innovations of the future.
"[We now have] vibrant opportunities to change the dynamic we see by including everyone who for generations never got to be a part of [the innovation process]," Becerra said. He added that the EHI Initiative wants to target "homegrown innovation," explaining, "We want to grow our own."
As part of this initiative, HHS announced plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU)with the California State University (CSU) system, which promises to "establish a cooperative framework that fosters collaboration between HHS and the CSU to support their respective missions and to coordinate and implement recruitment and outreach to a diverse student population at the CSUs for employment and educational opportunities in HHS."
As Lofgren pointed out, "We can't afford to exclude people from science because of the zip code they're in." Eshoo added, "Complacency and homogeneity are the enemies of innovation."
"We want to make sure everyone gets in this game," Becerra concluded.
The SJSU students, for one, are clearly ready to suit up.
Hueso-Fernandez found the secretary's visit to be "a truly impactful moment, not just for me but for my family as well. In less than two generations, our family's journey has gone from working in agricultural fields to introducing Secretary Becerra during Hispanic Heritage Month and soon graduating from SJSU's College of Engineering with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I want him to know that while SJSU has made incredible strides in increasing the number of Hispanic and Latino students in STEM, there is still much work to be done. That progress can be significantly accelerated through continued partnerships with initiatives like ARPA-H."
He added, "Before meeting Secretary Becerra, I had a certain image of the kind of individual I would encounter. However, when I met him, it felt like talking to a family member. He also asked me a thought-provoking question that made me truly envision myself as the president of a global company. I'm driven by the idea of helping create a clearer path for Hispanics and Latinos to reach executive positions in world-renowned companies."
Reyes was also eager. She called the secretary's visit "incredible," adding, "Seeing the [Secretary of Health and Human Services in person] is crazy. This was not on my 2024 bingo card."