Tara Chico-Jarillo DrPH, MPH

Tara M. Chico-Jarillo, a member of the Tohono O'odham Nation and holds a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and Human Development and a Masters and Doctorate of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Arizona. Tara has over 15 years of experience working with American Indian families and communities throughout Arizona. Prior to her graduate studies, Tara worked for a tribal child protective service agency to reunite families. Her previous public health experience includes program evaluation and community-based participatory research in tribal communities with a focus on early childhood experiences. Her dissertation project focused on the prevention of alcohol exposed pregnancies and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders with an emphasis on understanding the process of adapting a prevention program for the urban Indian community. Throughout her professional and personal experiences, she has learned the value of community collaboration and the positive changes these collaborations can make in the communities they serve. Tara believes that community collaboration plays an essential role in providing access to a high-quality healthcare system