Faculty and Staff Retreat

Dr. Glory Ruiz, Director of Public Health at Boston Medical Center, will lead a discussion on the wellness of the Massachusetts Latino community and how we can prepare our diverse student population to meet the health care opportunities in our region. 

Following Dr. Ruiz’ presentation, Dr. Elisa Castillo will discuss opportunities for the College of Health and Human Services now that Salem State is the first four-year public HSI - MSI in the Commonwealth. 

Dr. Ruiz is a trained medical professional and healthcare manager with experience in ambulatory, research and clinical care operations specifically in the areas of administration, personnel, grant and fiscal management, strategic planning and quality improvement. She has special expertise and interest in vulnerable populations and health care disparities, such as those that impact individuals who are at high risk of acquiring or are affected by HIV/STD/HCV/TB/COVID, addiction and homelessness. Dr. Ruiz has also served in several medical missions in the US and internationally. 

Dr. Elisa Castillo serves as the Assistant Vice President of Hispanic and Minority Serving Initiatives at Salem State University. A licensed psychologist in Massachusetts, Dr. Castillo has been a higher education professional focused on wellness, prevention and inclusion for the last 20 years. In her current role on the Inclusive Excellence team, her goal is to prepare the university to become a Hispanic and Minority Serving Institution with a focus on “Servingness” that considers the needs of Latinx and other underserved students to close equity gaps and help all students thrive. Under her leadership, Salem State has developed a “Roadmap to Servingness” to prepare to become an intentional HSI-MSI. Last summer (2024), she led a statewide consortium of emerging and designated HSIs that hosted the first New England HSI-MSI Conference.