Paula Giraldo is a Public Health Associate in the Policy & Practice team at HRiA sponsored by the CDC’s Public Health Associate Program. Born in Cali, she was raised in northern New Jersey and eventually settled in her favorite city, Boston. She graduated from Boston University in May 2021, where she majored in Biology and minored in Public Health. Paula discovered her passion for public health in college, where she partook in studies on social determinants of health, eviction cases and housing conditions, and maternal health. Previously, through her work with Peer Health Exchange, she taught high school students in Boston about mental and sexual health. Paula also acts as Director of Education & Advocacy at the University Blood Initiative, a startup nonprofit focused on increasing the sustainability and equity of blood donation.