Testing Agricultural Workers For COVID-19: A Learning Session with Frontline Clinicians

Eva M. Galvez, MD, is board certified in family medicine and lives in Hillsboro, Oregon. In 2004, she received her degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine. She completed her residency in 2007, at Sea Mar Community Health Center, and since then Dr. Galvez has worked in federally qualified health centers. Since 2010, she has worked at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, where she sees a large number of patients, mostly Spanish-speaking immigrants. She is committed to providing excellent quality, humane and culturally sensitive health care to all people in her state. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants and seasonal farm workers, she has a special interest in the health challenges faced by immigrant families and seasonal farm workers. Dr. Galvez also teaches family medicine students. She believes she has a responsibility to help train the future generation of family physicians and, above all, to sensitize future physicians to the cultural barriers and determinants affecting immigrants. She has served as clinical family medicine faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine and currently holds the position of clinical mentor for family medicine residents at the Wright Center. She is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and currently serves on the scientific advisory board of the Project to Prevent and Reduce Adverse Health Effects of Pesticides on Indigenous Farmworkers. She is a proud wife and mother of two.

Dr. Gayle Thomas serves as the medical director of the North Carolina Farmworker Health Program, a statewide voucher program supporting outreach workers to migrant and seasonal farmworkers. She also is an assistant professor of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina, and enjoys bringing medical students and residents with her to care for farmworkers on a mobile medical van in Benson, NC. Prior to this position, she worked as a family physician for 23 years at the Carrboro Community Health Center with primarily Spanish speaking patients. She grew up in Napa, California and did her medical training in Los Angeles. She was born in Tandala, Democratic Republic of Congo to missionary teachers.

Jannette Nuñez (she/her) serves as MCN’s Program Manager for International and Emerging Issues, where she works to enhance the health and well-being of migrants and mobile populations through clinical, educational, and advocacy services. Fluent in English and Spanish, her work revolves around implementing evidence-based interventions to uplift vulnerable and underserved communities. With a passion for social justice, Nuñez has devoted her career to promoting community well-being. 

Before joining MCN, Nuñez held positions in both governmental and non-profit sectors. She served as the Executive District Aide for the Florida House of Representatives and later as the Mayor and Commission Liaison for the City of North Miami Beach, advocating for constituents and creating community health-based initiatives. Prior to her governmental roles, Nuñez served as an Unaccompanied Children Shelter Advocate at Americans for Immigrant Justice, providing support and advocacy for unaccompanied immigrant children in ORR custody. 

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Nuñez graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in international relations. Currently based in Austin, Texas, she is pursuing a master's degree in public health. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her pup Ace and spending time with her family and friends.