Dr. López is a public health researcher who melds her clinical expertise in trauma, stigma, mental illness, and substance use disorders with public health theories in an effort to further advance health equity among underserved minority populations. She focuses on understanding and addressing the barriers to accessing fundamental healthcare needs among marginalized groups by implementing community-engaged research. She has formal public health training in behavioral science and epidemiology, and extensive experience in quantitative and qualitative study design and analysis. A fundamental purpose of her work is to uncover the platform for these populations to share their lived experiences by engaging in a crucial combination of destigmatizing clinical practice, research and community collaboration. Moreover, her efforts include the reduction of health disparities affecting sexual and gender minority individuals by facilitating appropriate interventions that are dedicated to diminishing the mechanisms through which stigma and varying forms of trauma/minority stress impact health outcomes.