Interview with Dr. Carolina Bejarano, an Assistant Professor and clinical child psychologist in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Carolina M. Bejarano is a member of the 20th class of the YWCA Rising Star Equity Leadership Program and a board member of Apoyo Latino (The Greater Cincinnati Latino Coalition), a community-based network and resource hub in Cincinnati, Ohio, dedicated to improving access to services for Hispanic/Latino individuals.
Dr. Bejarano discusses her upbringing, family environment, and cultural background, and their impact on her life. She shares her passion for pediatric psychology and her career’s blend of scientific challenges and personal fulfillment. Dr. Bejarano highlights her cultural contributions to her professional experience and her role as a board member of Apoyo Latino, a Cincinnati-based community organization. She shares her experiences, the lasting impact she can make on children’s health and development, and the variety of treatments available for childhood illnesses. Dr. Bejarano also discusses her selection to the 20th class of the YWCA Rising Star Equity Leadership Program and her advice to individuals inspired by her, particularly within the Latino community.
The full transcript of the interview is available on the Latina Today podcast on Apple Podcasts.
Dr. Bejarano, raised in a Colombian-American family, speaks both Spanish and English. Her upbringing in Cincinnati, a predominantly non-Latino city, and Miami, a predominantly Spanish-speaking city, both shaped her perspectives. To complete the final year of training for her PhD, she matched at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 2020, which was a full-circle experience to come back to Cincinnati as an adult. She reconnected with old friends and neighbors, especially those of her parents. She finds that the Latino community in Cincinnati has grown and strengthened very much since her family lived here in the 90s.
Dr. Bejarano’s journey into pediatric psychology began during her undergraduate studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she double majored in psychology and Spanish. Her research mentor focused on anxiety in Latino youth, deepening her understanding of research, assessment, and treatment for anxiety disorders in Spanish-speaking Latino families. This experience introduced her to various clinical child and pediatric psychology options, including therapy, assessment, research, and teaching. Recognizing the interconnectedness of these fields, she pursued a career in pediatric psychology.
After years as a research coordinator, Dr. Bejarano enrolled in graduate school at the University of Kansas, where her interest in pediatric psychology deepened. Pediatric psychology focuses on health promotion and the connection between physical and mental health. She became passionate about supporting youth and families in coping with chronic illnesses and adopting healthy behaviors that benefit their well-being.
Dr. Bejarano’s research incorporates cultural influences, primarily focusing on eating behavior, obesity, eating disorders, and food insecurity in Latino families. During her postdoctoral fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, she studied food insecurity, which involves inconsistent access to healthy foods and beverages. She studied food insecurity and its weekly variation among adolescents and teenagers in our cardiometabolic health clinics, especially those with type 2 diabetes and liver disease. She aimed to understand the relationship between eating behavior in these families and children with cardiometabolic conditions. She found that food insecurity, especially its inconsistency over a month, is due to fluctuating food access caused by paychecks or SNAP/food stamp receipt schedules.
Dr. Bejarano stated that inconsistency was related to more disordered eating in teenagers with cardiometabolic conditions. And she thought that was really interesting, and then I put that together with the knowledge that we have that Latino families are disproportionately affected by both food insecurity and cardiometabolic conditions, like type 2 diabetes. She wanted to study the relationships between food insecurity and health in Latino adolescents specifically. And she designed a study around that to understand that, but she thinks on a different level. She also sees that Latino families are excluded from research a lot of times, even due to language.
Sometimes, Dr. Bejaranos says, “we don’t have Spanish study materials, so we can’t enroll Spanish-speaking families. I wanted to create something for Latino families because they’re disproportionately affected by issues like food insecurity and cardiometabolic health. I also wanted to create something that teenagers from Latino families would see as relevant and empowering. Having felt like an outsider with my culture made me want to focus on empowering Latino adolescents to be part of their community and take care of their” health.
Dr. Bejarano talks about her role as a board member at Apoyo Latino, emphasizing the importance of making a lasting impact on the emerging community’s health and development. She finds joy in their unique perspectives and the science of treating childhood illnesses. She’s grateful for the relationships she’s made and has joined the board of Apoyo Latino this year, working with wonderful members. Inspired by community-serving and generous work, she’s growing her work in community-engaged research to maintain these connections.
Dr. Bejarano, honored to be part of the 20th class of the YWCA Rising Star Equity Leadership Program, eagerly anticipates learning skills for both nonprofit and academic spaces. She’s particularly excited to meet and befriend this cohort of women leaders, whom she’s met some of already. Grateful for programs empowering women leaders, especially Latinas, she encourages others to grow, take on opportunities, and let their voices be heard. Dr. Bejarano emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself, showing up, being brave, and embracing one’s strengths and cultural values.
