About Us: Research and Program Staff

Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, MPP
Senior Research Scientist
Associate Professor, UCLA School of Public Health

Ninez A. Ponce, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health and a senior research scientist at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. As Co-Principal Investigator of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2001 and 2003, she led the efforts in the measurement of race/ethnicity, acculturation, physician-patient communication, and discrimination. In addition, Ponce conceptualized the rationale and implementation of CHIS 2001's Asian ethnic oversamples and the cultural and linguistic adaptation of the survey.

Ponce was RAND's resident advisor to the Ministry of Health, Republic of Macedonia, and has worked at the World Bank, Catholic Relief Services in Thailand, and the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum. She is also a member of UCLA/Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research. Her research has focused on understanding macroeconomics effects on health and health care access in low-income countries, and more recently in low-SES neighborhoods and ethnic minorities in the U.S. Ponce received a 5-year career-development award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to explore neighborhood effects and health care market factors that may explain persisting racial and ethnic disparities in cancer screening. NCI's Special Populations Health Network recognized Ponce recently as a rising star in cancer disparities as part of her work with the Asian American Network in Cancer Awareness Research and Training.

Ponce is faculty advisor to UCLA's student-run Samahang Pilipino Education and Retention (SPEAR) and on several state and national committees: the Cultural and Linguistics Work Group of California's Office of the Patient Advocate, the Policy Board of the California Pan Ethnic Health Network, and Executive Board of the Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus of the American Public Health Association.

Ponce earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, her Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University, her doctorate from UCLA.