Anely Taylor is a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Arts in Public Health on a premedical track. Born and raised in Panama before moving to the United States, she developed a deep passion for listening to and learning from people’s lived experiences. Witnessing the struggles of underserved communities, she became attuned to the systemic and social barriers that limit access to essential care and opportunities. These experiences fuel her commitment to bridging medicine and public health through a culturally sensitive, sustainable, and holistic approach, one that incorporates mental health and community-driven solutions to close the gap between care and intervention, both in the U.S. and globally.
This summer, Anely worked under the mentorship of Dr. Maria Paniagua-Avila on a thematic analysis of interviews with Indigenous Maya community members in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. These interviews included perspectives from healthcare providers, religious leaders, psychologists, and local residents, with the goal of understanding how mental health is perceived and addressed across different care levels. The project aims to inform the design of a culturally grounded mental health program at the governmental and policy level, one of the first of its kind in Guatemala. Anely’s primary roles included coding interviews for key themes and drafting a manuscript to disseminate findings through an academic journal.
Anely is deeply grateful for Dr. Paniagua-Avila’s mentorship and excited to continue contributing to this research in the fall, expanding her skills in qualitative analysis and global mental health advocacy.