Michael Gonzalez Jr., MPH is a MAXQDA Grants 2024: Black History Month winner with his work “Exploring Sunscreen Use and Sun Safety Practices Among Black and Latinx Communities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis.”
Michael’s work fills the gap in dermatological research, where People of Color are overlooked in the matter of sun protection and sun safety practices. Their project focuses on 30 interviews with young Black and Latinx young adults about their perceptions, benefits and barriers to using sunscreen. The research aims to put the matter of sun protection among POC in the spotlight, which would lead to the improvement of public health campaigns and health education.
Michael is a first-generation doctoral candidate studying Environmental Health Sciences at the UW-Milwaukee Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health.