Luz Maria Soto Pizano

It is with heavy hearts that we share that Luz María Soto Pizano passed away unexpectedly in March 2016. Please read a bit about Luz and the amazing work that she accomplished during her life.

Luz Maria Soto Pizano had a medical degree from Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City and a Master’s Degree in Rural Development. She worked on maternal health issues for several organizations and volunteered in Mexico and Haiti. Luz Maria was passionate about her job; she was concerned about the wellbeing of the community she was working in and was open to enhancing her abilities and knowledge to improve her professional capabilities. She worked as a coordinator at Casa de la Mujer in Chiapas and improved the results of the organization’s work.

Mentor

Rosario Cárdenas is a MD with training in Population Studies. She earned a Master´s degree in Demography from El Colegio de México and a ScD in Population Studies and International Health from Harvard University. She has been carrying out research on population and health for more than a decade and is involved in training of human resources in Medicine, Demography, and Population Studies. Currently she is a Professor at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana in Mexico City where she is conducting research on socio-demographic determinants of health differentials, utilization of health services and quality of health care. She has been involved in analyzing maternal mortality conditions in Latin American and the Caribbean, its relation to social, political, and cultural factors and the need to improve and reorganize health services.

Project

As a Young Champion, Luz Maria developed programs with Observatorio de Mortalidad Materna that ensure women are receiving the best possible attention and information.