Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2023: Meet Nick Ortega Preciado
This month, we’re spotlighting some of our community’s Hispanic Americans, Latinos, Latinas, and Latinx-identifying people, who are committed to improving the health of the communities around them.
Nick Ortega Preciado is an undergraduate student at the University at Albany the School of Public Health. We sat down with him to learn more about his interest in public health and goals for the future!
Where is home for you?
“I call Peekskill, New York, in Westchester County, my home, but my family's roots trace back to a small South American nation named Ecuador, nestled along the border with Colombia. Growing up in Peekskill, I had the privilege of witnessing the world of healthcare through the dedicated efforts of my mother, who serves as a nutritionist at our local health clinic.
From an early age, this exposure to the realm of healthcare left an indelible mark on me. I was inspired by the pivotal role my mother played in our community, where she worked with low-income families in collaboration with WIC to ensure they had everything necessary to maintain their well-being.
This admiration for her commitment kindled my desire to make a similarly significant impact. As I began my university journey, I embarked on a quest to discover the most meaningful path I could take to effect positive change within communities on every conceivable level.”
Why did you choose to major in public health?
“My undergraduate journey at UAlbany was characterized by a series of significant changes and personal growth. Amid these transformative experiences, I uncovered my true calling in the realm of public health. While I've always had a deep-seated appreciation for science, the intricacies and specificities often left me feeling overwhelmed. What captivates me about public health is its unique ability to marry science with adaptability. It offers foundational scientific knowledge while granting individuals the freedom to navigate its complexity at their own pace. In essence, public health empowers each person to shape their own path within its diverse landscape, tailor-made to their comfort and preferences.”
What areas of public health are you most passionate about and why?
“My true passion in the realm of public health revolves around health informatics. The seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies and data-driven approaches to advance healthcare delivery across diverse healthcare settings is a source of endless inspiration for me.”
Can you tell us about your public health internship experience?
“During the summer, I had the privilege of interning with NYSTEC, a non-profit organization specializing in contractual work for the state of New York. In my role as a business analyst intern, I provided invaluable support to the Quality Improvement (QI) team as part of the Health Home Re-Designation project within the NYS Medicaid Health Home Program. My primary responsibility involved thorough testing of a Chart Review Tool and Scoring Tool developed by the team, which was instrumental in identifying and documenting any coding defects. Additionally, I collaborated closely with the team to devise strategies for resolving these issues effectively.
I seized the opportunity to showcase my contributions to the project by crafting the project's landing page, a task I later presented to our clients at the Department of Health. This experience allowed me to hone a diverse set of skills, including but not limited to strategic planning, facilitating meetings, effective communication, business analysis, rigorous research and analysis, software development, adept stakeholder management, and ensuring quality assurance.”
What are your personal and professional goals?
“In the future, I plan to stay in New York, hopefully in NYC for a couple of years then on to the next city, maybe Boston. I am also looking into learning another language either picking up French again or learning Portuguese from scratch. Professionally, I plan to continue my work in healthcare informatics, mainly working as a consultant in the healthcare technology field.”