Jasmine Zapata

Jasmine Y. Zapata is an American physician and epidemiologist. She is the chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for community health at Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Her career includes work as a pediatrician, public health researcher, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin, author, and her support for youth empowerment with a variety of initiatives.

Early life and education Zapata was raised in the 53224 zip code in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and before high school, lived in a house near N. 90th Street and W. Good Hope Road before her parents divorced. After her parents divorced, she moved into an apartment with her mother, Julia Battle,

Zapata completed her bachelor's degree in health sciences from Marquette University in 2009. Zapata earned her medical degree in 2013 and her master of public health degree in 2017 from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She completed her residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.

Career Zapata has worked as a UW Health University Hospital pediatrician and newborn hospitalist at UnityPoint Health-Meriter, Her research focuses on racial inequities and disparities in health care, and has included conducting interviews with Black women about their experiences with the health care system to help improve health care services related to pregnancy and infant care. She also worked with Harambee Village Doulas and the African American Breastfeeding Alliance to create a program to support pregnant people and infants. In 2019, she was awarded a two-year New Investigator Grant from the Partnership Education and Research Committee (PERC) of the Wisconsin Partnership Program, for a project titled "Addressing Black Infant Mortality in Wisconsin through a Collaborative Health Equity Approach to Community-Based, Group Prenatal Care and Infant Support."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has conducted outreach to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy with local community groups and individuals. In May 2021, she was named chief medical officer and state epidemiologist for community health at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Youth empowerment Zapata is the founder of Beyond Beautiful International, an international mentoring program for girls that offers workshops, coaching, books, and video series. In 2018, she toured seven cities in the Midwest on the Girls Empowerment Tour, a series of conferences with social workers, authors, youth counselors, ministers, and musicians, At youth conferences, she performs a poem she wrote that became the basis for her book, Beyond Beautiful: A Girl's Guide to Unlocking the Power of Inner Beauty, Self Esteem, Resilience, and Courage, and asks her audience to participate by chanting lines that include, "I'm courageous, I'm resilient, I'm confident, I'm creative". 2019-20 Outstanding Women of Color Honoree, University of Wisconsin–Madison 2020 Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation's Superhero of Medicine Award 2021 Marquette University Young Alumna of The Year Award 2021 parade marshal at the Juneteenth celebration in Madison, Wisconsin

Works Her great aunt died from COVID-19. Zapata and her mother were vaccinated together in March 2021.