Ana Aragon Sierra
Ana Aragon Sierra Awh-nuh are-ah-gone SEE-yare-uh (she/her/hers)
RWJF Graduate Assistant

Ana Aragon Sierra will graduate in December 2023 with a master’s degree in mass communication from Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is a research assistant with the RWJF Southwest Health Reporting Initiative. She is also a fourth-year medical student at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and will specialize in dermatology.

Latest from Ana Aragon Sierra

Restoration: Tattoos removed from sex trafficking survivors

SCOTTSDALE – Over half of sex trafficking survivors have a branding mark on their skin that affects their mental health and impedes their self-healing and reintegration into society. A Scottsdale tattoo artist has established a network of volunteers in the U.S. to remove trauma’s marks.

Soul Survivors Ink founder Gina Jernukian removes a tattoo that was a branding mark from a survivor of human trafficking. The process includes brightening the skin in the inked area and camouflaging the mark. (Photo by Hunter Fore/Cronkite News)

‘Visibility matters’: LGBTQ care coordinator aims to improve care for Phoenix-area veterans

PHOENIX – There are an estimated 1 million LGBTQ+ veterans in the U.S., many of whom are more likely to report chronic physical or mental health conditions. The Veterans Health Administration launched its LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator Program to address these disparities.

Ash Senter is the LGBTQ+ care coordinator at Phoenix’s Carl T. Hayden Veterans' Administration Medical Center. Senter, who is transgender and nonbinary, is a former Air Force reservist and a health psychologist who started as the Phoenix coordinator in January – and they’re excited about the changes they’ve seen. “Visibility matters,” Senter says. (Photo courtesy of Public Affairs Office/Phoenix VA)

Entrevista: Tragedia inspira a periodista a luchar por la prevención del suicidio

PHOENIX — Tras el suicidio de la madre de Laura Trujillo en el Gran Cañón, la periodista se embarcó en un viaje para entender lo que había pasado y encontrar maneras de ayudarse a sí misma — y ayudar a otros.


Q&A: Tragedy leads journalist to advocate for suicide prevention

PHOENIX – After Laura Trujillo’s mother died by suicide at the Grand Canyon, the journalist embarked on a journey to better understand what had happened and find ways to help herself – and others.