Intent on improving the health conditions of migrating people in California and around the world, the University of California’s Berkeley and Davis campuses are joining forces to launch a new Migration and Health Research Center.

The new research center will be formally announced Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the University of California Center Sacramento, located at 1130 K St. in Sacramento. A press conference will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., and an evening kick-off ceremony and reception for legislators, public health professionals and community representatives will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The new center will focus on conducting and sponsoring research related to acute and chronic illnesses and injuries among migrating people. The resulting research discoveries will be made available to help guide public policy aimed at alleviating such health problems.

Research studies involving immigrants of many ethnic backgrounds will address a broad spectrum of issues including domestic violence; alcohol, tobacco and substance abuse; diabetes and other nutrition-related diseases; occupational health and safety; and chronic disorders such as heart and lung disease.

“Immigrant workers have significantly higher rates of occupational injury and illness, yet have less access to health care,” said center director Marc Schenker, a professor in UC Davis’ Department of Public Health Sciences, who has more than 25 years of experience studying public health issues.

“The new Migration and Health Research Center will explore the causes and potential solutions for these very serious health issues by providing research and training opportunities for graduate students, faculty researchers and visiting professors from a variety of different specialty areas,” Schenker said.

The new center’s associate director, Xóchitl Castañeda is director of the Health Initiative of the Americas at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Castañeda brings with her a decade of experience in migrant health issues.

“Migrants represent a large and vitally important population in California and around the world, and this new center will provide the information necessary to help government agencies and private organizations better meet the health needs of a more diverse California,” said Castañeda, who has been active in organizing Binational Health Week events in the United States and many Latin American countries.

Current funding for the new center has been provided by the University of California’s Health Initiative of the Americas, Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, California Program on Access to Care and research grants.

Mexican Consul Carlos González Gutiérrez said that his government is looking forward to the research findings that the new center will produce.

“Migration is a difficult process, regardless of the motivations behind it,” said González Gutiérrez. “Research about the transnational effects of migration on health is desperately needed to inform national and international health policy agendas,” he said.

State Sen. Gilbert Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) noted that one in every four Californians has immigrated to the state from his or her nation of origin, the highest percentage of immigrant residents of any state in the nation.

“Migrants in California and around the world struggle with a variety of challenges, including changes in living and working environments, and limited social services,” Cedillo said. “The new University of California center will play a critical role in addressing and overcoming those challenges.”

Steve Shortell, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health noted that his school is well-positioned to address the health-care needs of California’s first- and second-generation immigrants.

“This collaboration will enhance our multi-disciplinary approach,” Shortell said. “It will build across the 10 UC campuses and bridge national borders to become a Western Hemisphere leader in the emerging field of migration and health.”

Likewise, UC Davis, with its expertise in agricultural health and safety, migration and labor economics and public health will bring a wealth of experience to the new center, added Barry Klein, UC Davis’ vice chancellor for research.

“UC Davis has the intellectual capital to undertake fundamental research that can serve a world in which migration is shaping the demographic, economic and cultural landscapes,” Klein said.

The press conference and evening ceremony for the new center at 1130 K St. in Sacramento can be reached by taking I-5 north from Interstate 80. Take the J Street exit and make a slight right at J Street. Turn right at 12th Street and then turn right at the K Street-L Street alley. The UC Center Sacramento is on the right. The closest parking is at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located on 12th Street, across from the center.