Research Faculty
Báltica CABIESES
Nurse-Midwife, MSc (Epidemiology), PhD (Health Sciences – Social Epidemiology, University of York)
Professor
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3917 6968
Professor Báltica Cabieses is currently the Professor of Social Epidemiology at the School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong. Professor Cabieses’s research has focused on social epidemiology, health equity and the health of international migrants and refugees.
She also holds honorary appointments at the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, HKU; at the Intercultural Global Health Center (CeSGI) of Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile, which she founded in 2013 and where she was Full Professor of Social Epidemiology (2014–2026); and at the University of York, UK, as Senior Visiting Scholar since 2011. She is Co-Director of the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre on Capacity Building for the Health of Migrants and Refugees in Chile (2024–2028), co-founder and board member of the Lancet Migration Latin American Hub, founder of the Chilean Research Network on Health and Migration (RECHISAM), board member of the International Network for Research on Inequalities in Child Health (INRICH), and commissioner in four Lancet Commissions. Her work also examines the therapeutic trajectories of people living with chronic diseases, particularly cancer and rare diseases, and participatory decision-making in health coverage. She has taken part in over 70 research projects, leading more than 30 of them, authored over 220 scientific publications, and edited 11 academic books and 7 handbooks.
| Funding Scheme | Project Title | Approved Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| IINARA, National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), Chile (2026–2030) |
IINARA Center of National Excellence in Chile: childhood adversity and health Co-investigator/ team leader |
Full budget: 6.5M |
| SENTINET, National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), Chile (2026–2030) |
SENTINET Center of National Excellence in Chile: infectious diseases Co-investigator/ team leader |
Full budget: 6.5M |
| CECAN, National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), Chile (2023–2027) |
CECAN: National Center for Excellence in cancer prevention and control Co-investigator/ team leader |
Full budget: 6.5M |
| National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), Chile (2025–2026) | Generating strategies to strengthen intercultural mediation by intercultural facilitators, focusing on migrant populations in primary care | 80,000 |
| Novartis (2024–2025) | Unravelling gaps in access to healthcare of adults living with chronic myeloid leukemia in Chile | 50,000 |
| Inter-American Development Bank and Ministry of Health of Belize (2024) | Comprehensive assessment of the Program to Support the Health Sector to Contain and Control Coronavirus and to Mitigate its Effect on Service Provision (BL-L1036) and the COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Plan in Belize | 70,000 |
| World Health Organization (2024) | Integrating and analyzing global good practices to protect the health of migrants and refugees in a WHO repository and interactive dashboard (2022–2024) | 10,000 |
| MSD Global – Global Health Equity Catalyst Fund (2022–2024) | Unravelling barriers and triggers to vaccination post COVID-19 pandemic in Chile: opportunities to reduce unequal gaps in coverage from a social determinants of health lens* | 100,000 |
| Novartis (2022–2023) | Unveiling unsolved needs and gaps in access to healthcare of young women living with breast cancer in Chile* | 50,000 |
| World Health Organization (2021–2022) | The WHO global report on the health of refugees and migrants: The Americas | 20,000 |
| World Health Organization (2021–2022) | International migrants in quarantine facilities in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic | 25,000 |
| Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany (2021–2022) |
Health of Migrants at Borders in Times of COVID-19 Co-investigator |
150,000 |
| Pan American Health Organization (2021) | Translating evidence on the health of migrants in the Americas to a map of key actors and digital interactive dashboard | 15,000 |
| FONDECYT Regular 1201461, ANID, Chile (2019–2024) | Living and health trajectories of international migrants to Chile | 350,000 |
| FONIS, ANID, Chile (2019–2021) | Generating competencies in intercultural health for international migrants amongst healthcare workers | 85,000 |
| Servicio de Salud Metropolitano Occidente (SSMOCC), Chile (2019–2021) | Living conditions, access to healthcare and healthcare needs of international migrants living in the western area of Santiago | 100,000 |
| ANID COVID-19 Call and UDD Research Directorate, Chile (2020–2021) | Vulnerabilities and resources of international migrant communities in Chile to face the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic | 30,000 |
| EuroQol Research Foundation (2018–2019) | Understanding self-perceived health in Latin America | 30,000 |
| Ministry of Health, Chile (2017–2018) | Assessment of the pilot intervention “The health of migrants” programme | 67,000 |
| FONDECYT, ANID, Chile (2013–2017) | Developing public health intelligence in primary care for international immigrants in Chile | 70,000 |
| International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada (2013–2014) | Information and communication technologies for health equity beyond clinical settings* | 12,000 |
- Abubakar I, Tellez D, Aldridge RW, Altare C, Barreto ML, Boukari Y, Burns R, Cabieses B, Devakumar D, Fouad F, Hargreaves S, Knipper M, Kumar BN, Langella R, Lau K, Madise N, Miranda JJ, Mosca D, Parikh K, Pocock N, Rast E, Romanello M, Rubenstein L, Sheikh K, Stevenson K, Trummer U, Zimmerman C, Spiegel PB. The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: review of the state of progress. The Lancet. 2026 Jun 20;407(10547):2554-2576. Available from: doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00494-0
- Bhopal A, Rao S, Jouhaud R, Cabieses B, Wickramage K, Bojorquez I, Spiegel P, Abubakar I, Blanchet K, Kumar BN. Climate change, migration, displacement, and health: past, present, and future. The Lancet. 2026 Jan 10;407(10524):114-115. Available from: doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(25)02587-5
- Cabieses B, Obach A, Madrid P, Blukacz A, Sadler M, Carreño A, Campaña C, Mezones-Holguín E. Mapping the continuum of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in Chile: Insights from qualitative research among nationals and migrants. Vaccine. 2026 Mar 10;79:128433. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128433
- Vezzani F, Roberts A, Campaña C, Cabieses B*, Obach A, Espinoza MA. Barriers and opportunities for participation in health policy decision-making by civil society groups organized for cancer in Chile: a qualitative study. Health Research Policy and Systems. 2026;24:38. Available from: doi:10.1186/s12961-026-01468-3
- Rocha-Jiménez T, Torres I, Cabieses B*, López-Cevallos DF, Mercado-Órdenes M. Intersectionality, racism, and mental health of migrants arriving at borders in Latin America: a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with key informants of the cases of Ecuador and Chile. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. 2025 Apr;44:101040. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.lana.2025.101040
- Al-kassab-Córdova A, Intimayta-Escalante C, Robles-Valcarcel P, Urrunaga-Pastor D, Cabieses B. Ethnic disparities in the association between maternal socioeconomic status and childhood anemia in Peru: a nationwide multiyear cross-sectional study. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. 2025 Jul;47:101117. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.lana.2025.101117
- Blukacz A, Obach A, Cabieses B*, Vásquez P, Campaña C, Huerta C, Bernal Y, et al. Determinants of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 vaccine confidence in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of qualitative evidence and thematic synthesis. Vaccine. 2025 Jan;44:126546. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126546
- Cabieses B, Obach A, Roberts A, Repetto G. Therapeutic trajectories of families with rare diseases in Chile from the perspectives of patients, carers, and healthcare workers: a qualitative study. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. 2025 Feb 25;20(1):86. Available from: doi:10.1186/s13023-025-03595-6
- Cortes CP, Sued O, Wong WCW, Borquez A, Ssonko C, Parczewski M, Cabieses B*. Humanising and optimising HIV health care for refugees and asylum seekers. The Lancet HIV. 2024 Dec;11(12):e861-72. Available from: doi:10.1016/S2352-3018(24)00233-9
- Cabieses B*, Belo K, Calderón AC, Rada I, Rojas K, Araoz C, Knipper M. The impact of stigma and discrimination-based narratives in the health of migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean: a scoping review. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. 2024 Jan 5;40:100660. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.lana.2023.100660
- Cabieses B*, Velázquez B, Blukacz A, Farante S, Bojórquez I, Mezones-Holguín E. Intersections between gender approaches, migration and health in Latin America and the Caribbean: a discussion based on a scoping review. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. 2024 Dec;40:100538. Available from: doi:10.1016/j.lana.2023.100538
- Cabieses B*, Huerta C. Effects of climate change on migration in Latin America and the Caribbean: a scoping review. Frontiers in Climate. 2024 Oct 1;6. Available from: doi:10.3389/fclim.2024.1412285
- Rocha-Jiménez T, Olivari C, Martínez A, Knipper M, Cabieses B*. Border closure only increased precariousness: a qualitative analysis of the effects of restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on Venezuelans’ health and human rights in South America. BMC Public Health. 2023;23:1846. Available from: doi:10.1186/s12889-023-16726-0
- Espinoza MA, Severino R, Balmaceda C, Abbott T, Cabieses B. The socioeconomic distribution of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in Chile. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2023;22(1):160. Available from: doi:10.1186/s12939-023-01972-w
- Lazarus JV, Romero D, Kopka CJ, et al. (including Cabieses B). A multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threat. Nature. 2022;611:332-345. Available from: doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05398-2
- Blukacz A, Cabieses B*, Obach A, Madrid P, Carreño A, Pickett KE. “If I get sick here, I will never see my children again”: The mental health of international migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. PLOS ONE. 2022;17:e0277517. Available from: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0277517
- Mougenot E, Amaya E, Mezones-Holguin E, Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Cabieses B. Immigration, perceived discrimination and mental health: evidence from Venezuelan population living in Peru. Globalization and Health. 2021;17:8. Available from: doi:10.1186/s12992-020-00655-3
- Bojorquez I, Cabieses B, Knipper M, et al. Migration and health in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The Lancet. 2021;397(10281):1243-1245. Available from: doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00629-2
- Uphoff E, Robertson L, Cabieses B, Villalón FJ, Purgato M, Churchill R. An overview of systematic reviews on mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment of common mental disorders for refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;9:CD013458. Available from: doi:10.1002/14651858.CD013458.pub2
- Blukacz A, Cabieses B*, Markkula N. Inequities in mental health and mental healthcare between immigrants and locals in Chile. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2020;19:197. Available from: doi:10.1186/s12939-020-01312-2
- Cabieses B*. Health of migrants: simple questions can improve care. The Lancet. 2019 Jun 8;393(10188):2297-2298. Available from: doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30545-8
- Markkula N, Cabieses B, Lehti V, Uphoff E, Astorga S, Stutzin F. Use of health services among international migrant children – a systematic review. Globalization and Health. 2018;14:52. Available from: doi:10.1186/s12992-018-0370-9
- McEachan R, Prady S, Smith GR, Fairley L, Cabieses B, Gidlow C, Wright J, Dadvand P, Nieuwenhuijsen M. The association between green space and depressive symptoms in pregnant women: moderating roles of socio-economic status and physical activity. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. 2016;70(3):253-259. Available from: doi:10.1136/jech-2015-205954
- Uphoff E, Cabieses B*, Valdés M, Pinart M, Antó JM, Wright J. A systematic review of socioeconomic position in relation to asthma and allergic diseases. European Respiratory Journal. 2015;46(2):364-374. Available from: doi:10.1183/09031936.00114514
- Cabieses B, Uphoff EP, Pinart M, Antó JM, Wright J. A systematic review on the development of asthma and allergic diseases in relation to international immigration: the leading role of the environment confirmed. PLOS ONE. 2014;9(8):e105347. Available from: doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0105347
- Uphoff EP, Pickett KE, Cabieses B, Wright J. A systematic review of the relationships between social capital and socioeconomic inequalities in health. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2013;12:54. Available from: doi:10.1186/1475-9276-12-54
- Cabieses B*, Tunstall H, Pickett KE, Gideon J. Understanding differences in access and use of healthcare between international immigrants and the Chilean-born. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2012;11:68. Available from: doi:10.1186/1475-9276-11-68
| Partner Institution / Network | Nature of Collaboration | Period |
|---|---|---|
| World Health Organization (WHO), Health and Migration Programme – Geneva, Switzerland | Co-Director of the WHO/PAHO Collaborating Centre on Capacity Building for the Health of Migrants and Refugees; advisor to the WHO Global Research Priority Agenda for Health and Migration; advisor and keynote speaker at the WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health; lead for the Americas evidence synthesis of the first WHO World Report on the Health of Refugees and Migrants | 2020–date |
| Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) – Washington DC, USA | Principal consultant for the regional interactive dashboard of scientific evidence on the health of migrants in the Americas; consultant to the PAHO eHealth project with young Latin American researchers; mapping of eHealth strategies in Chile | 2010–date |
| UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health | Commissioner in the five-year review of the 2018 Commission report: “The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: review of the state of progress” (The Lancet, 2026) | 2026 |
| Lancet Commission on Racism and the Health of Children and Adolescents | Commissioner (UCL-led Commission) | Ongoing |
| Lancet Commission on Transforming Primary Health Care in the Post-COVID-19 Era | Commissioner and topic leader on medico-social integration | Ongoing |
| Lancet Migration European Hub – Lancet Regional Health Europe Commission on Health, Migration and Climate Change in Europe | Commissioner | Ongoing |
| Lancet Migration – Latin American Hub | Co-founder, co-leader (2020–2022) and current board member of the regional hub, coordinating researchers across Latin America and the Caribbean | 2020–date |
| International Network for Research on Inequalities in Child Health (INRICH) | Board member of the global network | 2025–date |
| International Organization for Migration (IOM) | Member of technical committees on the health of migrants | Ongoing |
| Visiting professorships | Invited professor at Teesside University and University of York (UK), FACSO (Argentina) and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia); research partnerships with groups in Peru, Ecuador and Mexico | 2011–date |
| International editorial boards | SSM – Population Health (2026–date); PLOS ONE, BMC Public Health and Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública (2017–date) | 2017–date |
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2025 | National Award “Karla Moraga” to a woman who transformed cancer care in Chile, granted by Fundación Observatorio del Cáncer and Mujeres por un Lazo |
| 2018 | Best Paper of the Year 2017, Revista Chilena de Pediatría, Chilean Society of Pediatrics |
| 2017 | National Scientific Award 2017, Santander Bank Chile & El Mercurio, Researcher category |
| 2014 | Excellence in Academic Performance Award 2013, Universidad del Desarrollo |
| 2013 | Paper shortlisted for Best Research Paper, Latin American ISPOR Conference, Buenos Aires (first author) |
| 2011 | Paper shortlisted for Best Research Paper, 3rd Latin American ISPOR Conference, Mexico City (first author) |
| 2010 | Health Sciences Departmental Annual Prize 2010 – Best PhD Student, University of York, UK |
| 2009 | Essay shortlisted in The Lancet/Global Forum IV Competition “Young Voices in Research for Health” |
| 2009 | Best Poster Award, First ARRC Conference, University of York, UK |
| 2008 | First Place, MSc in Epidemiology 2008 cohort, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile |