Joanna Ortega is a fourth-year medical student at UC Davis School of Medicine. Her work outside of the classroom during medical school focused on human trafficking. She led a human trafficking student interest group, organized human trafficking trainings for medical students, worked to develop a protocol to address human trafficking in student-run clinics, and co-authored a chapter on human trafficking in a cultural psychiatry textbook. She also co-founded a program that created a partnership between the UC Davis School of Medicine and a community organization supporting women in the sex trade. Now in its third year, the program consists of a 10-week course for participants in the sex trade that is co-led by a medical student and a woman in the sex trade.
Prior to medical school, Joanna earned an MPH from UC Berkeley and spent about 10 years working in public health. She designed and managed quantitative and qualitative research studies, oversaw public health programs, and led program evaluations. Her public health work focused on a variety of topic areas including human rights, sexual and gender-based violence, refugee health, and women’s health among others. She has experience working in Africa, Latin America, and the U.S. Additionally, she spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Ecuador.
