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Villamil recognized for commitment to equity and civil rights, ‘most meaningful’ honor of career

For Lisa Villamil,  thinking of the “other,” telling the story of the “other” is the story of her life.

She grew up in the center of the country, in St. Louis, Missouri, a crossroads forged by people from many places, including Villamil’s parents: a mother with Indigenous Appalachian roots who grew up in poverty on an Arkansas farm, and a Spanish-Sephardic father and immigrant who would become a city Hispanic cultural leader.

With both parents connected through oppression — a recent honor from the University for “showing a commitment to inclusion every day” was made all the sweeter for Villamil, an assistant professor who’s been at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media since 2014.

“This award is the most meaningful thing during my career because it recognizes a commitment to civil rights and equity for all,” Villamil said. “I grew up in a home with an open door, every single type of person was welcomed through it. This award — my parents would be proud.”

Villamil, a member of Hussman’s ABIDE (Access, Belonging, Inclusion, Dignity, and Excellence) committee, said that her award is just another example of celebrating positive initiatives in the school. “There is a deepening in conversations surrounding diversity within the school and across the University,” Villamil said.

“The UNC Hussman community applauds Lisa on this well-deserved recognition,” said Raul Reis, dean of the school. “We thank her for the dedication and work throughout her career putting her expertise in service of civil rights and equity issues.”

At Hussman, Villamil has been a leader in interdisciplinary creative scholarship, community engagement and social innovation. She describes her work as focused on using technology, innovation, storytelling and communication to create a better world.

“My career is built on skills we teach in the Hussman school — storytelling, investigative research, writing, information design, UX and interactive design, data visualization, entrepreneurship and innovation,” Villamil said. “I use these skills every single day.”

While Villamil has worked for many years in the creative industry and for publications, she said her most important work has been in the last decade when she began working in Appalachia with interdisciplinary teams of environmental scientists and health researchers as an advocacy communicator, storyteller and data information designer.

The MLK Unsung Hero award recognizes Villamil’s work with underserved populations in rural and Native American communities. Projects include “Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia: Bright Spots and Disparities,” a two-year research study of the 13-state Appalachian region led by the UNC Sheps Center for Health Services Research and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Appalachian Regional Commission. 

The award also recognizes Villamil’s community-engaged work in collaboration with the UNC American Indian Center, North Carolina tribes and health leaders, and the Native BioData Consortium (NBDC), a Native-led, non-profit organization in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. 

Villamil partnered with NBDC and Indigenous scientists to launch the Southeast Native American Health Data (SENAHD) initiative and to host the first symposium in the southeast about Indigenous data sovereignty and the protection of Native American genomic data from exploitation.

Big Data, Precision Medicine, Research and Resilience in Southeast Indian Country” symposium was hosted by UNC and made possible with support from the UNC Odum Institute for Research in Social Science and the Kenan-Flagler and UNC Policy Center’s Whole Community Health initiative.

Villamil said that while she’s thankful for her “Unsung Hero” award, she’s even more thankful for the cultural conversation shift that work like hers helps engender.

And she’s glad she made her parents proud.