Dr. Ybarra has an interdisciplinary background with an emphasis on social/structural determinants of health and well-being, health/education/early learning/immigration policy, and civic engagement. She holds degrees in Nursing and Public Health from the University of Washington, and in Political Science/Public Policy from the University of New Mexico. She has made contributions to knowledge on immigrant integration and well-being, immigration policy, farmworker health, and Latino racialization. She also has led the implementation and evaluation of numerous family support programs for low-income and marginalized families in the Yakima Valley.