By Blake Jackson
Hazel Velasco Palacios, a doctoral candidate at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has earned a prestigious writing fellowship from the Center for Engaged Scholarship.
The award will support her ongoing research focused on healthcare access for Pennsylvania farmworkers, specifically in the mushroom and dairy sectors.
The Center for Engaged Scholarship, which works to promote a more democratic, equitable, and environmentally sustainable society in the U.S., selected Velasco Palacios for her impactful work.
Palacios research explores how Latina/o farmworker families, particularly women, navigate healthcare challenges shaped by immigration status, labor conditions, rural infrastructure, and gender dynamics.
“The fellowship will help provide the time and support needed to complete my dissertation and strengthen its policy relevance,” Velasco Palacios said. “It will also connect me with a national network of scholars committed to engaged research, something I deeply value and strive to contribute to throughout my career.”
Velasco Palacios is pursuing a dual-title Ph.D. in rural sociology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Through in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, she has documented the experiences of more than 100 farmworkers and community stakeholders.
Palacios research highlights the barriers these families face when accessing medical care and how they respond through informal support systems.
“One of my goals is to document how farmworker families-especially women-develop mutual aid networks, rely on transnational care strategies and negotiate fragmented health systems in the absence of formal support,” Velasco Palacios said.
“My research centers the voices of migrant communities and aims to inform more equitable labor, health and immigration policies.”
Kathleen Sexsmith, assistant professor of rural sociology, praised Velasco Palacios’ work, noting that receiving this competitive fellowship reflects the strength of her research. “Hazel’s research uncovers the significant challenges that immigrant farmworkers and their families face when seeking medical care, an especially urgent concern considering the significant occupational safety and health risks on dairy and mushroom farms,” she said.
Velasco Palacios’ work has been featured in academic journals such as The Journal of Rural Health, Rural Sociology, and Women’s Studies Quarterly. Her dissertation research also has received support from several national and institutional grant programs.
Photo Credit: penn-state-college-of-ag-sciences
Categories: Pennsylvania, Education