PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2022

29 | M anuel A ngel C intron R e s e a r c h e r , Na t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e s o f He a l t h ; Me d i c a l s t u d e n t , Un i v e r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s C o l l e g e o f Me d i c i n e a t Pe o r i a ( U I COM P )

Manuel Cintron works as a re search collaborator with the Na tional Heart, Lung and Blood In stitute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically in the area of identifying and addressing social determinants of obesity and cardiovascular risk that dispro portionately impact minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. He also is a medi cal student at UICOMP, assisting with medical procedures, help ing with care coordination and discharge planning, and communicating with patient families. Prior to that, he was a licensed mason and entrepreneur, helping to establish AA Restoration LLC in Chicago after graduating from Illinois State University. Returning to Peoria and UICOMP, he has served on the college’s Curriculum Management Committee and helped launch the Anti-Racism Curriculum Reading Program. He is an active member of UICOMP’s Urban Health Program.

In addition, he has taken on leadership roles in coordinating mobile food drives and raising funds for and assisting with housing renovations for individuals in post-incarceration education programs. This year, he was selected for the University of Illinois’ Jose Celso Barbosa, M.D. Outstanding Scholar Award, named for the first Puerto Rican to receive a medical degree in the United States. Hobbies : “I enjoy renovatinghomes and restoring automobiles.” Bucket list priority : “To climb to the top of Mount Baloy in Iloilo, Phillipines.” Favorite cause : “To provide equitable education opportunities for those growing up in disenfranchised communities that often lack the resources, personnel and infrastructure to meet the needs of our students.” Book recommendation : “ County: Life, Death, and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital by Dr. David A. Ansell.” Leadership definition : “A leader is someone who inspires others to reach a level of greatness that they did not previously think was possible — to empower those around them with the belief that life is limitless.”

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NOVEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE 43