Language Justice Advisor

Jesus R. Torres, MD, MPH, MSc.
Department of Emergency Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Torres is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at UCLA. He trained UCSF in emergency medicine and completed the National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) at UCLA for his research fellowship. Dr. Torres also earned an MPH in quantitative methods from Harvard University and an MSc in health policy from UCLA. His research focus encompasses infectious disease clinical research and disparities research, specifically in the area of language disparities in medicine.

Published Manuscripts (Peer Reviewed):

  1. Maldonado C, Rodríguez RM, Torres JR, Flores YS, Lovato LM.  Fear of Discovery Among Latino Immigrants Presenting to the Emergency Department. Acad Emerg Med. 2013 Feb; 20(2):155-161 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acem.12079/abstract

Funding: UC MEXUS Grant

  1. Taira BR, Torres J, Nguyen A, Guo R, Samra S. Language Assistance for the Care of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Patients in the Emergency Department: A Survey of Providers and Staff. J Immigr Minor Health. 2020 Jun;22(3):439-447. doi: 10.1007/s10903-019-00964-9. PMID: 31898078.
  1. Burner E, Zhang M, Terp S, Ford Bench K, Lee J, Lam CN, Torres JR, Menchine M, Arora S. Feasibility and Acceptability of a Text Message-Based Intervention to Reduce Overuse of Alcohol in Emergency Department Patients: Controlled Proof-of-Concept Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020 Jun 4;8(6):e17557. doi: 10.2196/17557. PMID: 32496203; PMCID: PMC7303828.
  1. Rodriguez RM, Torres JR, Sun J, Alter H, Ornelas C, Cruz M, et al. (2019) Declared impact of the US President’s statements and campaign statements on Latino populations’ perceptions of safety and emergency care access. PLoS ONE 14(10): e0222837. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222837
  1. Rodriguez RM, Torres JR, Sun J, Anderson E. Fear of discovery as a deterrent to undocumented Latinx immigrants’ reporting of crimes and the effects of political rhetoric. Acad Emerg Med. 2021 Jan 10. doi: 10.1111/acem.14206. 
  2. Ornelas C, Torres JM, Torres JR, Alter H, Taira BR, Rodriguez RM. Anti-immigrant Rhetoric and the Experiences of Latino Immigrants in the Emergency Department. West J Emerg Med. 2021 May 7;22(3):660-666. 
  1. Rodriguez RM, Torres JR, Chang AM, Haggins AN, Eucker SA, O’Laughlin KN, Anderson E, Miller DG, Wilkerson RG, Caldwell M, Lim SC, Raja AS, Baumann BM, Graterol J, Eswaran V, Chinnock B; REVVED UP Investigators. The Rapid Evaluation of COVID-19 Vaccination in Emergency Departments for Underserved Patients Study. Ann Emerg Med. 2021 May 31:S0196-0644(21)00436-4
  1. Eswaran V, Chang AM, Wilkerson RG, O’Laughlin KN, Chinnock B, Eucker SA, Baumann BM, Anaya N, Miller DG, Haggins AN, Torres JR, Anderson ES, Lim SC, Caldwell MT, Raja AS, Rodriguez RM; REVVED-UP Investigators. Facemasks: Perceptions and use in an ED population during COVID-19. PLoS One. 2022 Apr 13;17(4):e0266148. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266148. PMID: 35417505.
  1. Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Fortalecer la atención de emergencias traumatológicas en la Región de las Américas. Washington, D.C.: OPS; 2023. Available at: https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/57458. PAHO/WHO Publication
  1. Torres JR, Taira BR, Bi A, et al. COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Undocumented Latinx Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(4):e248578. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.8578
  1. Avra T, Cordova D, Taira B, Torres JR. Utilization and Perceptions of Language Assistance Services by Medical Trainees: A Pathway to Language Certification. AIMS Public Health. Accepted by pending publication.