Maya Health Alliance | Wuqu’ Kawoq Center for Indigenous Health Research
The Center for Indigenous Health Research team in Guatemala.

Tecpán, Guatemala · Est. 2007

Research in collaboration with Indigenous communities.

Since 2007, Maya Health Alliance has been a leader in developing practical solutions to improve the quality of medical care in rural and Indigenous communities in Guatemala. The Center for Indigenous Health Research (Centro de Investigación en Salud Indígena, or CISI) was founded by a multidisciplinary group of researchers at Maya Health Alliance to advance scientific investigation into the health needs of these communities.

Browse 149 publications Collaborate with us
149 peer-reviewed publications
15 years of research (2012–2026)
8 active funded projects
29 researchers & staff
Röj nqanimaj richin ri ütz raxnaqil k’aslem ma nk’atzin ta akuchi xatäx wi' o ri ch’abäl yacho'n

Everyone has access to high quality health care, no matter where they were born or what language they speak.

We work in Kaqchikel, K’iche’, and other Mayan languages in addition to Spanish. Mayan language work and revitalization is a core part of our research. Medical anthropology, language & health →

What we study

All research areas →

Our central research themes share methodological approaches, especially mixed methods, applied anthropology, and implementation science.

Chronic Malnutrition & Child Development

Chronic malnutrition, food security, and early child development, from randomized trials of complementary feeding and home gardens to the adaptation of developmental monitoring tools for use by frontline workers.

32 publications

Midwifery & Emergency Obstetrics

Working with traditional Maya midwives (comadronas) and neonatal technicians on obstetric care navigation, emergency referral, and newborn survival.

39 publications

Noncommunicable Diseases

Cancer, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, including population-based surveys of CKD in rural Guatemala, diabetes self-management programs, and national scale-up of the WHO HEARTS model with the Ministry of Health and INCAP.

60 publications

Women's Health & Family Planning

Family planning, cervical cancer screening, and HPV genotyping among Indigenous Maya women.

11 publications

Medical Anthropology, Language & Health

Applied medical anthropology and the role of Mayan language access in health care quality.

29 publications

Digital & Mobile Health

Smartphone decision support, AI-driven low-cost ultrasound, and wearable sensors co-designed with midwives and community health workers for low-literacy, Indigenous-language settings.

21 publications

Health Systems & Implementation Science

Implementation science, quality improvement, care navigation, and occupational health. Studying how effective interventions actually reach Indigenous and rural populations at scale.

53 publications

Current projects

All projects →

Mobile Health Intervention to Promote Positive Infant Health Outcomes in Guatemala

The objectives of this project are to develop and determine the effectiveness of an mHealth smartphone technology which can be used to engage primary caregivers directly in the active monitoring of their infants’ development, and to provide tailored feedback and support for the provision of nurturing care and positive infant developmental outcomes.

2021-2026 · NIH / NICHD (PI Beth Smith, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles)

Longitudinal Study of Aging in Guatemala (ELEGUA): Pilot Survey

Pilot study for the Longitudinal Study of Aging in Guatemala (ELEGUA), a planned nationally representative, population-based aging cohort modeled on the Health and Retirement Study and Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol.

2025–present · NIH/NIA (R21AG090819); University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity

Food Supplementation and Behavioral Counseling to Reduce the Double Burden of Malnutrition (K'ASLEM)

Randomized trial testing whether food supplementation plus nutrition and lifestyle counseling for pregnant women can improve both maternal weight and infant growth in Maya communities in Guatemala, where child undernutrition and adult obesity commonly occur side by side.

2024–present · NIH/NICHD (R01HD114708)

Implementation of a National Model for Diabetes and Hypertension Treatment in Guatemala

This project is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and INCAP to scale up diabetes and hypertension treatment in public health facilities around the country.

2024–present · World Diabetes Foundation; NIH/NHLBI (K23HL161271, R01HL178752)

Artificial Intelligence and Quality Improvement to Reduce Neonatal Mortality

This project builds on Wuqu' Kawoq's long standing Mobile Health Program, but now focusing on specific quality improvement initiatives, including enhanced real-time smartphone decision support, to detect neonatal complications and prevent neonatal deaths.

2024–present · Google Nonprofit Foundation

AI-Driven Low-cost Ultrasound for Automated Quantification of Hypertension, Preeclampsia, and Fetal Growth Restriction

In low-resource settings, high rates of perinatal mortality are due in part to challenges accessing affordable technologies to screen and monitor high-risk maternal-fetal conditions, such as fetal growth restriction (FGR) and preeclampsia. To address these issues, we are using artificial intelligence to develop techniques for predicting FGR and preeclampsia from low-cost hand-held maternal and fetal Doppler recordings.

2023-2027 · NIH/NICHD

Recent publications

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Key collaborators

In Guatemala and Central America

International partners