ALAS Colibrí Research Collective
Let's Dream Together
ALAS has launched a multi-disciplinary research coalition focused on centering community members as experts on lived experiences in the study of the social issues that impact their lives. We employ mixed-methods and qualitative approaches approach in areas including education, mental and behavioral health, child development, health disparities, climate change, and gun violence in marginalized communities, particularly those connected to immigration. The Colibrí, or hummingbird, is a symbol in Mexican culture of strength in the face of adversity, an indication that a time of healing can begin, and as a messenger of love. This name honors strength, healing, and hope alongside witness of adversity in the communities that co-lead our research.
Value Statement
Our collaborative, strengths-centered methods prioritize agency, identity, joy, and innate resources.
Our broader goals involve developing and testing trauma-informed interventions and programs that promote healing and social transformation. We value participant and community voices, ensuring research processes are grounded in their agency. By co-creating research priorities, we foster inclusive spaces and generate knowledge for social change. Our team includes researchers from Stanford, University of San Francisco, and UC Irvine, alongside ALAS staff and community members.
Featured Project
Community-embedded approaches to child behavioral health care: Coastside PRIMES
Leads: Tina Buysse, Annie Berens
Study phase: Enrolling
Our Projects
Collaborators
ALAS is building a multi-disciplinary coalition of researchers working at the intersection of health disparities, structural trauma, cultural wealth, and cultural identity among marginalized and racialized communities, particularly those with links to immigration journeys.
