Marzena Maksym

Marzena Maksym is a Senior Research Program Supervisor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Salud/Health and Opportunity for Latinos, where she leads community-based programs and applied public health research focused on immigrant families. Her work spans study design, qualitative research, program implementation, and evaluation, with a strong focus on ensuring that community voices inform practice and policy. Maksym has supported initiatives addressing childhood obesity, adolescent mental health, and healthcare access for underserved populations. She currently oversees Centro SOL’s Medical-Legal Partnership, an integrated model that provides immigrant youth and families with access to primary care, mental health services, legal support, and care navigation. Through this work, she aims to strengthen equitable systems of care and advance community-centered approaches to adolescent health and well-being.

Centro SOL—the Johns Hopkins Center for Salud/Health and Opportunity for Latinos—works to promote equity in health and opportunity for Latine communities in Baltimore and beyond. Established in 2013 within the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Centro SOL was founded to address persistent barriers affecting immigrant and Spanish-speaking families, including limited healthcare access, language barriers, and lack of culturally responsive services. Guided by community voice and evidence-informed practice, Centro SOL’s work spans four core areas: community-based clinical innovation, youth and education pathways, research services, and outreach and advocacy. The center develops integrated programs addressing mental health, chronic disease prevention, healthcare navigation, and youth development while strengthening partnerships between communities, researchers, and health systems. Through this work, Centro SOL promotes more equitable and responsive systems of care.