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Current Fellows
Violence
Montana Filoteo
Bloomberg Fellow
Montana Filoteo is a researcher for the Minnesota Youth Sex Trading (MYST) Collaborative, University of Minnesota, where they bring their passions for harm reduction, dismantling social stigma, and uplifting youth voice. At MYST, Montana creates evidence-based research supporting Minnesota’s public health response to youth sexual exploitation. They coordinate research studies, provide prevention training and education, and translate research into actionable public health strategies. Before joining MYST, Montana supported a variety of health equity research efforts across Minnesota, with topics including domestic violence, community-centered urban planning, and tenant rights.
The MYST Collaborative was formed in 2019 to advance research evidence and prevention of youth sexual exploitation in Minnesota. MYST is a group of University of Minnesota faculty, staff, and students who partner with communities and young people to co-create actionable knowledge about youth sex trading. MYST seeks to uplift the wisdom of lived experience, drive systems change, and promote wellness among youth. Professional and community partners use MYST research to inform policy, programming, and culture change in Minnesota state public health response to youth sexual exploitation.