Manuela oversees the National Council of La Raza's health programs, which include research and analysis of Latino health needs and status; technical assistance for Latino-serving community-based organizations; and the design of promotores de salud (lay health educators) initiatives. NCLR’s programs serve a broad array of health-related topics, including obesity prevention, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, cancer, maternal and child health, cardiovascular disease, stroke, accident prevention, domestic violence, car seat use, and immunization. Ms. McDonough holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago and a master of public health degree with a concentration in health behavior and health education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. In addition, she is certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. She was recently honored with an award by the American Public Health Association for best 2010 Public Health Education Health Promotion Materials for a Latino obesity prevention curriculum that she developed.