Bridging Borders: Outstanding Faculty Global Engagement Award

Linda Lara Jacobo, assistant professor in the School of Public Health, Imperial Valley received the 2024 Outstanding Transborder Research & Creative Activity Award for her pioneering work in binational environmental and health issues.

Jacobo co-founded and co-directs the US-MEXICO Binational Border Research Laboratory, which operates in Imperial Valley and Mexicali. Her approach emphasizes collective international collaboration in environmental health research and education as shared challenges rather than separate issues in the U.S. and Mexico.

“There is no border when you are talking about science,” Jacobo said. “In issues related to environmental health, we want to solve problems in both countries.”

Through a partnership with the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Mexicali, Jacobo facilitates coordinated research efforts in environmental and health issues. This includes studying diseases in migratory birds and tracking allergies and asthma cases, particularly in the heat-prone Imperial Valley and Mexicali regions.

Jacobo is one of five award recipients of this year’s Outstanding Faculty Global Engagement Awards, which honor select SDSU professors for their impactful research that transcends borders and fosters global health perspectives in students.