Profile

Professor María Elena Contreras Garfias held a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) and a Master's degree in Information Management from the Faculty of Economics, University of Havana, Cuba (UNESCO Chair), with equivalency at the University of Murcia, Spain. She was a Full Professor, teaching in the I, II, and III phases of the Bachelor’s in Nursing program and a Member of the Education and Health Research Area, in the Department of Health Care of the Division of Biological and Health Sciences.

She served as Coordinator of the Nursing Bachelor’s program, Coordinator of Primary and Community Health Care, where she developed the Multiprofessional Program involving the fields of Nursing, Dentistry, Medicine, and Nutrition; she was also the Divisional Coordinator of Social Service for Biological and Health Sciences, Head of the Health Care Department, Head of the Education and Health Research Area, and Director of the Division of Biological and Health Sciences.

She was a member of the Health Careers Review Board, representative of the DAS Academic Staff on the Academic Council (2016 - 2018), and representative of the DCBS Academic Staff on the Academic College. She served on the Executive Committee of the Latin American Association of Nursing Schools and Faculties (UDUAL), on the Scientific Committee of the Association of Nursing Schools in the Federal District and the States of Mexico, Morelos, and Hidalgo; and on the Undergraduate Teaching and Social Service Committee of the Interinstitutional Commission for the Training of Human Resources for Health, Federal Ministry of Health.

Professor Contreras participated in University Outreach Projects that involved students and social service interns from the fields of Agronomy, Nursing, Dentistry, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Nutrition, and Architecture (Project Tlaxcala, Project Colonia Morelos, Health, Nutrition, and Housing Project in the State of Mexico, and Project UNI-UAM Xochimilco Campus-Tláhuac).

She collaborated on the Accreditation and Reaccreditation Commission for the Nursing Bachelor’s program and in the Accreditation Processes for Dentistry, Medicine, and Agronomy in the Social Service component. She was involved in the Modification of the Curriculum (approved by the Academic College, 2015) for the Bachelor’s in Nursing at UAM Xochimilco Campus.

She was invited by the Interinstitutional Committee for Higher Education Evaluation (CIEES) as an Evaluator of the Curriculum for the Bachelor’s programs of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (Toluca Campus), Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (Mazatlán Campus), Universidad Autónoma de Tabasco, Universidad Autónoma de Oaxaca (Ometepec Campus), and Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, among others.

She advised 61 Social Service Projects and published scientific articles in national and international journals, also participating in conferences at national and international events. Her research topics included Older Adults, Emerging Adults, and Alumni Follow-up.