Cesar Arevalo: Turning Data Into Action for a Healthier Community

For Cesar Arevalo, public health is personal. A first-generation Mexican American born and raised in San Diego, Arevalo understands community as something shaped by family, culture, borders and lived experience. Today, he serves as an HIV Epidemiologist for the County of San Diego and chairs the San Diego LGBTQ+ Latine Coalition, bringing together his professional expertise and personal connection to the communities he serves.

His path to public health was not a straight line. Before earning his BA in Psychology and MPH in Epidemiology from San Diego State University, Arevalo spent years working as a server and bartender. “The service industry taught me how to think quickly, work collaboratively under pressure, and communicate effectively with people from all backgrounds,” he says.

That experience eventually led him into public health, beginning at a Federally Qualified Health Center, where he supported HIV testing and prevention before working on the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance program. Since then, his work has expanded across a wide range of issues, including breast cancer, tobacco use, COVID-19, MPOX and drug overdose surveillance. Through each chapter, one thing has remained constant: a belief that good data can help create better, more equitable health outcomes.

That commitment makes his role as a speaker at Vida’s first Binational Conference, Pride Without Fear, especially meaningful. Arevalo will share current HIV trends within San Diego’s Latinx community while helping build a larger conversation about health across the U.S.-Mexico border. “Growing up, the border was a fluid part of my life,” he says.His family is from central Mexico, and regular trips to Tijuana were part of his upbringing. That connection to both cultures shaped his understanding of belonging, resilience, and community.

He also sees binational collaboration as essential to the fight against HIV. “While there is a physical border between the countries, diseases, viruses and bacteria do not recognize borders,” Arevalo says. Eliminating HIV in San Diego, he believes, requires partnerships that reach beyond geography and bring communities and public health leaders together.

Arevalo’s WORD is Data Driven. But for him, that phrase is about far more than numbers. “Being data driven is not just about numbers,” he explains. “It’s about using information responsibly, thoughtfully, and compassionately to guide actions that improve lives.” At Pride Without Fear, he hopes attendees leave informed by the data, but also “empowered, inspired, and motivated” to keep building healthier communities on both sides of the border.