Meet Our Faculty

July K Jean Cuevas, MD

Behavioral Pediatrics

Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

July Jean Cuevas, MD, the new Program Director of the Developmental and Behavioral Medicine Fellowship, was selected as a 2022 Young Physician of the Year by the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) for her early career accomplishments as a developmental and behavioral pediatrician and commitment to serving the Hispanic community. We’ve been lucky to have July with us at Children’s Mercy for over six years. She serves as a mentor to Latinx medical students at UMKC, and has participated in multiple quality improvement projects with the Latinos in Medicine group at Children’s Mercy. She was named a Shining Star in 2020 for being a top-rated provider, and provides additional support and service to families through her work as a staff facilitator for the Mental Health PFAC.

Romina L. Barral, MD

Adolescent Medicine

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine

Romina L. Barral, MD, faculty in Adolescent Medicine recently received a two-year, $143,494 KL2 Career Development Program award from Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Kansas. Dr. Barral’s project is titled “Decreasing teen reproductive health disparities in rural Latino immigrant communities.” By leveraging community participation and addressing the intersectionality of teen pregnancy, the proposed research will develop an unintended teen pregnancy prevention intervention for Latino youth living in rural communities. Results from this project will directly inform trials to test intervention efficacy. “I feel very fortunate to learn from our teens on ways we can help them achieve their goals in life,” said Dr. Barral.