W&L Politics Professor Receives Best Article Prize Zoila Ponce de León recognized by the Journal for Latin American Studies.

By Brian Laubscher
October 19, 2022

Zoila Ponce de León, assistant professor of politics at Washington and Lee University, has received the Journal of Latin American Studies Best Article Prize for her paper titled “Healthcare Reform out of Nowhere? Policy Reform and the Lack of Programmatic Commitment in Peru.”

The JLAS Best Article Prize is awarded to the author of an exceptional paper published in the Journal of Latin American Studies from the preceding volume year. Based on input from the editorial board, editors of the journal select the winning article based on its rigorous engagement with theory and primary evidence, and an outstanding and ample scholarly contribution to Latin American studies as a sphere of inquiry.

Ponce de León’s paper focuses on the reform approved in Peru in 2009 during a right-wing government, which deviated from similar attempts to expand access to healthcare in the region.

“I was thrilled to receive the award because this was my first dissertation chapter to be published,” said Ponce de León. “So much work went into this piece. I conducted over 60 in-depth interviews during fieldwork in Peru, with key actors from inside and outside the government. Also, I am very grateful to Bo Garfinkel ’21 for her excellent research assistance during the revision of this article.”

Ponce de León is currently working on a book manuscript titled “Political Parties and Policy Reform: Expansion of Healthcare in Latin America,” which includes the study of the Peruvian healthcare reform, as well as reforms in Chile and Mexico. Valuable research during this process has been provided by Lauren Ellenz ’23.

Ponce de León has been teaching at W&L since 2018. In addition to serving as assistant professor of politics, she is a core faculty member for the university’s Latin American and Caribbean Studies program.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.