cBe consulting aims to help communities improve their health and well-being. Each community is unique; therefore solutions to problems must be tailored to this uniqueness. Listening to the community’s voice; building on the community’s strengths; involving the community at all stages, and bridging knowledge gained through research with the practical needs of communities–this is what forms the foundation of our work. cBe consulting will work with you to develop solutions, implement and evaluate them. We may form collaborative partnerships with other businesses or consultants with complementary expertise. We will use sound qualitative and quantitative methods to assess and evaluate population problems. And we will involve the community at each step along the way. All our reports and presentations are in a clear, succinct language specifically prepared for your audience.

We will work with you to develop solutions, implement and evaluate them.

Count on us as your partner.

Our particular areas of interest and expertise include but are not limited to:

  • Maternal and child health, particularly early childhood health, development and illness
  • Relationship between urban environments and health; healthy cities; healthy childhood communities; breastfeeding-friendly communities
  • Cultural influences in health and health behaviors
  • Epidemiology and control of infectious diseases
  • Strengthening public health infrastructure and systems; community health workers workforce development
  • Epidemiology, data analysis and assessment
  • Changes to health behaviors
  • Policy development
  • Management and strategic planning
  • Evaluation

Cecilia brings together her unique experiences, qualities and abilities for successful outcomes:

  • Training in public health and city planning which gave her a broad perspective on multiple sector impacts on health
  • Upbringing in international environments (6 countries and five languages by age 13 and parents from two countries). This gave her ample opportunities to problem-solve and practice in cross-cultural communication
  • Big picture and strategic thinking with ability to focus on details when needed
  • Love of challenging situations and ability to examine issues from multiple viewpoints
  • Enjoyment in bringing people together from diverse cultures, religions, nationalities and languages
  • Strong listening, facilitation and presentation skills
  • Qualitative and quantitative assessment and evaluative skills
  • Interest in global issues and history

Published Articles

Factors Distinguishing Positive Deviance Among Low-Income African American Women: A Qualitative Study on Infant Feeding

Cecilia E. Barbosa, PhD, MPH, MCP | Saba W. Masho, MD, MPH, DrPH | Kellie E. Carlyle, PhD, MPH | Maghboeba Mosavel, PhD

Article Link: Journal of Human Lactation, Sage Journals

Cecilia E. Barbosa PhD, MPH, MCP

Cecilia Barbosa

Cecilia E. Barbosa, PhD, MPH, MCP is principal and owner, NiCe, LC (dba cBe consulting). In this capacity, she has directed projects and studies in response to organizations’ needs for program and resource development, project management, organization and management, research, and policy and epidemiological analysis.

She has over 25 years’ experience in public health and maternal and child health, including several years as an independent consultant, as Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Health, Virginia Department of Health, and as Executive Director, Virginia Public Health Association. As Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Health, she directed statewide programs to improve the health and well-being of children and adolescents in Virginia worth $19 million annually. She was Director of Planning and Evaluation in the Maternal and Child Health Division of the Virginia Department of Health; a planner in a local health department in Sarasota, Florida; and a trainer of Peace Corps volunteers in the Dominican Republic. Her professional interests include the health of children; breastfeeding; health inequities; systemic, social and environmental determinants of health; infectious diseases; public health infrastructure; community assessments; community health workers; and global health.

She received a PhD in social and behavioral health from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in December 2014. Her dissertation was on infant feeding among low-income African-American women. She has Master of Public Health and Master of City Planning degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and a BA degree in Biology from Smith College. She also completed a graduate program in public health at the Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. She is a graduate of the Collaborative Leaders Program of Virginia, Institute for Educational Leadership and Leadership Metro Richmond.

In 2015, the Governor of Virginia appointed her to the Virginia Latino Advisory Board. She serves on the Boards of the World Pediatric Project and Dancing Classrooms of Greater Richmond, the Virginia Department of Health Institutional Review Board, and the Mayor of Richmond’s Breastfeeding Taskforce. She has served on the Mayor of Richmond’s Breastfeeding Commission and on the Board of Fan Free Clinic. Leadership board roles include Board Chair, Richmond Montessori School, President of the Virginia Public Health Association, and Search Committee Chair, Sabot School.

A citizen of Brazil and USA, she is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and French and speaks some German. She has lived in Brazil, Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and England. She enjoys horseback riding, swimming, traveling, languages, and meeting people from all over the world.