I am currently the Project Officer for the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, the largest epidemiological study dedicated to understand Hispanic/Latino health ever performed in the U.S.
I am a Medical Officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health. I work at NHLBI since July 2006 in the extramural department, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Epidemiology Branch.
I am the founder of the first NIH Hispanic Health Research Scientific Interest Group. This is one of the SIGs under the NIH Intramural Division.
I am also a member of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation, a non-profit subdivision of the Puerto Rico Science and Technology Trust.
I am an adult endocrinologist. I did my fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and later joined the faculty of the Endocrine Division. While at UT Southwestern, I worked in multiple clinical trials related to diabetes mellitus and its complications. My own research work was dedicated to understand whether glycemic control with insulin only would positively impact select biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction and risk of cardiovascular disease in young Hispanics with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition to my fellowship, I also earned a Masters degree in public health (MPH) from the University of Texas.
I am graduate from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, and did my residency in internal medicine at the University Hospital. I earned by B.S. from the UPR Río Piedras Campus.
My medical and scientific interests are Hispanic/Latino health (in general), translating biomedical research to clinical applications, minority health, endocrinology and diabetes, and bioethics.
Información de proyecto:
The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) is the largest epidemiological study on Hispanic/Latino health ever performed in the U.S. It was initiated in 2006. Over 16,000 Hispanics/Latinos were enrolled at four Field Centers located in San Diego, California; Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; and the Bronx, New York. The research Coordinating Center is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The HCHS/SOL or SOL intends to describe the prevalence of cardiovascular, pulmonary and other chronic diseases, their risk or protective factors, and their relationship to incidence of disease and mortality in a cohort of Hispanics/Latinos. Participants self-identified their ancestry with Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central or South American groups.
The first examination took place between March 2008 and June 2011. Baseline data analyses are underway, and several manuscripts have been published. Participants are followed annually by phone, in order to learn about any changes in health (fatal and non-fatal), hospitalizations and visits to the emergency room. A second examination is projected to start in October 2014.
The study website is www.cscc.unc.edu/hchs.