San Diego State University is planning to use a $15 million grant to boost research into Latino health disparities while building a pipeline of scientists who will focus on that community.
School officials said they will begin by hiring 11 faculty members — three who will work from the university’s Imperial Valley campus. Imperial Valley residents, who are predominantly Latino, face environmental challenges, exposure to climate change and hurdles to accessing health care, which are some of the subjects the new faculty members will explore, researchers said.
Faculty recruitment is focused on researchers with an expertise in such areas as addiction, cancer disparities, environmental health and obesity.
The five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health was awarded to the SDSU Faculty United Toward Excellence in Research and Transformational Engagement, or FUERTE, program, led by Mark Reed, a professor of public health, and María Luisa Zúñiga, a professor of social work.
“Latinxs are the largest minority group in the country, and they are disproportionately affected by health disparities,” Reed said. “By providing invaluable support for diverse researchers who are tackling a topic critical to our region and nation, FUERTE leverages SDSU’s strengths and positions us as a major hub for health disparities research.”
Aside from increased research into Latino health, school officials plan to test a mentorship model for faculty career advancement and support.
“We are a part of an effort to not just talk about diversity and inclusion, but to actually walk the walk,” said Eileen Pitpitan, a professor of social work who will lead the evaluation of the new faculty approach. “We want to see institutional change come not just from the top down, but also from the bottom up, starting with the new faculty this program brings in.”
Zúñiga said bolstering research of Latino health disparities especially in the Imperial Valley area, is needed.
