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Kelly Baron

Circadian timing and energy balance study (faculty mentor: Kelly Baron, PhD, MPH, DBSM). This study, sponsored by the National Institute of Health, examines the associations between circadian misalignment and sleep duration with neurobehavioral processes that affect obesity, such as impulsivity as well as insulin resistance and eating behaviors.
 

 


Brock O'Neil

Cancer Health Services and Disparities Research (faculty mentor: Brock O’Neil, MD). Much of our group’s research examines system level problems that result in delivery of low-value care or contribute to health disparities. Undergraduate students will select from a portfolio of projects that examine differences in access, social support, socio-economic status and opioid abuse as contributors to disparities in outcomes among vulnerable populations. We will then focus efforts on disseminating research through a mentored experience that emphasizes scientific writing and presentation with additional exposure to experiences across the research continuum from project inception to publication.
 


Kola Okuyemi

Role of families in tobacco use and cessation among African and Middle Eastern immigrants in the United States (faculty mentor: Kola Okuyemi, MD, MPH). The prevalence of smoking among Muslim immigrant men have been found to be higher than the United States national average. Families play a role in socialization of many Muslim immigrant families and may play a role in smoking initiation and cessation. The survey will comprise four focus group sessions exploring the link between the family set-up and smoking.

 


Mia Hashibe

Metabolic Diseases Among Rural Breast Cancer Survivors (faculty mentor: Mia Hashibe, PhD ). Population-level data has previously offered invaluable insight on increased risks of disorders among cancer survivors compared to a general population cohort. The undergraduate student will work on a study aiming to investigate whether breast cancer survivors have a higher risk of metabolic diseases compared to women who have never had breast cancer. The study design is a cohort study based in Utah. The data is available to be analyzed, and the student will be trained in a statistical program (e.g., STATA or SAS).
 


April Mohanty

Understanding inequities in hypertension management and related outcomes in the Veterans Health Administration (faculty mentor: April Mohanty, PhD, MPH). Our goal is to reduce hypertension-related morbidity and mortality racial/ethnic disparities in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) by optimizing antihypertensive medication management in primary care teams. Achieving and maintaining the most recent intensive blood pressure control guidelines, such as those released by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association in 2017, may avert half a million cardiovascular disease events over 10 years in the US population. The goal of this project is to contrast patient-, provider-, and facility-level factors associated with intensive antihypertensive medication management (initiation, adherence, and intensification) and blood pressure control by race/ethnicity by leveraging the VHA national electronic health record. The findings from this project will help us to leverage the VHA Office of Health Equity Primary Care Equity Dashboard, launched in 2021, an audit feedback tool, to support the eventual development of a team-based playbook designed to mitigate hypertension disparities and support implementation of evidence-based care among racial/ethnic minority Veterans.


Crystal Lumpkins

Population Science, Cancer Control and Population Health Research Focus (Faculty Mentor: Crystal Lumpkins, PhD, MA). African Americans (AA) continue to have the highest overall death rate and shortest survival for most cancers when compared to all racial/ethnic groups1-3. This is despite a decline in cancer mortality throughout the U.S1. Black immigrant (BI) populations also show high proportional cancer incidence rates when compared to AA1, 4. In the state of Utah, the numbers for these groups are small but growing and disparities exist5 and reflect national cancer disparities.2 Genetic susceptibility testing tools (GST)6-9, are used to identify individuals at high risk for cancer, manage disease risk, and ultimately, to reduce morbidity and mortality10. However, AA and BI populations are less likely to access these tools due to limited awareness 11-14 and knowledge about GST15-19. We will convene with community members to inform the development of innovative GST risk communication strategies through community engagement studios44 in the SLC area.