Volume 1, Issue 4October 2008
El Faro Staff
Liliane Cambraia Windsor, Ph.D., M.S.W., Editor
Sheila Kaupert,
Newsletter Coordinator
National Office
Jane Brooks, M.Sc., C.M.P.
Website Coordinator
This Month's Contributors
Frank Bandiera
Luis Bedregal, Ph.D.
Rubi Blancas
Mary Boggiano, Ph.D.
Raul Caetano, M.D., Ph.D.
Liliane Cambraia Windsor, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Alice Cepeda, Ph.D.
Christiane Farentinos, M.D., M.P.H.
Lori K. Holleran Steiker, Ph.D.
Irene Lopez, Ph.D.
Yolanda Martin, M.Phil.
Ian Mendez, M.A.
Manuel Miranda-Arango, Ph.D.
Antonio J. Molina-Fernandez
Luis R. Torres, Ph.D.
Monica Ulibarri, Ph.D.
William Vega, Ph.D.
National Steering Committee
José Szapocznik, Ph.D., NHSN Chair
Patricia E. Molina, M.D., Ph.D., NHSN Vice Chair
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D.
Margarita Alegría, Ph.D.
Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D.
Hendricks Brown, Ph.D.
Ana Mari Cauce, Ph.D.
Diana Martínez, M.D.
Maria Elena Medina-Mora, Ph.D.
Steffanie Strathdee, Ph.D.
Yonette F. Thomas, Ph.D.
Avelardo Valdez, Ph.D.
William Vega, Ph.D.
Member Announcements
Ms. Monica Bermudez-Parsai has successfully defended her dissertation "Me estreso demasiado!" (I am too stressed): A multi-dimensional exploration of stress among Mexican immigrant women in the U.S.
Dr. Parsai was also promoted to the position of Assistant Director of Family Intervention Research.
Dr. Raul Calderon is Co-PI on a recent “Wellness Harkin grant”. This grant was awarded to The Iowa Jefferson County Wellness Action Coalition (Jefferson Walk).
This grant was awarded for the purpose of developing a countywide wellness initiative to build local capacity to address wellness issues, gather baseline information, and coordinate projects to target nutrition, physical activity and tobacco use prevention.
Dr. Calderon also recently accepted a new position as Director of Evaluations at Maharishi University of Management. He will be overseeing the administration, conducting analyses, and reporting results of all the general education assessments done on the undergraduate students at the university.
Dr. Barbara Lopez was awarded a grant from the “American Cancer Society” entitled Intrapersonal and Contextual Factors Associated with Smoking in Hispanic Adolescent.
The purpose of this study was to use structural equation modeling to (1) identify intrapersonal and/or contextual factors associated with smoking at baseline and (2) examine whether changes in intrapersonal and/or contextual risk factors are associated with smoking three years later. Secondary data analyses are proposed using data from a NIDA funded clinical trial (Grant #: DA 017462; H. Pantin, P.I.). The sample consists of 227 Hispanic adolescents and their parents. The trial tests the comparative efficacy of a parent centered intervention (Familias Unidas) to no treatment control. Familias Unidas is a preventive intervention that targets both contextual and intrapersonal risk factors for drug use and HIV. Results from this study are of importance for informing the development of the next generation of interventions to prevent smoking in Hispanic adolescents.
Dr. Marsiglia and his colleagues received two grant awards in 2007 with continuations in 2008.
SIRC Health Disparities Research: In October 2007, SIRC became an Exploratory NCMHD Research Center of Excellence to explore the complex factors influencing minority health and health disparities, and to contribute to the Department of Health and Human Services initiatives for improving minority health and reducing health disparities among the racial and ethnic minorities of the U.S.-Mexico border region. The center’s research projects and its administrative, research, training and community engagement/outreach cores aim at preventing, reducing and eliminating health disparities within the areas of HIV/AIDS, mental health, and drug abuse. The center and studies are funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (P20MD002316).
Familias Sanas (Health Families): This project is a collaboration between Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) and SIRC researchers who received an award to improve inter-conception care among Latina mothers. The project will develop, implement, and test a psychosocial educational intervention with Latina mothers attending a prenatal clinic. The aim of this study is to increase Latino mothers’ access to inter-conception care to enhance their well-being and that of their children.
The study is funded by the Hispanic Health Services Grant Program through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (1H0CMS030207).
Dr. Manuel Miranda-Arango obtained funding from NIH for a project to research schizophrenia.
The project titled “Insights into the Regulation of the Glycine Transporter 1 (GlyT1)” was funded by NIGMS and NIMH To study the regulation and trafficking pathways of the glycine transporter in the brain.
Dr. William Vega was appointed as founding director of the Luskin Center for Innovation, effective Oct. 1, 2008.
The Luskin Center will conduct world-class research on major urban issues in Los Angeles. Through the center, faculty and students will participate in civic engagement partnerships, generating new knowledge for social action and problem resolution and transferring it to local communities. The center is named for Mr. Meyer Luskin, whose vision and generosity make its launch possible.
Dr. Vega's academic focus is comparative, multi-ethnic research in adolescent and adult health. A native of Los Angeles, he joined the UCLA faculty as a professor of family medicine in 2007. Here, he co-founded with Dr. Michael Rodriguez the national Multicultural Research Network on Health and Healthcare to improve quality of care for chronic disease among underserved populations.