Pilot Study Title: Understanding individual- and neighborhood-level factors associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among older adults
Position: Assistant Professor of Medicine, UCSF
Career goal: To leverage implementation science to intervene upon the multilevel social determinants of cancer disparities.
Background: Growing up the daughter of immigrants, I witnessed the challenges my family faced in navigating the health care system due to linguistic, financial, and cultural barriers. During my medical training, I again witnessed the profound impact of social and environmental factors on the health of my patients. Access to health care alone was not enough; poverty, substandard housing, linguistic barriers, limited health literacy, lack of fresh food options significantly influenced health behaviors and outcomes. I am committed to developing innovative and culturally-sensitive solutions to addressing multilevel determinants that drive cancer disparities.
Why this study: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is highly prevalent in the adult population, and older adults are at higher risk of progression and liver cancer. This study aims to examine the association of sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical, and neighborhood social and built environment attributes with MASLD prevalence, progression, and outcomes among a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse cohort of older adults.
Pilot Study Title: Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease Among Diverse Communities
Position: Assistant Professor, UCSF Memory and Aging Center
Career goal: Address disparities in neurodegenerative diseases and improve dementia specialty care for those who are underserved.
Background: Charles has a vested interest in health disparities, particularly disparities in Alzheimer’s and dementia. He has involved himself in disparities research that emphasizes disease biomarkers and earlier identification of disease, coupled with community outreach and volunteer clinical care in underserved communities in hopes of making a difference in the current landscape.
Why this study: This study will answer important questions about the impact of genetic factors compared to environmental factors on Alzheimer’s Disease pathology. It remains largely unknown how varying types of pathology contribute to differences in rates of cognitive impairment among various diverse groups. These pathologies are driven by specific genetic risk factors but also importantly by exposure to environmental features like pollution. Leveraging data from one of the largest amyloid PET biomarker studies to date with a wide geographical scope will allow this project to offer new insights into this issue.
Maria-Elena De Trinidad Young, PhD, MPH
Pilot Study Title: County-level immigration socio-political climates and healthcare access and economic security of older Latinx immigrants in California
Position: Assistant Professor of Public Health, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, University of California, Merced
Career goal: Through my research, I seek to advance knowledge regarding the impact of the US immigration system on the health and well-being of immigrants and their families. I aim to produce evidence that can inform policy makers and public health practitioners and advocates as they work to promote immigrant health through policy change. As a teacher and mentor, I aim to help prepare the next generation of public health professionals to contribute to efforts to advance immigrant health.
Background: I was born and raised in Oakland, CA and attended Oakland Technical High School. My mother was a health educator and growing up I was motivated to work to promote a healthy and equitable society to prevent disease and poor health. I obtained my Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley in Maternal and Child Health and my PhD from UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in Community Health Sciences. After years of living in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, I now proudly call the San Joaquin Valley home and love getting to know another rich and diverse region of California.
Why this study: While my research has always focused on immigration policy and health, I have not previously had the opportunity to learn more about how immigration policy may uniquely affect the health of older Latino immigrants. My study is an opportunity to center the experiences of aging Latino immigrants and their families (who are often US born) to understand how their experiences of immigration policy may shape how they obtain health care and their mental health. As the Latino immigrant population in the US continues to age, it will be critical to not only understand their well-being, but advance inclusive policies that can ensure that they are able to age with support for and from their families and communities. My study seeks to produce evidence that can inform such policy making efforts.