RISE Scholars - Bertha Hidalgo, PhD, MPH

Bertha Hidalgo, PhD, MPH
University of Alabama, Birmingham
RISE Cohort 5

 

As a Latina scientist, I am passionate about better understanding cardiometabolic disease disparities among Hispanic/Latinos. I am particularly interested in assessing similarities and differences across background groups of Hispanic/Latinos. To date, many studies have lumped all Hispanic/Latinos into a single category in analyses involving Hispanic/Latino populations. Some may in fact be comprised of a single background group, but others may not be. It is important to understand – particularly in the context of association analyses – which of the background groups is driving the association. At this time, I am exploring genetic similarities and differences in T2D in the Hispanic Community Health Study (HCHS/SOL). Future work will involve exploring epidemiologic and genetic epidemiology questions related to cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes in HCHS/SOL.