Bertha Hidalgo, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Epidemiology, has been awarded a $100,000, 24-month grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through the New Connections program.
Hidalgo is among a select group of junior investigators to receive the grant, which will allow her to learn whether genetic and epigenetic differences exist between subgroups of Latinos for cardiometabolic diseases like cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes by first investigating differences in obesity among subgroups of Latino children through an epidemiologic study.
“I am extremely proud to be among those honored with this prestigious grant,” Hidalgo said. “This award will connect me to a network of established experts in research and evaluation related to health and health care, while providing me with an opportunity to evaluate a program that has far-reaching implications for the health disparities of cardiometabolic diseases and, specifically for this project, nuances between subgroups of Latino children and obesity.”
New Connections is a national program designed to introduce new scholars to RWJF and expand the diversity of perspectives that inform the Foundation’s programming.