NIMHD in the News - 2018

NIMHD is a newsmaker. View news and announcements related to NIMHD.

Groundbreaking study examines effects of screen time on kids

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December 9, 2018 — At 21 sites across the country scientists have begun interviewing nine and ten-year-olds and scanning their brains. They'll follow more than 11,000 kids for a decade, and spend $300 million doing it. THE ABCD study is co-funded by NIMHD.

Cell Phones Without Annual Plans Offer Limited Help to Homeless People

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December 6, 2018 — The vast majority of older homeless adults have access to mobile phones, but they are usually basic phones, without annual contracts that let them keep stable numbers, and thus are only practical for one-way communication, according to a UC San Francisco study of how homeless people use mobile and Internet technology.

SDSU receives nearly $20 million from NIH for new medical research center

Young woman riding on a thrilling roller coaster ride.

October 22, 2018 — NIH is expected to administer the grant over five years to fund construction of the HealthLINK Center, multiple research projects and annual seed funding for four researchers pursuing pilot projects.

Thrill seekers may be more pain tolerant

Young woman riding on a thrilling roller coaster ride.

October 18, 2018 — People who seek out thrilling experiences appear to be less sensitive to pain, according to an NIMHD-funded study conducted by researchers at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Researchers consider ethics of addressing race in biomedical studies

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September 24, 2018 — In a recently published editorial coauthored by Dr. Pérez-Stable in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Examining How Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry Data Are Used in Biomedical Research, colleagues consider how race, ethnicity, and ancestry data are used in biomedical research. See also Workshop Examines the Use of Race and Ethnicity in Genomics and Biomedical Research

Cardiovascular-related deaths higher for U.S. Hispanics who live in counties with higher Hispanic populations

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September 19, 2018 — Hispanics living in the U.S. face more cardiovascular-related death in counties heavily populated by Hispanics than those living in more diverse areas, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association.

Landmark Jackson Heart Study granted 6 more years of federal funding

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September 9, 2018 — The Jackson Heart Study will have six more years to focus on the cardiovascular health of African-Americans.


Most U.S. colleges are not tobacco- and smoke-free

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September 6, 2018 — Most U.S. four-year colleges and universities as well as community colleges don’t have tobacco-free or smoke-free policies on campus, a new study finds.

Health tech startup emocha lands $1M NIH grant for Hopkins-led study

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August 31, 2018 — The funding will support a study, led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, to evaluate how effective emocha's technology is at ensuring patients with tuberculosis stick to their medication regimens.

Running club aims to boost health of African-American men

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July 30, 2018 — Nathaniel Stinson, Jr., Ph.D., M.D., director, Division of Scientific programs, discusses the importance of exercise for black men in an interview with the Columbus Dispatch.

U.S. launches study to understand black men and prostate cancer

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July 17, 2018 — Black men are twice as likely to die of prostate cancer as white men. Government scientists said Tuesday that they are launching a study to try to discover why.

Peers and parents may have influenced drop in childhood smoking

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July 11, 2018 — Kelvin Choi, Ph.D., M.P.H., an investigator in NIMHD’s Division of Intramural Research discusses the impact of SDOH as outlined in a recent study on childhood smoking.

UTEP Assistant Professor Lands NIH Grant to Study Men’s Diabetes Risk

background image July 9, 2018 — Jeannie Concha, Ph.D., assistant professor in UTEP’s Department of Public Health Sciences, received a $25,000 grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), to identify factors related to men’s participation in diabetes prevention and self-care behaviors.

University of Wisconsin develops Neighborhood Atlas research tool

background image July 5, 2018 — A new online tool called the Neighborhood Atlas has been launched to help researchers to view socioeconomic data on communities.

Study finds connection between race and sleep

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June 19, 2018 — A forthcoming manuscript on sleep disparities finds sleep gaps and deficits between racial groups. This study was funded by NIMHD grant number 5R21MD011388-02.

Study: African-Americans, Latinos Have Higher Risk for Depression

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May 26, 2018 — A new study finds that African-Americans and Latinos are significantly more likely to experience serious depression than whites.


MSU professor wins Fulbright, $3.2 million grant

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May 24, 2018 — Beth Rink won a five-year, $3.12 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health.

Duke banks $60M from NIH

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May 16, 2018 — The Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute has been awarded a new 5-year grant of more than $60 million from the National Institutes of Health.

NIMHD awards $3.6M to University of Arizona for Sleep Study

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May 14, 2018 — UA researcher was awarded $3.6 million from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to study sleep health along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Congressman Gonzalez Announces $3.6 Million in Federal Funds for Fatty Liver Disease Research at UTRGV

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May 10, 2018 — Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) has awarded approximately $3.6 million in federal funding to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine’s South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute (STDOI).

Nursing Research Matters!

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May 3, 2018 — NIMHD-funded research at the Ohio State University College of Nursing aims to solve real-world problems.


Mental Health And Minority Communities

Dr. Regina James

March 29, 2018 — NIMHD Director of Clinical and Health Services Research, Dr. Regina James participated in an interview with 89.7 NPR News, All Sides with Ann Fisher. She discussed mental health, minority health care and the impact of the barriers that prevent minorities from getting proper health care. (begins at 18:55)

African Americans Face Higher Risk of Kidney Disease, Report Says

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March 21, 2018 — A study, called 5+ Nuts & Beans for Kidneys, which targets low-income East Baltimore residents who have high blood pressure and early kidney damage, will test the effectiveness of dietary advice delivered by a study coach and assistance with weekly online ordering of $30 worth of potassium-rich foods.

Bridge Clinical Research Hosted the Precision Medicine Webinar for Healthcare Providers

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March 6, 2018 — SPHERE is one of the first national centers funded by National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, focusing on using precision-medicine tools to improve the health of underserved ethnic and racial groups.

Latino cancer researchers set course for more study

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March 4, 2018 — Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference, funded by National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, drew 225 researchers from 23 states and Puerto Rico.

Study of graphene catalysts finds metal in 'metal-free' catalysts

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February 26, 2018 — Rice University chemists have discovered that trace quantities of manganese contamination from graphite precursors or reactants hide in the graphene lattice. NIMHD grant G12MD007591.

Intervention Mitigates New Cases of HIV Among Youth in the Criminal Justice System

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February 22, 2018 —A combination of risk-reducing interventions showed the ability to greatly reduce sexual risk-taking among high-risk teens in the juvenile justice system.

Diabetes management improved in high-risk population through community program

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January 31, 2018 — An ethnic population at high risk for Type 2 diabetes achieved significant control of the disease through participation in community-based health programs, demonstrating that active intervention and culturally-sensitive education can reverse the course of certain illnesses.

Biggest study ever of teen brains to reveal how screen time affects kids

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January 31, 2018 — What helps and hurts the teenage brain? A revolutionary new study hopes to find out how kids’ minds are shaped during this crucial and turbulent stage of life. Researchers are following more than 11,000 children for the next decade, studying how dozens of factors — including drugs and alcohol, diet and exercise, screen time, academic and social stress, sleep patterns, sibling and parent relationships — impact their brains. As part of TODAY's "Brain Power" series, NBC special anchor Maria Shriver talked with 9-year-old Nick and 10-year-old Gemma, who are both taking part in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study, or “ABCD,” launched by the National Institutes of Health

$8.5M NIH grant to help Tuskegee researchers reduce prevalence of health disparities

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January 30, 2018 — An $8.5 million National Institutes of Health grant will enable Tuskegee University researchers to improve our understanding of why diseases — such as cancer, obesity and HIV — disproportionately affect minority populations, and how targeted community education programs can reduce the pervasiveness of these diseases. Research funded by NIH’s National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) program will help researchers in the university’s multidisciplinary Center for Biomedical Research examine the molecular, genetic and epigenetical determinates that contribute to the ferocity of specific diseases among the African-American community.

Griffith receives national recognition for health behavior research

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January 23, 2018 — Derek M. Griffith has been selected for the American Association of Health Behavior Fellows Class of 2017. Griffith, who is an associate professor of Medicine, Health, and Society and founder and director of the Center for Research on Men’s Health at Vanderbilt, is being recognized for his significant contributions in the field of health behavior research.

High-intensity smoking linked to diabetes in black patients

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January 16, 2018 — Black men and women who smoke more than one pack of cigarettes a day could be as much as 79 percent more likely to develop diabetes mellitus than those who have never smoked, according to a study published this month in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Duke lands $7.2M from NIH to address racial, ethnic disparities

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January 9, 2018 — The new Duke Center for Research to Advance Healthcare Equity (REACH Equity) has landed $7.2 million from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). REACH Equity will address racial and ethnic disparities in clinical care, and will do so through developing and testing new interventions, according to Duke. Those interventions will be aimed at improving patient experience when it comes to interacting with health care providers and systems.