A research scientist at Kessler Foundation has been awarded a highly competitive award for her research focusing on MS in the Latino community.
Cristina A. F. Román, PhD has been awarded the Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This $704,054, five-year grant will support one of the first mixed-methods studies aimed at examining barriers to healthcare, cardiovascular risk factors, and accelerated brain aging in Latinos with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Though there is a paucity of research focusing on Latinos with MS, there is evidence that this group experiences more severe disease trajectories and worse functional outcomes than their non-Latino counterparts.
“These disparities are believed to be strongly influenced by social determinants of health, particularly factors related to healthcare access,” explained Principal Investigator and grant recipient, Dr Román, who is currently a research scientist in the Foundation’s Rocco Ortenzio Neuroimaging Center.
“Timely intervention and consistent, ongoing medical care are crucial for improving MS prognosis, especially in historically minoritized groups that face greater health disparities.”
Studies show that Latinos encounter greater obstacles in accessing equitable healthcare, which not only contributes to poorer MS outcomes, but also increases the risk of comorbid medical conditions such as cardiovascular risk factors. These risk factors disproportionately impact both individuals with MS and Latino populations residing in the United States and can contribute to neurodegeneration (e.g., advanced brain aging).
“This means that Latinos with MS are at especially high risk for the compounding effects of barriers to healthcare, cardiovascular risk factors, and MS, yet the extent to which these factors interact to impact MS-related outcomes, especially brain aging, remains unknown,” noted Dr. Román.
“The findings from our work will have direct implications for early intervention strategies, focusing on improving healthcare access and quality. Additionally, our research will significantly contribute to filling a substantial gap in our understanding of how societal and systemic factors (i.e., social determinants of health) influence brain health and health disparities in neurological disorders.”
