SUNY PRIDE-CVD Scholars
Cohort XI – 2024
Shayna Brathwaite, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department and School: Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
University: Morehouse School of Medicine
Location: Atlanta, GA
Research Interests: My research goals include characterizing racial disparities in initiation of hemodialysis with catheter and prolonged catheter usage locally, regionally and nationally and to improve patient hemodialysis vascular access knowledge with the goal of improving vascular access decision making.
Cleopatra Kum, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor
Department and School: College of Nursing
University: University of Cincinnati
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Research Interests: My research interests focus is on stroke family caregiver health, specifically designing and testing cardiovascular health promotion interventions for stroke family caregivers. My prior work has centered on understanding the theoretically based factors that influence stroke family caregiver health. Additionally, I have worked on developing psychometric instruments to measure stroke family caregiver health.
Adriana Maldonado, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department and School: Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health
University: University of Arizona
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Research Interests: I am committed to research that identifies and addresses the root causes of health inequities faced by the U.S. Latino population. My research is shaped by my multidisciplinary background, which includes master's-level training in experimental psychology at California State University San Marcos, doctoral training in community-engaged research at the University of Iowa, and postdoctoral training in cancer prevention and control. My research focuses on understanding the influence of social, contextual, and environmental factors on chronic diseases in U.S. Latinos, particularly cardiovascular disease.
Muntasir Masum, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department and School: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public iHealth
University: University at Albany
Location: Albany, NY
Research Interests: My research interests in cardiovascular health-related research (CVD) and health disparities stem from my interest in investigating the complex factors that contribute to health inequalities, particularly as they pertain to CVD outcomes. I am interested in examining the intricate interplay between social, structural, and genetic determinants that influence health behaviors and outcomes, with a special focus on high-risk behaviors such as binge drinking and their implications on adult mortality and chronic disease prevalence.
Donya Nemati, PhD, MSc
Assistant Professor
Department and School: Center for Healthy Aging, Self-Management, & Complex Care, College of Nursing
University: The Ohio State University
Location: Columbus, OH
Research Interests: My research focuses on identifying psychosocial and behavioral factors contributing to cardiovascular disease disparities among racial groups and underserved populations. I am dedicated to promoting health equity through behavioral medicine interventions. With a primary emphasis on testing and enhancing health behavior theories and models, I seek to identify the most influential psychosocial and behavioral determinants affecting the adoption and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, including exercise habits for cardiovascular disease prevention.
Onome Henry Osokpo, PhD, MSc., MSN, RN
Assistant Professor
Department and School: Population Health Nursing Science, College of Nursing
University: University of Illinois
Location: Chicago
Research Interests: My research interests focus on understanding and addressing the multilevel barriers to health care—including sociocultural (e.g., language), economic, behavioral, and system (e.g., organizational)—that adversely impact self-care and transitions of care for Black adults with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Ultimately, I plan to develop a tailored, culturally attuned self-care and transitional care intervention enhanced to mitigate adverse Social Determinants of Health and improve self-care and posthospitalization outcomes among Black adults living with CVDs.
Briana (Bri) Sprague, PhD
Assistant Professor (tenure-track)
Department and School: Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics
University: Indiana University School of Medicine
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Research Interests: I am interested in developing and evaluating the effect of psychosocial and/or behavioral interventions to promote cardiovascular health among Black adults. I am particularly interested in co-developing multilevel interventions, or those that target the broader environmental, community, or societal contexts with the individuals most likely to engage in such interventions. Through such interventions, I hope to eliminate Black adult cardiovascular health disparities through addressing these upstream determinants of health.
Liao Yue, MPH, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department and School: Department of Kinesiology, College of Nursing and Health Innovation
University: University of Texas
Location: Arlington, Texas
Research Interests: As a physical activity researcher and behavioral scientist, I am interested in using mobile and wearable sensor technologies to understand how people’s daily behaviors may link with their chronic disease risks, and how we can leverage digital technologies to promote healthy living. I am particularly interested in studying physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, and eating behavior in peoples’ natural environments and exploring contextual factors that might influence decisions to engage in those behaviors from a multi-level perspective (e.g., psychosocial factors at the individual level, social companions and interactions at the interpersonal level, and physical and social environment at the community level)