SUNY PRIDE Scholars
Cohort VII – 2019
Peter D. Ahiawodzi, PhD
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Public Health
University: Campbell University
Location: Lillington, NC
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: Studying the health effects of non-esterified fatty acids as circulating levels in candidates as risk factors for chronic disease.
Renata PereiraAlambert, PhD
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: Internal Medicine – Endocrinology and Metabolism, College of Medicine
University: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Location: Iowa City, IA
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: Focusing on understanding how perturbations in mitochondrial function and dynamics, and the ensuing stress response can affect systemic metabolism in normal physiology and in metabolic disease states, such as obesity and diabetes
Jose Gomez, PhD
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: Department of Medicine
University: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Location: Nashville, TN
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: determining the role of the transcription factor Sox6 in hypertension induced by atherosclerosis of the renal artery through control of renin expression, and establishing the function of Sox6 in aneurism of the aorta.
Jacob Kigo Kariuki, PHD
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: School of Nursing, Health & Community Systems
University: University of Pittsburg
Location: Pittsburg, PA
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: Dr. Kariuki’s program of research focuses on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, with emphasis on cost-effective cardiovascular risk reduction interventions that are likely to be practical in underserved communities. He is currently working to test the feasibility of a technology-based physical activity intervention that leverages open source platforms, such as YouTube, to provide on-demand access to culturally salient workout videos that model physical activity to inactive African Americans.
Vincent Luther Mendy, DrPH, MPH
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
University: Jackson State University School of Public Health
Location: Jackson, MS
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: Research interest include prevention and epidemiology of cardiovascular disease. Understanding social determinants of cardiovascular health disparities and development of community-based interventions to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.
Gilberto Moralez Jr., PhD
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: Department of Health Care Science
University: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Location: Dallas, TX
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: research plan is to investigate acute and chronic autonomic cardiovascular maladaptation to exercise, hypoxia and environmental stressors in at-risk populations. Dr. Moralez intends to focus his research toward the cardiovascular health disparities present in African-American and Hispanic-American populations due to their pre-disposed to cardiovascular morbidities in hopes that results from his research will help influence the future treatment of hyperadrenergic disease states.
Carol Oladele, PhD
Academic Title: Instructor
Department, School: Internal Medicine Equity Research and Innovation Center; Center for Neuroepidemiology and Clinical Neurological Research
University: Yale University
Location: New Haven, CT
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: Dr. Oladele’s research interests lie in social and nutritional determinants of cardiovascular health disparities. Her research seeks to understand how social and built environments contribute to suboptimal cardiovascular health among immigrant and historically vulnerable populations. Dr. Oladele has specific interests in understanding the role of food insecurity and ultra-processed foods in hypertension incidence and management, nationally and globally. Her other interests include stroke risk heterogeneity among blacks and the use of quality measurement approaches to reduce health and healthcare disparities.
Tawandra Rowell-Cunsolo, PhD
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: School of Nursing
University: Columbia University
Location: New York, NY
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: Exploring CVD-related health outcomes among HIV- infected formerly incarcerated individuals with a long term goal that includes developing and administering manualized behavioral interventions resulting in improved CVD-related health outcomes among vulnerable populations
Khendi T. White Solaru, MD
Academic Title: Assistant Professor
Department, School: Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
University: Case Western Reserve University
Location: Cleveland, OH
Research Interests as they relate to CVD: Research interest in peripheral artery disease and health care disparities combines perfectly in her current research project which seeks to diagnose and treat peripheral artery disease and hypertension in African-American males who present to the barbershop where previous studies have shown that the barbershops can be an excellent nontraditional health care venue.