Investigating Health of Residents in the Rural South

Berkeley Center for Social Medicine faculty affiliate Dr. Mahasin Mujahid is playing a key role in a new six-year, $21 million study probing the causes of the disproportionately poor health outcomes of people from rural communities in the southern United States. Dr. Mujahid, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at UC Berkeley, is serving as a principal investigator (PI) of the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal (RURAL) study to investigate the factors at play in cardiovascular health issues among white, Black, and Latino residents living in the most rural counties in Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Dr. Mujahid is PI of the Social Determinants Core which is responsible for assessing multi-level contextual, psychological, social, and environmental determinants of health among participants.

BCSM Affiliates Receive 2019 Mentoring Grant

Congratulations to Berkeley Center for Social Medicine faculty affiliate Dr. Seth Holmes and BCSM affiliated graduate students Carlos Martinez and Fabian Fernandez for being awarded the William T. Grant Foundation Mentoring Grant! The two-year mentor grant is designed to support junior researchers of color in their career trajectories and to help faculty strengthen their mentoring support for these researchers. Martinez and Fernandez will each receive a grant to support their dissertation research, training, and travel to present at professional conferences.

Fabian Fernandez is enrolled in the dual UCSF and UCB M.D./Ph.D. Medical Anthropology Program and Carlos Martinez is enrolled in the joint Medical Anthropology program at UCSF and UCB. Holmes, Martinez, and Fernandez will also receive financial support to further develop their group mentoring skills, build “vertical” and “horizontal” networks of support, and engage in collaborative writing projects. Their grant is one of the seven mentoring grants awarded in 2019. More details here.