Current Research 
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 Read more about the research areas
that the SoDHI Lab is exploring

Discrimination and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Discrimination functions as a social determinant of multiple mental and physical health endpoints, including cardiovascular disease. Prior research has demonstrated that  various indices of discrimination are impacted in cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular disease risk, but dearths remain in our understanding of these linkages. Thus, at the SoDHI lab, we seek to: 1) explore various indices of discrimination as a multidimensional construct; 2) examine these sources of chronic stress in the lived social context to more properly elucidate their interactive influences; 3) consider intra-/inter-individual psychological processes (e.g., resilience & ethnic identity) as stress and health buffering entities, and 4) examine linkages with traditional CVD endpoints as well as novel CVD risk factors. 

Early Life Adversity and Brain in Adulthood​

A preponderance of prospective data has demonstrated that early life adversity (ELA) has a long reach with regard to health across the life span. In this regard, African Americans are more likely to face adverse or harsh circumstances at any given point in life, including childhood and also have a disproportionate burden of shortened life expectancy, quality of life, morbidity, and mortality. To this end, early onset and more aggressive dementia, cerebrovascular disease, and cognitive decline are significant clinical endpoints. We seek to elucidate whether ELA - arising from economic, emotional, environmental, or cognitive factors - is linked to the disproportionately poorer brain health observed in this group. We use technologies including Magnetic Resonance Imaging to explore these potential associations. 

Discrimination and Biomarkers

Drawing upon an established body of research that demonstrates discrimination as adversely linked to mental and physical health endpoints, work is needed to understand pathways enabling these associations. A host of inflammatory and psychobiomarkers may prove relevant in elucidating this linkage. We are exploring a host of blood endpoints that may yield insight as to how discrimination gets "under the skin." Consequently, we hope to learn which pathways are most salient in the face of exposure to discrimination as a chronic stressor and observe similarities in the stress process across various discrimination indices and non-discrimination based sources of stress. 

Sociohistorical Context: Race, Neighborhood, and Health Inequities. ​

Baltimore City neighborhoods are important focal points for our research. We look to describe how specific neighborhoods in Baltimore city are marginalized. We are exploring the significant disparities in standard of living and life expectancy between residents of these neighborhoods. Currently we are researching the history of these neighborhoods and also analyzing rates of median house sales, property crime, violent crime, etc. We hope that this project will shed light on the influences of race-related sociohistorical events, practices, and policies as it pertains to contemporary marginalization, structural racism,  neighborhood blight, and health inequities. 

Keywords

We are exploring the methodology used in a recent empirical report by David H. Chae involving the volume of specific internet search terms used to measure area racism which was then correlated with greater rates of Black mortality. Inspired by this work and considering the health profile of African Americans in Baltimore, Maryland, our goal is to brainstorm some ways that area racism may be harmful to health endpoints in Baltimore city and employ social media technologies to investigate these potential linkages.