THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INFLAMMATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES INCIDENCE AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS

Ongoing

I was a Smith Scholar at the University of Mississippi Graduate Training Educational Center. This is an external fellowship program for graduate students interested in cardiovascular diseases. The Jackson Heart Study is the largest minority health disparity study in the United States. As a Smith Scholar, we analyzed data collected from a span of 15 years on a wide array of topics available through the Jackson Heart Study. My research consists of establishing the association between inflammation and cardiovascular disorders in African Americans. As a native Mississippian, who lives less than an hour from the data collection counties, I am personally invested in this public health project considering how prevalent stroke, heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes are in the African American community.