Indigenous dementia; heart health program

Feb. 13, 2024

McGaugh Hall shows its greenness in the morning light. (Photo: Steve Zylius/UCI)

UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

Researchers tackle Alzheimer’s in indigenous residents

Dr. Luohua Jiang, interim chair and associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the Program in Public Health

A team of UCI researchers is addressing the historically overlooked challenges faced by American Indian and Alaska Native adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Dr. Luohua Jiang (above), interim chair and associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the Program in Public Health, and her co-investigators – Maria Corrada, professor of neurology and epidemiology, and Dana Mukamel, professor of medicine and public health – received nearly $2 million from the California Department of Public Health. They hope to identify “the top modifiable risk factors” that could prevent or delay an expected surge in dementia among indigenous Californians.

Program offers community approach to heart health

Steve Anticona, an agroecological farmer and community outreach coordinator at CRECE Urban Farms, provides a farm tour to participants at the SERVE OC Autumn Family Wellness Festival.

Among Latinos, heart disease ranks as the second-leading cause of death, while Vietnamese Americans face persistently high rates of hypertension, leading to elevated stroke risk. With that in mind, the UCI Program in Public Health’s Skills-based Educational Strategies to Reduce Vascular Events in Orange County program aims to combat both trends. Led by Bernadette Boden-Albala, director and founding dean of the UCI Program in Public Health, Serve OC uses a community-centered, participatory research method to reach households in Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Westminster and Anaheim. The program is evaluating the benefits of a family-based approach to heart health instead of the current medical practice of individual risk factor management. It has so far enrolled 449 Orange County Latinos and Vietnamese Americans, including children as young as 5, from 178 families.

Why women should ask their ob-gyn about cardiovascular wellness

With heart disease the leading cause of death in women, UCI Health cardiologist Dr. Afshan Hameed says talking to your ob-gyn about your risk can help reduce it.

UC NEWS

Register to vote by Feb. 20

Visit the University of California’s voter registration portal by Feb. 20 and fill out the form to be eligible to vote in the state’s March 5 primary election. In about five minutes, you’ll be set to take part and make your voice heard. Even after Feb. 20, Californians can use same-day registration from Feb. 21 to March 5 to vote with a provisional ballot. Learn about same-day voter registration.

#IamUCI

Professor interview: Tiffany Willoughby-Herard

Tiffany Willoughby-Herard is an associate professor in the Department of Global and International Studies

Tiffany Willoughby-Herard is a new associate professor in the Department of Global and International Studies, but not a new face to the UCI campus. For the past 16 years, she’s been a faculty member in the Department of African American Studies in the School of Humanities. Bringing together approaches from both the humanities and social sciences, Willoughby-Herard investigates the function of race and enslavement in national identity, which has implications for theories of citizenship, immigration, democracy and justice. In a new video, she discusses her plans to collaborate and grow with the department’s many young scholars who focus on the Global South.

#UCIconnected spotlights interesting updates from the UCI community. #IamUCI spotlights profiles of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Send submissions via email or post on social media with the #UCIconnected or #IamUCI hashtags.