Chunrong Jia, Ph.D. has secured a grant to address the disproportionate burden of exposure to air toxics in minority and low socioeconomic status (SES) communities in the mid-South. The study, “Environmental Inequity and Skewed Riskscapes: Differential Distributions of Ambient Air Toxics in Memphis,” will be the first field study designed to assess socioeconomic and racial disparities in air toxics exposure using field observations. The results will enhance our understanding of the scale of environmental injustice, and provide basis for better risk management and environmental policy.

Latrice Pichon, Ph.D. has received funding for “Mid-South Academic, Community- and Faith-Based Partnership to address HIV Disparities.” This project aims to increase the involvement of the African-American faith community in the prevention of HIV and the reduction of disparities. Pilot data will inform intervention content for a feasibility study and ultimately, a larger, prospective, randomized controlled trial with faith-based organizations in the Mid-South.

Natalie Williams, Ph.D. and Sato Ashida, Ph.D. have been awarded funding to work toward the reduction of childhood obesity in the Mid-South. The study, “Social Networks and Infant Feeding Practices among New and Expecting Mothers,” will use social network methodology to explore psychosocial factors associated with maternal feeding practices that may contribute to rapid weight gain among infants. This project addresses health inequity by evaluating the unique social contexts surrounding infant feeding beliefs and practices among African-Americans in the Mid-South.

Xinyua Yu, Ph.D. has received a grant to examine disparities in the utilization of health services in Shelby County. Health disparities in health services use will be examined by race, age, and area level socioeconomic variables, and patterns of clinical encounters, treatments, diagnoses, and procedures. The results of this project, entitled “Health Disparities in Health Services Use in Shelby County,” will significantly increase the understanding of health disparities in Shelby County and provide foundations for future research in reducing local health disparities in health services use.