research guide - UTEP Magazine - University of Texas at El Paso

Community Health
and Hispanic
Health Disparities
The critical health issues and needs of the predominantly
Hispanic El Paso community frequently shape the direction of
UTEP’s research.
Access to health care and poor health outcomes are a
concern that led to the establishment in 2003 of the Hispanic Health
Disparities Research Center, a collaborative effort between UTEP
and the University of Texas at Houston School of Public Health-El
Paso Regional Campus.
The HHDRC’s mission is to research and find solutions to
health inequalities—poor health outcomes and lack of access to
care in certain population groups, such as minorities, the elderly
and the poor.
Center projects have included studies of the effectiveness
of group mentoring for elderly Mexican-American diabetics; a
resistance-training program to improve the fitness of Hispanic
children; self-care strategies and depression among adult Mexican
Americans; and many others.
The center recently received a five-year, $6.8 million award
from the National Institutes of Health to support its research.
Public health is a research focus among several other
academic disciplines across the university, including biological
sciences, geological sciences, engineering and psychology.
The projects include studies of lead levels in El Paso
neighborhoods, how dust and traffic pollution affect asthma,
programs for reducing smoking and binge drinking, and research
on obesity and cardiovascular health.
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