A multidisciplinary team of University of Miami researchers studying factors associated with health outcomes and disease risks in the Hispanic community has received a $21 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The high-impact grant will extend the national Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), initially launched in 2008, through 2033. As one of only four U.S. sites selected for the study, the University of Miami a collaborative and multidisciplinary research team that has generated many new insights into cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, risk behaviors and other health issues affecting South Florida’s diverse Latinx community.
“The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased that the National Institutes of Health has renewed funding for this groundbreaking research, which has been under the Department of Psychology for 18 years,” said Leonidas Bachas, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “This study is critical in providing a deeper understanding of chronic diseases in the Hispanic and Latino populations. I am confident that, under the able leadership of Professor Frank Penedo and his colleagues, Professors Maria Llabre and Christina Cordero from the Department of Psychology, as well as staff from the Miller School of Medicine, will continue to have a positive impact on communities across the United States.”
“Findings from the ongoing research – including dozens of related studies building on the cohort – influence clinical care and prevention strategies,” said Frank J. Penedo, Ph.D., principal investigator of the HCHS/SOL study. Dr. Penedo is Associate Director of Population Sciences at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and professor in the Departments of Psychology and Medicine.
Dr. Penedo will be joined as co-principal investigators in the fourth phase of the study by Maria Llabre Ph.D., professor of psychology and education; Claudia Martinez, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine in the cardiovascular division; and Christina Cordero, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and HCHS/SOL project director.
“I am incredibly proud to be part of the team leading this study at the University of Miami,” said Dr. Cordero. “This grant will allow us to build on the extensive data and discoveries collected since the cohort’s inception. Our work continues to uncover new insights into how biological, genetic/multi-omic, behavioral, environmental – and social factors influence health and disease in diverse Hispanic/Latino groups in the US”
Advancing precision prevention and medicine for Hispanics
HCHS/SOL is the most comprehensive, epidemiological longitudinal study of U.S. Hispanics/Latinos, with 4,000 participants in each of four locations: Miami, Chicago, San Diego, and the Bronx in New York City. Each site will receive $21 million in the fourth phase of the grant, including support from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and six other contributing NIH institutes.
Study participants will represent diverse Hispanic backgrounds, including Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central and South American descent, and will participate in in-depth clinical examinations, blood and imaging tests, as well as nutritional, behavioral, and psychosocial assessments .
“This groundbreaking study advances our understanding of unique risk factors among diverse Hispanics and informs targeted precision prevention and medical care in cardiovascular disease, as well as many other conditions such as diabetes and cancer,” said Dr. Penedo. “Our extensive clinical research and assessments collect crucial information including genetic data, social determinants of health, social processes and emotional well-being. This approach allows us to more accurately identify risk determinants and modifiable risk factors to improve health outcomes in this population.”
If serious health conditions are identified, participants will be referred to their primary care providers or community-based organizations that serve uninsured individuals.
They have already found that the risk of cardiovascular disease is similar among Latin American groups, and that 71 percent of women and 80 percent of men have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Conversely, they found significant differences in risk factors among different Hispanic populations, such as higher diabetes rates among participants from Mexican and Central and South American backgrounds. Strikingly, across the cohort, more than 40 percent of people with diabetes were unaware of their condition, added Dr. Penedo added, and multiple barriers influenced cancer screening behaviors that generally did not meet recommended prevention guidelines.
“This highlights the importance of targeted strategies to raise awareness and hopefully prevent the onset of diabetes, cancer and other metabolic diseases,” he said.
The research was initially conceptualized and led by Neil Schneiderman, Ph.D., an expert in addressing health disparities and a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, who passed away in 2023. Since the study’s inception, university researchers have leveraged the wealth of data from the first three phases of HCHS/SOL to conduct 28 additional studies focused on cancer, vascular dementia, obstructive sleep apnea, COVID-19 and other issues. Approximately 4 percent of participants were diagnosed with cancer at the start of the cohort.
“In general, Hispanics have less common cancers but higher rates of advanced disease,” he said. “There are also cultural issues, such as a sense of fatalism associated with poor adherence to colorectal cancer screening guidelines.”
The continuation of this NIH grant will enable researchers to collect additional longitudinal data and perform more advanced modeling for risk factors, disease progression, and clinical outcomes, with opportunities to integrate emerging new analytical tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning methodologies to predict the onset of the disease.
New research opportunities
The research group expects that approximately 80 percent of the 4,000 Miami-Dade participants in previous HCHS/SOL study phases will participate in the fourth visit. To date, more than 500 scientific articles have been published from this cohort, and with the innovation to continue the research, there will be ample opportunities to examine long-term relationships between disease risks and protective factors at multiple levels in the Hispanic community.
Additionally, the team encourages university students, trainees and faculty to take advantage of the wealth of information in the study’s open-access database and to take advantage of the research opportunities the data offers.
Looking back on the 18 years of HCHS/SOL research, Dr. Cordero added: “Our success in achieving the highest retention rates across the four sites is a testament to the exceptional dedication of our research staff and the trust of our participants. we strive to have a lasting and meaningful impact on the health of Hispanic/Latino communities.”