Research

Our epidemiologic research focuses broadly on human pathobiology, using tools ranging from clinical examinations to molecular biology. Most of the activity within the epidemiology group involves the study of the syndromic conditions which cause the great majority of adult illness, namely, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. We have a special interest in racial and ethnic diversity in health, and a major thrust of our research pertains to the study of health in the African Diaspora.

Research sites in West Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon), the Caribbean (Jamaica), and the US (Chicago) allow us to contrast the prevalence and causal mechanisms of chronic disease among populations of African origin in widely varying social environments.We have developed a Center for Genetic Epidemiology to help us take full advantage of the developments in molecular technology.
(See below for a list of projects.)

Departmental Research Programs

• Vitamin D in Populations of African Descent (VIDA
• Electronic Medical Records and Genomic Data (eMERGE - Mt Sinai,NYC)
• Modifiers of the Clinical Course of Sickle Cell
• Training for Research in Cardiovascular Diseases in West Africa (Fogarty Center)
• The Genetics of Hypertension in Blacks
• Hypertension in Populations of West African Origin
• Activity and Obesity in US Black and Nigerian Women
• Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
• CDC- Surveillance Methods for Hypertension Control
• Improving Hypertension Treatment in Africa
• Kidney Function and Hypertension in Nigerians and African Americans
• Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study (METS)