In my role as the Associate Dean for Research for the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Miami, I have the privilege to work side by side with our faculty and students who are at the forefront of innovative research that promotes health equity among diverse populations. Our commitment to health equity research is not new—our research faculty and students have been pioneering innovative work for decades. For example, see the stellar work done under the Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities (CLARO), which builds upon the legacy of the Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research (EL CENTRO). Now more than never, we have been reminded of the importance of health equity to advance health and well-being at the national and global levels. The COVID-19 pandemic over the last few years pulled back the curtains of deeply ingrained social inequalities, bringing to the surface once more the much-needed debate on how to protect the health of people residing in the United States. But we don’t need to go beyond our back yard here in South Florida to identify social and health needs that deserve our attention. Miami-Dade County (MDC), home to one of the nation’s most racially and ethnically diverse populations, is fighting to address health inequities, violence, human trafficking, and several other issues. Our school is committed to this fight, and we are equipped to generate the knowledge and the tools that can turn things around to allow our geographic region and nation to thrive. Our research concentrations are focused on the following areas: Women & Child Health, Chronic Disease Prevention & Management, Hispanic/Latin Family Health, Symptom Management, and Biopsychosocial Mechanisms of Health. In future newsletters, I look forward to highlighting some of these different areas of our research mission and how we are making a positive impact in our community, the nation, and the hemisphere.
Professor Hudson Santos, PhD, RN, FABMR, FAAN, became the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies in December 2022.
