The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) is proud to announce that Jazmin Ramirez, B.S.N., R.N., has been awarded a 2.5-year grant by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) to support her study, "Effects of Heat Exposure on Maternal and Pregnancy Health: Understanding the Role of Social Determinants and Adaptive Behaviors.” The prestigious F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA) supports mentored research training opportunities for promising predoctoral students conducting dissertation research who demonstrate potential to develop into productive, independent research scientists.
A second-year student in the SONHS’ Ph.D. in Nursing Science program, Ramirez will examine the complex interactions between hyperlocal heat exposure, social determinants of health, and adaptive behaviors among pregnant women. The study will look at micro-environments within ten diverse Miami-Dade County neighborhoods—from Homestead to Hialeah—gathering hyperlocal temperature and humidity data from iButton sensors affixed to structures in local parks, as well as from Elitech sensors placed inside the homes of the 100 pregnant women who will participate in the study.
Ramirez, who worked as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse for five years prior to starting the Ph.D. program, brings a solid foundation in maternal and child health to the new study. “My experience as a NICU nurse made me aware of the environmental and social issues that can affect pregnancies,” she said. “The F31 award provides me with the opportunity to learn more about how exposure to high levels of heat can impact pregnancy outcomes in our South Florida communities.”
Ramirez’s mentor, SONHS Dean and Professor Hudson Santos, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.B.M.R., F.A.A.N., will serve as the grant’s sponsor and help her develop specialized and advanced research skills. An internationally-renowned expert in maternal and child health, Santos will link the new study to his NIH-funded “Miami-ECHO: A Diverse Cohort of Mothers, Children and Fathers in Miami-Dade County” to provide Ramirez with access to research participants, study data and resources.
“Ms. Ramirez is an exceptional scholar who will be conducting urgently-needed research at the intersection of nursing and environmental sciences,” said Santos. “As higher levels of intense heat and humidity increasingly affect South Florida and the world, her work has the potential to make significant contributions that will help address climate-related health impacts on vulnerable populations.”
To consolidate the study’s interdisciplinary approach, Ramirez will be mentored by Katharine Mach, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science. Two faculty members from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine also will serve as mentors—JoNell Efantis Potter, Ph.D., A.P.R.N., F.A.A.N., professor of Clinical Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Raymond Balise, Ph.D., associate professor of biostatistics in the Department of Public Health Sciences—providing expertise on maternal health and biostatistics, respectively.
The study responds to one of the NINR’s research priorities: to understand how climate impacts health, especially in populations and communities that may be more vulnerable to experiencing severe health consequences related to extreme climatic conditions.
“Heat affects everyone, but it can be very physiologically taxing for pregnant women, especially when they have underlying health conditions,” said Ramirez. “This study will help us learn more about how social and environmental factors interact with high levels of heat to exacerbate its impact on pregnancy outcomes such as the mother’s health and well-being, stress, gestational weight, and preterm birth—all of which can affect the baby’s overall health as well.”
The F31 award will help Ramirez launch her career as a nurse researcher and expert in climate and environmental health, with a focus on how they impact maternal and child health and vulnerable populations such as older adults and people with certain health conditions.
“This is an emerging research area within nursing science and there is an urgent need for more nurse researchers who are environmental health experts,” said Ramirez. “As we gain more understanding about how climate and social factors interact to affect pregnancy outcomes, we can develop interventions to help pregnant women adopt more protective heat-adaptive behaviors, and guide communities in implementing changes—such as increasing the amount of tree cover in neighborhoods – that can help mitigate the growing impact of extreme heat.”
###
About the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies: The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) transforms lives and health care through education, research, innovation, and service across the hemisphere. Established in 1948 as South Florida’s first collegiate nursing program, SONHS is a world-class, prestigiously accredited, research-driven school conferring undergraduate and advanced nursing degrees, and undergraduate public health and health science degrees. SONHS values its diverse faculty, students, and 250+ clinical and community health partners. Its research core includes the Biobehavioral Research Laboratory, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre, Center for Latino Health Research Opportunities, Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training Program, and 41,000-square-foot Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education (S.H.A.R.E.®). For more information, visit sonhs.miami.edu.
