Assessing Cardiovascular Risks in Deaf Adolescents who use Sign Language

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Scott R. Smith, MD, MPH is a deaf pediatrician who is bilingual in English and American Sign Language (ASL). His career has focused on health care in special and often underserved populations including deaf children and adolescents who use sign language. Dr. Smith's career objective is to become a leading expert and independent researcher to conduct breakthrough research in cardiovascular health knowledge and literacy in deaf adolescents. The University of Rochester provides Dr. Smith with an ideal environment to work towards his objective with Rochester having a large population of deaf children and people and the University of Rochester Medical Center being motivated to become a center of excellence on health promotion and disease prevention with people who are deaf. Dr. Smith will pursue more advanced research training including formal coursework, mentored individualized curricula, consultative supports, mentorial advisory committee meetings, field trips, and national conferences to develop the necessary research skills and community collaborations to achieve his goals and objectives. Furthermore, because deaf people who use ASL appear to be at a higher risk for specific cardiovascular risks including obesity, Dr. Smith will work with his mentors, consultants, and advisors to conduct a research project to further his research skills development and to generate new and valuable information about critical cardiovascular health knowledge and literacy skills of deaf ASL adolescents. They will accomplish this by developing a new written English measure and survey of specific cardiovascular health knowledge and literacy related to diet, exercise, and personal family cardiovascular history based on findings from focus groups and cognitive interviews of deaf adolescents. They will then adapt this written English survey into computer- based English audio and visual and computer-based ASL video surveys and administer these surveys to cohorts of deaf and hearing adolescents to evaluate their specific cardiovascular health knowledge and literacy. Dr. Smith will share the data with the deaf and health care communities to plan future research and interventions to address the cardiovascular health disparities of the deaf ASL community.