Doctoral Dissertation Research: Local Biologies and the Epidemiologic Paradox

科学家们观察到一种流行病学悖论：尽管收入和受教育程度较低，通常会导致较高的发病率和死亡率，但有些人的生理结果比其他人好。然而，有许多复杂的因素可能会混淆这些发现，例如组内异质性。这个博士论文项目将使用并扩展本地生物学理论，即人类生物学是由个体的环境决定的，以检查基因相似人群的生理健康。这项研究将促进对人类文化和生物学界面的认识，最大限度地减少人口异质性的潜在混淆效应。该项目将支持对STEM领域中代表性不足群体的学生进行培训，并根据项目结果开展公共和社区科学推广和公共卫生信息。这个博士论文项目探讨了物理和社会文化环境如何在北美的西班牙裔人群中形成生理障碍的发展。该项目结合了使用心脏代谢紊乱的生物标志物对生理健康的严格检查，以及对不同地区Purepecha个体的社会文化和自然环境的民族志探索。结合标准化的工具来测量文化适应和其他变量，将允许与类似的研究进行比较。这项研究的重要之处在于，它关注了在更广泛的西班牙裔/拉丁裔背景下未被充分研究的人群。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Scientists have observed an epidemiologic paradox in which some populations have better physiological outcomes than others, despite having lower income and education that normally would predict higher morbidity and mortality. However, there are many complex factors that potentially confound such findings, such as within-group heterogeneity. This doctoral dissertation project will use and expand the theory of local biologies, the idea that human biology is shaped by an individual's context, to examine physiological well-being for genetically similar populations. The research will advance knowledge about the interface of human culture and biology, minimizing the potentially confounding effects of population heterogeneity. The project will support training for students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields, as well as public and community science outreach and public health information based on the project findings. This doctoral dissertation project explores how the physical and sociocultural environment shapes the development of physiologic disorders among Hispanic populations in North America. The project combines a rigorous examination of physiological well-being using biomarkers of cardiometabolic disorders and an ethnographic exploration of the sociocultural and physical surroundings of Purepecha individuals in different areas. The incorporation of standardized instruments to measure acculturation and other variables will permit comparison with similar studies. The research is significant in its focus on an understudied population within the broader Hispanic/Latinx context.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.