MainesLarissaAviles-SantaMDMPH, FACP, FACE

Summary

• I am the project director of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos [HCHS/SOL]. The HCHS/SOL study is the largest epidemiological study on Hispanic health in the U.S. It was initiated in 2006, with the purpose of understanding the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases, its risk and protective factors in a group of Hispanics from diverse origins. The HCHS/SOL is an NHLBI initiative which is funded through contracts with academic institutions. The study website is www.cscc.unc.edu/hchs.
  
  I am the founder of the NIH Hispanic Health Research Scientific Interest Group. This is a trans-NIH and trans-HHS group who are interested in discussing Hispanic health from the research perspective. We hold monthly meetings where we discuss a variety of scientific topics. A mentoring group and other activities are being developed.
  
  Prior to my work at the NHLBI, I was a faculty member of the Endocrine Division at UT Southwestern in Dallas. There, I worked in clinical research, teaching and direct patient care. I was and am still passionate about preventing cardiovascular disease in Hispanics with diabetes. Thus, I see both my previous clinical and research work and my current role in an epidemiological study as a continuum within the spectrum of Hispanic health-related research.
  
  Other areas of research that interest me include the embedding of clinical interventions into observational studies, and the potential use of electronic medical databases to perform clinical epidemiological studies and clinical interventions. New health research models and innovative questions using these resources might lead to the discovery of more targeted and clinically applicable findings, including gaps in health equity and their potential solutions.
  
  I enjoy photography. I recently joined the Smithsonian B&W Night Photography class (loved it!), where I work in the darkroom once a week.