WEBINAR—An In-depth View of Health Disparities through Chronic Disease Research

November 7, 2023
11 a.m. EST

Watch the webinar on-demand

The disproportionate incidence and mortality rates from chronic disease in underserved populations, including LGBTQ+ and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, underscore persistent health disparities in the U.S. Social determinants of health and biological factors are key drivers of cardiovascular disease, cancer and infectious disease. During this webinar, Jesse Moreira-Bouchard, PhD, of Boston University, Bernard Kwabi-Addo, PhD, of Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C., and Eric Belin de Chantemele, DSc, of the Medical College of Georgia, will discuss topics such as the disproportional health burdens associated with hypertension and psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease risks in the LGBTQ+ community; factors associated with prostate cancer disparities; and cardiovascular effects associated with HIV infection.

Speakers 

Jesse Moreira-Bouchard, PhD 
Clinical Assistant Professor, Boston University 

Jesse Moreira-Bouchard, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor and the co-principal investigator of the Boston University Queer Understanding, Equity and Education Research (Q.U.E.E.R.) Lab. Their research and teaching focus on LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion in STEM and physiology education, as well as cardiovascular health risks in LGBTQ+ communities.  Moreira-Bouchard's lab assesses methods to redesign undergraduate and graduate physiology curricula to better educate students on the pathophysiology of marginalization-related psychosocial stress and disproportionate burden of diseases in historically marginalized populations. The lab investigates the prevalence of hypertension and chronic stress in young adults belonging to medically marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ communities and those who are black, indigenous and people of color. 

Bernard Kwabi-Addo, PhD 
Professor, Howard University College of Medicine 

Bernard Kwabi-Addo, PhD, is a biochemist and molecular biologist and a professor at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C. He has worked in the field of cancer research, in particular prostate cancer research, for 20 years. Most of  Kwabi-Addo's training and research work has focused on elucidating the genetic and epigenetic alterations underlying cancer and disease disparities. 

Eric Belin de Chantemele, DSc 
Professor, Medical College of Georgia 

Eric Belin de Chantemele, DSc, is a professor at the Medical College of Georgia. His lab analyzes how metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes and lipodystrophy lead to cardiovascular disease.  Belin de Chantemele’s research team is interested specifically in determining the contribution of leptin—a hormone secreted by the adipose tissue—to vascular disease and hypertension. A major focus of the lab is to understand the sex-specificity of the mechanisms leading to cardiovascular disease in obesity and diabetes and how metabolic disorders suppress the protective effects of female sex hormones.