A University of Rhode Island (URI) anthropology professor will receive an inaugural award from the Hispanic Health Council for her research on improving the health and well-being of Latino communities, according to a URI news release.

 

Hilda Lloréns, PhD, a professor in URI’s department of gender and women’s studies, sociology and anthropology, and marine affairs, will receive the first ever Applied Anthropology Research Award at the Hispanic Health Council’s annual gala next month. This year’s gala in Hartford will celebrate the fusion of Native American, Caribbean, African and Spanish cultures.

 

Lloréns is being recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to scholarship regarding Puerto Rican and Latino communities in Rhode Island and her native Connecticut as well as her public engagement .

 

Lloréns began her career researching why residents in certain communities develop health issues such as asthma and how to create policies to improve well-being. Since then, her work has continued to focus on structural inequalities involving community health among Latino populations.

 

“I feel very honored and humbled to be the first person to receive this award,” Lloréns said in the release. “The work that the Hispanic Health Council and the Institute for Community Research has been doing for decades, for me, is an inspiration to a lot of my work, and I also hope to make an impact to improve community well-being.”

 

Throughout the United States, Latinos face higher rates of chronic conditions, especially obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, the American Heart Association reports.

 

To read more, click #Chronic Illness or #Health Equity. There, you’ll see headlines such as “‘Research is Heritage’ Centers Latino Voices in Health Research,” “Heart Disease and Cancer Remain Leading Causes of Death in U.S.” and “Obesity-Linked Cancer Deaths Tripled Since 1999.”