Health leaders launch new Latino-focused data hub to combat NIH budget cuts
A national group of Latin Public Health Health has announced the launch of a new research institute, which they believe is a response to hundreds of millions of federal financing cuts related to diversity, actions and initiatives of inclusion initiatives
A national group of Latino chefs in public health has announced this week the launch of a new research institute, which they believe is a response to the hundreds of millions of federal financing cuts linked to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The National Hispanic Health Research Institute, launched on Tuesday, will be the first community research institute led by Latino aimed at collecting data on health to monitor and process disparities in poorly served communities across the country. Because Latinos, like other minority racial and ethnic communities, are underrepresented in research efforts funded by the federal government, the new institute will fill the gaps agitated by the cuts.
“At the moment, we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that each family historically excluded from the data is finally seen and counted,” said the CEO of the Institute, Ken Barela. “Our model led by the community is designed to change this – because when we lack research, our communities are erased and when we are deleted, we are left behind.”
The launch of the Institute comes after the National Institutes of Health have canceled more than 600 health disparity projects, to align with the priorities of Republican President Donald Trump. NIH scientists have publicly criticized Trump’s deep cuts in public health research, contesting in a letter the policy “which undermines the mission of the NIH, waste public resources and harms the health of Americans and people around the world”.
The Institute plans to publish a public database which will include adults and children in Latin-Latino-Latino-Laminantes, Amerindian and rural communities. Initial research will focus on issues such as maternal mortality, chronic diseases and youth health, areas where disparities are most serious for Latinos, researchers said.
Dr. Andy Beltrán, the chief doctor of the Institute, said that better access to research and health data would help fight disparities among Latinos.
“The NHHRI serves not only as an engine for research, but as a guardian of equity,” said Beltrán. “By reinventing research on health through the lived experiences of Hispanic families, we lay the foundations for a healthier and more equitable America.”
