PhD Students Address Vulnerable Populations

For 20 years, the School of Nursing has been funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research for a training program called the Ruth L. Kirchstein Institutional Research Training Grant (known as the T-32) that targets health disparities experienced by vulnerable populations. Dr. Felicia Hodge (PI/director) and Dr. Adey Nyamathi (co-PI/co-director) guide students in using measures and methods to help them better understand approaches to working in underserved communities. The program supports students who in turn want to work in their own communities and try and make a difference. Twenty-three predoctoral and 11 postdoctoral students have benefited from this grant.

Sharon Cobb, a doctoral candidate, conducted a pilot study on pain attitudes and beliefs among older African Americans in the Los Angeles area. She found pain to be prevalent and the results solidified her research focus: understanding the relationship between pain and obesity among aging African Americans. By uncovering their experiences, Cobb hopes to find ways to increase the quality of life and well-being in this population.

“Health care professionals don’t know a lot about older African Americans living with pain,” Cobb says. “In my preliminary data gathering, I found that 20 percent reported anxiety and depression. These individuals are, oftentimes, managing their pain with alternative methods because they are concerned about opioids and addiction.”