Georgetown Nursing Professor Named 2020 Health Disparities Institute Scholar
June 16, 2020 – Dr. Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, assistant professor of professional nursing practice at the School of Nursing & Health Studies, has been named a 2020 Health Disparities Institute Scholar by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health.
Mirabal-Beltran said she is grateful for the opportunity.
“The NIMHD program provides a forum for meeting NIH scientists currently conducting health disparities research and offers an opportunity to form important collaborations with researchers external to Georgetown,” she said.
Health Inequity
Mirabal-Beltran’s research interests include Hispanic health disparities, gender equity in health care services, and “how race, gender, education, and socioeconomic status, of both provider and patient, contribute to” health inequities.
She was selected through a competitive application process for the program, which will run from August 3-7. Its goal is “support the research career development of promising early-career minority health/health disparities research scientists, and stimulate research in the disciplines supported by health disparities science.”
“Collaborative work between disciplines, organizations, and institutions is essential to properly address the health inequities my research aims to understand, I’m looking forward to representing NHS at NIMHD,” Mirabal-Beltran said.
‘Wonderful Honor’
The institute will include seminars and lectures, mock grant reviews, and the chance to speak with NIH researchers working on related research.
“This is a wonderful honor for Dr. Mirabal-Beltran,” said Dr. Edilma Yearwood, chair of the Department Professional Nursing Practice. “Her work has the potential to make significant contributions to the field of eliminating health disparities experienced by minority women during their childbearing experience. The opportunity to network with other scholars will no doubt support and enhance the crucial contribution she will make to nursing science.”
Brian Floyd, assistant dean, and Dr. Ella Heitzler, assistant professor of advanced nursing practice, have previously participated in NIMHD programs. Floyd was a 2014 Health Disparities Institute Scholar, and Heitzler was a 2015 Translational Health Disparities Scholar.