Faculty-Led Research & Projects
The research, project, and training foci of CHE is grounded on addressing the intersectionality of domains of influence on health disparities and best-practices in implementation science to ensure health equity among the most vulnerable populations (racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, veterans, those with pre-existing conditions, those of low socioeconomic status, etc.) as well as train the next generation of diverse research workforce in the Inland Empire. Under the current leadership team (since 2017), there has been over 20 peer-reviewed publications resulting from collaborations among such faculty.
Featured Faculty-Led Project
Youth Weight Management Program
Is there a young person in your family struggling with body weight? Are you looking for ways to help them control weight, be happy and healthy? The Nutrition, Physical Activity and Health Behavior Lab at CSUSB wants to help! In order to deliver the best weight loss program, we want to hear from you.
Primary faculty contact: Dr. Wagner Prado.
Project is partially funded by: CSUSB's Centers and Institutes Seed Grant.
Health Literacy Capacity Building (HLCP)
HLCP is a multidisciplinary research initiative to address the intersectional domains of influence on low health literacy among at-risk groups and best practices in alleviating such a burden (project Principal Investigator: Dr. Monideepa Becerra). Team members have published several peer-reviewed articles on determinants of low health literacy among vulnerable populations, such as Asian-American and Pacific Islander populations, immigrant Hispanic population, as well as literacy related to women’s health and reproductive issues, such as sexual consent, HIV prevention and barriers to care, and HPV screening. Project co-investigators: Dr. Cindy Fike (retired, CSUSB), Dr. Paulchris Okpala, Dr. Salome Mshigeni, Dr. Benjamin Becerra, Dr. Robert Avina, Prof. Marwa Ahmad, Prof. Devin Arias (also community partner).
Project is partially funded by: CSUSB's Centers and Institutes Seed Grant.
Resulting peer-reviewed research publications:
1. Becerra MB, Avina RM, Mshigeni S, Becerra BJ. Low Human Papillomavirus Literacy Among Asian-American Women in California: an Analysis of the California Health Interview Survey. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2020 Aug;7(4):678–86.
2. Ahmad M, Becerra B, Hernandez D, Okpala P, Olney A, Becerra M. “You Do It without Their Knowledge.” Assessing Knowledge and Perception of Stealthing among College Students. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 May 18;17(10):E3527.
3. Avina RM, Mullen M, Mshigeni S, Becerra MB. “I Actually Don’t Know What HIV Is”: A Mixed Methods Analysis of College Students’ HIV Literacy. Diseases. 2020 Jan 2;8(1):E1.
4. Becerra BJ, Arias D, Becerra MB. Low Health Literacy among Immigrant Hispanics. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2017 Jun;4(3):480–3.
5. Becerra MB, Becerra BJ, Daus GP, Martin LR. Determinants of Low Health Literacy Among Asian-American and Pacific Islanders in California. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2015 Jun;2(2):267–73.
Social Justice Leadership Academy (SJLA)
The purpose of SJLA initiative is to address the unique characteristics and types of teaching approaches that promote learning among students, especially those who are underrepresented minorities, as well as address the key determinants of equity gap among the most at-risk groups. Initiatives include the assessment of the efficacy of blended learning, in providing flexibility and engagement, importance of addressing diversity from the students’ perspective, etc., as well as an evaluation of students' academic experiences during the pandemic. Project co-investigators include: Dr. Salome Mshigeni, Dr. Monideepa Becerra, Dr. Jacqueline Romano). As part of this initiative and in collaboration with Faculty Development Program-TRC, the co-PI of this initiative (Dr. Monideepa Becerra) developed and implemented several campus-wide pedagogical initiatives, including social justice pedagogy, critical information literacy leadership institute, etc.
Project is partially funded by: CSUSB's Teaching Resource Center.
Resulting peer-reviewed research publications:
1. Becerra M, Mshigeni S. A quasi-experimental evaluation of a flipped class in a public health course. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching. 2022 Mar 10;5(1). Available from: https://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/article/view/485
2.Mshigeni S, Arroyo-Romano J, Becerra M. “We don’t all have the privilege of having our own quiet place”: College Students in a Hispanic Serving Institution during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Latinos and Education. 2022 Mar 23;0(0):1–15.
3. Mshigeni SK, Okolo S, Mshigeni D, Becerra M. What Diversity Means to Undergraduate Health Science Students. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice. 2020 Oct 4;20(6). Available from: https://articlegateway.com/index.php/JHETP/article/view/3131