Dr. Jeannie Concha

Ph.D, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health, Community based participatory research and community oriented health education , 2008

MPH, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houstonl, Community Health, 2001

BS, University of Texas at El Paso, Health Psychology, 1997

Research Interests/Current Projects:

Cultural Meanings of Diabetes and Stress in marginalized and ethnic minority groups, particularly in Latino populations:

• Dealing with diabetes: Exploring the psychological, behavioral, and cultural responses to diabetes diagnosis
• The influence of different types of diabetes education on the trajectory of depression and glycemic control.
• Health care provider/educator interest in screening and addressing emotional well being in diabetes patients.

What brought you to GREMAP and/or Public Health:

Prior to coming to GREMAP I worked in New Mexico on a statewide screening and diabetes community oriented education program. During this experience I continued to see the impact of chronic stress on diabetes self-care activities. I am particularly interested in the role of stress and diabetes within the Hispanic population because of this indigenous inherent understanding that stress causes and impacts the progression of the disease. I returned to the academic setting to address diabetes health disparities by contributing novel scientific knowledge toward the integrations of mental health education/services in diabetes prevention and health care programs for Latino populations.

Hobbies or an interesting factoid:

I enjoy volleyball, trail running, and the simple pleasure of being outdoors and watching my dog enjoy an open field to run and play in.