Assistant Professor receives American Heart Association grant

May 17, 2022

Erin

The American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded its grant for the call for Health-related social needs (HRSN) in Hypertension Outcomes in Women at Risk, entitled Community Resource Navigation Among At-Risk Black Women of At-Risk Black Women of Reproductive Age to Erin Ferranti, PhD, MPH, RN, FAHA, FPCNA, FAAN an assistant professor with Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. The AHA Research Project grant provides funding for two years of $449,999 to rigorously evaluate via cross-over, pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) whether a 6-month peer support intervention improves self-care behaviors, linkage to social resources, and decreases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among reproductive-aged Black women at risk for developing CVD. 

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death of U.S. women, with CVD mortality rising among women aged 35-54 years. For women, CVD risk is often revealed during pregnancy resulting in greater morbidity and mortality during and after the pregnancy and accelerated progression to CVD in the years following birth. This CVD morbidity and mortality is most significant for Black women. Key social determinants of maternal health at multiple levels both shape and perpetuate disparities across the lifespan and are implicated in maternal mortality disparities. Growing research supports that cumulative maternal chronic stress exposure downstream psychophysiological consequences contribute to race-based disparities in health and maternal morbidity and mortality. Peer support groups are an evidence-based strategy to mitigate the impacts of chronic stress exposure, increase perceived social support and reduce CVD risk for Black women. 

Dr. Erin Ferranti is an Assistant Professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Dr. Ferranti is a cardiometabolic nurse researcher whose research program focuses on identifying the role of the gut microbiome, the lipidome, and effective dietary strategies to mitigate cardiometabolic risk burden in women of childbearing age who have had cardiometabolic complications during pregnancy.  

For more information on Dr. Erin Ferranti, visit her faculty profile. To learn more about the AHA Research Project grant, visit the American Heart Association website.

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