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Meet our Researchers
Get to know UC Merced's muliti-disciplinary researchers addressing health disparities
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Opportunities for Students
Find out more about health disparities research opportunities for students
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Professor Jennifer Hahn Holbrook examines differing breastfeeding rates among American women 

Health Disparities Research at UC Merced

As defined by the CDC, health disparities are preventable differences in the burdens of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities. UC Merced researchers across disciplines are addressing health disparities and developing innovative solutions.

There are also opportunties for both undergraduate and graduate students to receive further training in this area of research. 

About Our Region

How are health disparities relevant in the San Joaquin Valley? 

While the 11 counties that comprise the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) and surrounding foothill communities make up the fastest growing region in the state where agriculture, oil and land development generate significant wealth, they also exhibit its highest levels of income disparities and rank poorly on an index of health factors reflecting health/risk behaviors, access to care and physical environment.  

This region reports prevalence rates higher than the national average for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, overweight/obesity, current smoking and psychological distress.  

Across the SJV, differences in disease prevalence and limited or better health disparities in some conditions demonstrate the need to examine both the risks and resilience of individuals, families and communities.  

Our region's racial, ethnic and socio-economic diversity provides an opportunity to examine rural health and health disparities as well as disparities within rural communities. 

 

Featured News

Flames, the beach and the ocean are depicted in a scene from the January 2025 Palisades fire.
April 22, 2025

Pictures accompanying Professor John Abatzoglou's presentation on the 2025 fire season were blurry. That was intentional, he said, because so much about wildfire is unpredictable. "There's a lot that...

UC Merced interns at Merced County Behavior Health and Recovery Services
April 21, 2025

UC Merced students are getting first-hand experience in providing mental health care to the most vulnerable and needful among us, thanks to a partnership between the university and Merced County....

Students Zeyi Moo, back left, and Yaying Wang, right, work with Professor Xuan Zhang, center, on her Alzheimer's-related research. Photo courtesy of Kate Marsh.
April 17, 2025

California’s Central Valley, famous for producing much of the food Americans eat, is also infamous for its inferior air quality and its high rates of poverty, housing insecurity and at-risk workers....

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