Research Areas

Our team leads several innovative research projects that aim to reduce health disparities and promote patient wellbeing. These efforts reflect the lab’s long-term commitment to advancing research at the intersection of obesity, cardiometabolic health and cancer—with the goal of driving prevention and improving outcomes in communities that have been historically underrepresented in clinical and behavioral research.

These projects include:

Movement Over Virtual Reality (MoVR)—Latinx: Partnering with the community to develop a novel Latin dance physical activity intervention using VR for Latinos at risk for Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Phase I engages community members through focus groups to explore the initial acceptability and feasibility of using VR as a tool to encourage physical activity. Phase II goes one step further and evaluates the practicality and user experience of a home-based VR exercise program designed to complement the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) offered at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).

Our MoVR project was featured in the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom. Click the links below in both English and Spanish to learn more:

• Exercise Focus Group Leaps Into Virtual Reality
• El Grupo de Enfoque de Ejercicio Salta a la Realidad Virtual

A Multilevel Evaluation of California's New Medicaid Coverage for the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP): Assessing the effectiveness of DPP once it became a covered service under Medi-Cal to elucidate areas of future improvement to help improve DPP accessibility and impact for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

Understanding DPP Engagement Barriers Among Latinos: Investigating the challenges faced by Latinos in accessing and participating in diabetes-prevention programs (DPP) by conducting interviews with DPP participants, including those who could not complete the program or enroll to obtain a holistic view on the DPP barriers to engagement. Challenges and barriers discerned through this research laid out the groundwork for future studies and programs, such as Feasibility of a Nutrition Intervention at Community Clinics, illustrating a commitment to community-tailored interventions.

Feasibility of a Nutrition Intervention at Community Clinics: Partnering with communities to create culturally tailored interventions that recruit, engage and retain patients in the DPP at FQHCs in Los Angeles. This project explores how to make preventive  programs accessible, relevant and sustainable to support lasting health improvements. Participants will provide valuable input and feedback to help make nutrition programs better suited to help the Latino community.

Understanding Model Minority Pressures on Asian American and Pacific Islander Substance Use Treatment and Recovery: Exploring the unique challenges that impact treatment and recovery in these model minority communities. The research identifies cultural nuances and inclusive clinical practices to be incorporated into SUD care to improve Asian American and Pacific Islander patient outcomes. SUD can include substances such as alcohol, tobacco and stimulants.

My Vaccine LA/miVacunaLA: A pilot, cellphone intervention designed to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence among Spanish-speaking Latino families. In particular, the intervention was aimed to address vaccine misinformation in Latino parents/caretakers of minors in under-resourced areas of Los Angeles, drawing upon community-based participatory research.

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) led by Castellon-Lopez plays a vital role in guiding and supporting the lab’s projects by providing community perspectives and insights to ensure the research is responsive to community needs. The CAB was founded in 2023 and meets on a bimonthly basis. CAB members collaborate closely with the research team to advise on study design, recruitment strategies and dissemination of findings. The CAB is made up of community leaders and representatives from organizations in Los Angeles County who share the lab’s mission of improving community health outcomes for areas with constrained access to healthcare services and/or knowledge. The current CAB includes members from organizations such as:  

• AltaMed Health Services Corporation, an FQHC
• CultivaLA, a 501(c)(3) 
• LA Woman, a 501(c)(3) 
• FEAST LA, a 501(c)(3) 
• Live-Work Well 
• Northeast Valley Health Corporation, an FQHC
• The Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA, a 501(c)(3)