Research Areas
The Castellon-Lopez Lab is dedicated to enhancing health outcomes for underserved populations, with a focus on the Latino community. Our goal is to create community-informed interventions and decision aids that empower individuals to take an active role in their healthcare choices.
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 1: Engaging community members through focus groups to explore the acceptability and feasibility of using VR as a tool to encourage physical activity.
- Phase 2: Evaluating 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.
Understanding DPP Engagement Barriers Among Latinos: Investigating the challenges faced by Latinos in accessing and participating in diabetes-prevention programs.
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 nutrition programs accessible, relevant and sustainable to support lasting health improvements.
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 communities.
My Vaccine LA/miVacunaLA: A pilot, mobile-phone intervention designed to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence among Spanish-speaking Latino families.
Our Commitment to the Community
At the heart of our work is a deep commitment to listening to and learning from the communities we serve. We believe that meaningful research is built on trust, collaboration and mutual respect—and that real impact happens when community voices help shape the solutions.
Our research is only possible through the insight, experiences and leadership of the communities we work with. We’re always looking for new ways to collaborate, share knowledge and grow together— because improving health outcomes starts with partnership.
If you're interested in partnering with us, participating in a study or simply learning more about our work, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact the Castellon-Lopez Lab
6500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90048