Google is supporting health equity research through the Google Health Equity Research
Initiative, in partnership with Fitabase. Researchers at academic institutions and nonprofit
research institutions in the United States were invited to submit their health equity research
proposals for an opportunity to receive awards for funding, Google and Fitbit wearable
devices, Google Cloud Platform Credits and/or Fitabase services. 19 awardees were identified.
We are excited to share today that Annie Ro, PhD, associate professor of health, society, & behavior at the UCI Program in Public Health was selected to receive funding to advance health equity research and improve health outcomes for groups disproportionately impacted by health disparities. Ro aims to analyze changes in Type 2 diabetes medication and management among older Latino undocumented patients after full-scope Medi-Cal Expansion.
In May 2022, California enacted a new law that provided full scope Medi-Cal to adults 50 years of age and older where immigration status does not matter to be eligible. Hispanic or Latino people are more likely to develop prediabetes and T2D than other racial groups. Diabetes complications also hit harder with Hispanic or Latino people who have higher rates of kidney failure, diabetes-related vision loss, and blindness. The extension impacts undocumented patients by providing them coverage for newer pharmaceutical treatments for T2D. Despite these promising therapeutic developments, it is unknown whether older undocumented patients are receiving these medications and ultimately improving their outcomes.
Our research agenda is centered on ensuring health equity for low-income communities and communities of color.
– Annie Ro, PhD
Local partnership strengthens research aims
Partnering with two local federally qualified health centers who provide care primarily to Latino, low-income patients, Ro and her research team will analyze patient medical records and pharmaceutical records before and after the Medi-Cal expansion paired with data on important markers of T2D. The results will lead to improved health outcomes for older, undocumented immigrants by demonstrating whether this major policy shift can improve chronic conditions that are disproportionately experienced by Latino populations. It will also provide insights into potential outreach to clinicians to educate them about new treatment options with Medi-Cal expansion for their most vulnerable patients.
“This project will be the first to produce empirical evidence for California’s Medi-Cal expansion to undocumented immigrants,” says Ro. “Our research agenda is centered on ensuring health equity for low-income communities and communities of color”.
