Baylor Public Health Researcher Receives Career Development Award from the American Heart Association

Contact: Kelly Craine, Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-297-9065
Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia

WACO, Texas (March 27, 2024) – Rebecca Jones-Antwi, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Public Health in Baylor University’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, has received a three-year Career Development Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) for her project, “Stuck in the Middle: The Intersectionality of Multiracial Adults and Cardiovascular Health.” 

AHA Career Development Awards support highly promising healthcare and academic professionals in the early years of first professional appointment to assure the applicant’s future success as a research scientist in the field of cardiovascular and/or cerebrovascular disease research.

“The Department of Public Health is celebrating with Dr. Jones-Antwi,” said Eva Doyle, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Public Health at Baylor. “This AHA Career Development Award will enable her to enhance her growing research expertise in obesity dynamics within the context of social and environmental determinants. Dr. Jones-Antwi exemplifies the level of research excellence to which our department is committed. We are excited about this impressive accomplishment.”

Multiracial adults are considered the fastest growing population in the United States, increasing from 2.9% to 10.2% from 2010 to 2020, and Jones-Antwi is one of few researchers taking a closer look at the health—and specifically, cardiovascular health—of this emergent demographic. Through her innovative work, Jones-Antwi seeks to (1) better understand the heart health of multiracial adults by race, ethnicity, gender and location; (2) examine how heart health varies between multiracial adults and adults who identify as one race; and (3) investigate differences in heart health of multiracial adults living in different locations across the country. 

“This project gives a more complete picture of heart health by looking at people in combination of who they are and among a group that is not often studied,” Jones-Antwi said. “This study will also help to find groups at high risk of poor heart health and is directly related to the American Heart Association’s mission of building longer, healthier lives where all people are able to maintain ideal levels of cardiovascular health throughout life.”

Not only do AHA Career Development Awards support important, innovative research like that of Jones-Antwi, but they also are designed to help awardees develop research skills and experiences that will support and enhance their career aspirations. One requirement of the grant is that awardees form a mentoring team that includes at least two mentors who are active researchers themselves and who are committed to providing guidance and direction throughout the funding period. Jones-Antwi is excited about the opportunities this type of structure will provide.

“As an early-stage investigator who is part of a multiracial family, with doctoral training in chronic disease and postdoctoral training in epidemiology, this AHA Career Development Award will provide new skills and training in theories of intersectionality, racial identity, measurement of cardiovascular health, as well as methodological knowledge and training in health disparities and leadership,” she said.

About Rebecca Jones-Antwi, Ph.D.

Jones-Antwi joined the Baylor University faculty in August 2023 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular disparities at Emory University, where she also received her PhD. With a specialization in nutritional epidemiology, Jones-Antwi’s research focuses on understanding obesity dynamics across the life course and the utilization of migration as a lens to evaluate the role of environments on health and behavior.

“Rebecca is a rising star in Robbins College, and we are thrilled that she received such a significant award so quickly—and one that recognizes her outstanding potential as a researcher,” said Jason R. Carter, dean of Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences. “Rebecca is a stellar example of the type of early-career R1 faculty we are recruiting and hiring here in Baylor’s Robbins College, and we look forward to seeing her work and impact continue to grow.”

ABOUT ROBBINS COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

The Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences at Baylor University seeks to prepare leaders in health and quality of life through science, scholarship and innovation. Together, the departments housed within the Robbins College – Communication Sciences and Disorders; Health, Human Performance and Recreation; Human Sciences and Design; Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; Public Health; and a number of Army-Baylor graduate programs – promote a team-based approach to transformational education and research, establishing interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance solutions for improving quality of life for individuals, families and communities. For more information, visit the Robbins College website.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.