# Methylome-wide association study of socioeconomic status, incident type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease events among African Americans

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $38,062

## Abstract

Project Abstract
This NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related
Research (F31) application is designed to enhance the training of LáShauntá Glover, MS, a predoctoral student
in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and to provide her with the
foundation for a career as an independent researcher. Her sponsor, Dr. Kari North and mentors Drs. Laura
Loehr, Laura Raffield, and Mario Sims, experts in their respective disciplines, will mentor Ms. Glover. Driven by
disparities in type 2 diabetes (T2D) burden, which disproportionately affects African Americans (AAs) and is a
strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the proposed research will evaluate the relationship between
2 domains of socioeconomic status (socioeconomic adversity and socioeconomic mobility) and incident T2D,
possible epigenetic mechanisms of this effect, and whether these associations relate to downstream CVD.
Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with burden and development of T2D. The consideration of
longitudinal outcomes and possible molecular mediators of the SES T2D relationship among AAs could enhance
efforts to develop therapeutic agents and prevent the long-term progression of T2D and CVD. Indeed, prior
epigenetic research has primarily focused on prevalent T2D, making it difficult to determine whether epigenetic
methylation sites are associated with development of T2D, and have not investigated T2D epigenetic pathways
to CVD. Studies also use educational attainment as a sole representation of SES, and have not considered
cumulative effects of low SES on T2D. Ms. Glover’s proposed research will address these gaps by conducting
a study of 2 domains of SES, epigenetic methylation sites, incident T2D and downstream CVD among AA
participants of the Jackson Heart Study. In Aim 1, Ms. Glover will characterize the association of cumulative
socioeconomic adversity and incident T2D using a score (educational attainment, income, employment,
occupation, wealth, and parental education) (n=5306). In Aim 2, Ms. Glover will conduct a methylome-wide
association study of 2 domains of SES and incident T2D (n=1757). Finally, in Aim 3, Ms. Glover will evaluate
associations by examining the combined effect of 2 domains of SES, epigenetic methylation, and gene
expression on incident T2D and downstream CVD using pathway modeling (n=1055). Under the mentorship of
her sponsor and mentors who are leaders in the fields of cardiometabolic/cardiovascular epidemiology,
genetic/OMICs epidemiology, and social determinants of health, and an environment with numerous training and
academic resources, the proposed research and training plan will provide Ms. Glover with the training, skills, and
experience to conduct independent research at the intersection of these fields. The proposed research will also
yield important insights into the role of upstream socio-epigenetic pathways in T2D risk, p...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10312483
- **Project number:** 1F31HL159910-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** LaShaunta Marie Glover
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $38,062
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-18 → 2023-08-17

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10312483

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10312483, Methylome-wide association study of socioeconomic status, incident type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease events among African Americans (1F31HL159910-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10312483. Licensed CC0.

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