# Developing an intervention targeting sleep disturbances among minority bereaved individuals

> **NIH NIH K01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $161,886

## Abstract

This five-year plan for a K01 Mentored Career Development Award to Promote Faculty Diversity will equip
Dr. Diana Chirinos Medina with the essential knowledge and skills to help launch her career as an independent
investigator specializing in the development of evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing cardiovascular
disease (CVD) risk among vulnerable populations. Career Development and Training Activities: A carefully
drafted career development plan will supplement Dr. Chirinos Medina's expertise in observational CVD studies
and allow for an expansion of her skillset as an interventionist. The structure established by well-defined
training goals will ensure her career development and facilitate her transition to independence. The training
goals are: 1) to develop expertise in the collection and interpretation of objective sleep measures; 2) to gain a
deeper understanding of sleep disturbance and other quality of life issues in bereavement; 3) to acquire the
necessary skills to create and test behavioral interventions; 4) to strengthen the candidate's training in the
inflammatory mechanisms underlying CVD risk; and 5) to continue to develop grant writing skills and
successfully submit an R-level application to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The candidate will receive
guidance from experts in their respective fields (Drs. Carnethon, Ong, Fagundes and Miller) and take full
advantage of the strong institutional support and environment at Northwestern University Feinberg School of
Medicine. Research Plan: In spite of the rates of sleep disturbance in bereavement and its detrimental impact
on mental and physical health, no study to date has examined the effects of a direct intervention on sleep
disturbance in this population. Therefore, it is unknown whether interventions aimed at improving sleep in
bereavement are feasible or effective. The proposed research project will focus on developing a targeted
behavioral intervention for sleep disturbance among bereaved individuals and testing it for feasibility,
acceptability and preliminary effects. The intervention will be based on existing behavioral treatments for sleep
disturbance, but will tailor its components to address the specific needs of the bereaved population. To identify
opportunities for targeting treatment and potential barriers to intervention, Dr. Chirinos Medina will recruit
bereaved individuals with sleep disturbance who will participate in focus groups (Aim 1). Based on the
feedback from focus groups, she will iteratively develop and optimize an intervention for sleep disturbance in
bereavement (Aim 2) and test it for acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effects (Aim 3). The primary
outcome will be sleep disturbance. Secondary outcomes will include quality of life and inflammation. At the end
of this research, the candidate will be in an ideal position to develop interventions for sleep disturbance in
bereavement and other populations vulnerable to CVD. In additio...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10908331
- **Project number:** 5K01HL149987-05
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Diana Andrea Chirinos
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $161,886
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10908331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10908331, Developing an intervention targeting sleep disturbances among minority bereaved individuals (5K01HL149987-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10908331. Licensed CC0.

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