# Technology to improve the health of resource-poor Hispanics with diabetes

> **NIH NIH K23** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $175,585

## Abstract

1A. ABSTRACT
 I am an internist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. My career goal is to become an
independent clinical investigator and expert in improving diabetes care for resource-poor individuals by
increasing Community Health Worker (CHW) support. Receiving training and mentorship in Community-Based
Participatory Research (CBPR) (Learning goal [LG] 1), Implementation Research (LG2), and study design
and implementation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (LG3) are necessities for me to achieve
independence as an investigator. To achieve these goals, I organized a detailed career development plan with
diverse coursework and a scientific mentoring team that includes John Foreyt, PhD (primary mentor, Director
of the DeBakey Heart Center's Behavioral Medicine Research Center which conducts NIDDK-supported RCTs
in diabetes) and 3 co-mentors, Aanand Naik, MD (an expert in the field of Implementation Research), David
Hyman, MD, MPH (an internist/researcher in CBPR who conducts RCTs in low-income settings), and Susan
Samson, MD, PhD (an endocrinologist in patient-oriented outcomes diabetes research). In addition, Charles
Minard (a biostatistician researcher at Baylor), Sanjeev Arora, MD (Founder/Director of an internationally
recognized organization [Project ECHO] that uses modalities [i.e., CHWs, telemedicine] to increase access to
care), and the University of Texas CHW training program will be collaborators throughout my training.
 The number of Hispanics diagnosed with diabetes is escalating in the US with disproportionately higher
prevalence and complication rates than other ethnicities. CHWs are a well-established and culturally sensitive
means to bridge gaps in care to individuals with diabetes. However CHWs are often left unsupported, placing
patients at risk of substandard care or harm. Telemedicine is a term used to describe a range of technologies
to support healthcare delivery via communication with the patient or a member of the healthcare delivery team.
Though telemedicine has been implemented into diabetes programs for many years, there is a paucity of data
showing the use of telemedicine for CHW training and support. In a pilot study, I initiated a CHW-led diabetes
program for resource-poor Hispanics with in-person support for CHWs. The proposed research utilizes findings
from the pilot study to evaluate the use of telemedicine support for CHWs who lead diabetes programs for
resource-poor Hispanics. Specifically, I will conduct a RCT in 4 cohort waves with 176 adults diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes. The study will compare clinical outcomes (Specific Aim 1) and treatment satisfaction
(Specific Aim 2) of subjects who receive a CHW-led diabetes education program incorporating telemedicine
support (T-CDEP) (intervention, n=88) to subjects who receive usual care (wait list control, n=88). In addition, I
will analyze the acceptability of telemedicine use for CHWs (Exploratory Aim 1). The proposed research
serves as the founda...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9897599
- **Project number:** 5K23DK110341-04
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth M Vaughan
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $175,585
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9897599

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9897599, Technology to improve the health of resource-poor Hispanics with diabetes (5K23DK110341-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9897599. Licensed CC0.

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