Our Research
GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM
Investigators study chemical and psychological stressors on children
Javier Rosado , Ph . D . Gregg Stanwood , Ph . D .
Two College of Medicine associate professors , Javier Rosado , Ph . D ., and Gregg Stanwood , Ph . D ., landed a four-year , $ 1.9 million grant from the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency to study the cumulative consequences of both chemical and psychosocial stressors on child health .
They and their team have created the Bioecological Center for Rural Children ’ s Health ( BeRCH ), which includes the college ’ s Immokalee Health Education Site in Collier County and involves nine FSU colleges and 17 faculty researchers . The Immokalee Site includes a medical clinic that serves southwest Florida agricultural workers who previously had limited access to health care .
“ We ’ re recruiting pregnant women who are associated directly with agriculture , working in fields and packing houses ,” said Stanwood , who studies the developmental origins of brain disorders and is particularly interested in how chemical and psychosocial stressors interact during critical windows of development to negatively impact health , “ and we will be following them and their children as long as we can . We ’ re already working on a follow-up grant .”
Rosado , a licensed psychologist who specializes in pediatric psychology with a particular interest in toxic stress and childhood trauma , said the research will yield data that will help the team assess real-life threats to children ’ s health that exist in the community , and “ more importantly , it will help us to understand how those threats interact and what are the cumulative health consequences .”
“ BeRCH aligns with the College of Medicine ’ s mission in two key ways : addressing the needs of underserved populations , specifically rural agricultural worker families , a historically marginalized group ,” Rosado said , “ and it adopts a patient-centered approach , actively engaging the community through a participatory framework .”
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By Audrey Post FSU College of Medicine
Florida State University College of Medicine
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A REPORT TO OUR COMMUNITY