Our studies

We use trusted methods to deliver research with real-world impact.

All NHHRI studies are grounded in our commitment to culturally responsive, community-led research. Our work is guided by a national Leadership Council of experts and supported by a tiered network of Hispanic-serving providers across the U.S.

Research projects are overseen by our Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure ethical, community-informed standards. We also offer technical assistance to frontline partners, expanding access to quality research among underserved providers.

Community Powered

Community Powered

A young woman wearing a black zip-up hoodie with a name tag talking in a room with four other women sitting on chairs. One woman is holding a small baby, and another is taking notes. The room has framed artwork on the walls.

Selected Research Projects

  • FOOD4MOMS
    Incentivizing fresh produce and nutrition education for mothers using a three-phase, community-led model.
    Funder: USDA GusNIP

  • Impact of CHW Strategy on Produce Prescription Uptake
    Using Community Health Workers to increase program participation among people with type 2 diabetes.
    Funder: American Heart Association

  • SWAMP Study
    Mapping food outlets in Hartford’s North and South Ends and developing a food swamp audit tool.
    Funder: NIH

  • Youth-Led Research on Unhealthy Food Marketing
    Empowering Hispanic and Black youth to research and address targeted food marketing in their communities.
    Funder: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

  • PA’LANTE Health Care Research
    Centering Latina voices in women's health research through participatory action and leadership training.
    Funder: PCORI

  • Guns Change the Story
    Evaluating firearm violence prevention strategies for Black and Hispanic youth in urban Connecticut.
    Funder: Fund for a Safer Future

  • Health Equity for Migrant & Seasonal Farmworkers
    Partnering with farms and clinics to improve access and services for MSFWs through community-based research.
    Funder: CT Health Foundation

  • Family Wellness Center Project
    Reducing health disparities in Hartford through local, cross-sector collaborations.
    Funder: CVS Foundation

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HIV Risk

HIV Risk

Selected Research Projects

• Communication and Negotiation About Barrier Contraceptive Use Among Young Adults at Risk: Project PHRESH.com
Principal Investigator: Pamela Erickson
Co-Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Years: 2004–2008

• Assessing Oral HIV Testing Among Brazilian Drug Users
Principal Investigator: Scott Clair
Co-Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Collaborating Institutions: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); University of Iowa
Years: 2004–2006

• Syringe Exchange–Based Hepatitis B Vaccination of IDUs
Principal Investigator: Heimer
Co-Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 2003–2006

• Building Community Response to Risks of Emergent Drug Use
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Years: 2002–2006

• Project CONNECT
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
Years: 2001–2003

• HIV and Syringe Access, Use, and Discard in the U.S. Virgin Islands (Supplement to Syringe Access, Use, and Discard)
Years: 2002–2003

• Pathways to High-Risk Drug Use Among Youth
Principal Investigator: Jean Schensul
Co-Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 1998–2001

• HIV Sex Risk Among Migrant Farmworkers
Principal Investigator: Michael Duke
Funded by: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (Yale University)
Year: 2000

• Intertwined Drug Epidemics: SAVA I and SAVA II
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 1997–2000

• The Youth AIDS Prevention Project
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH)
Years: 1995–1996

• The Hartford Syringe Exchange Evaluation
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 1994–1997

• Project CONNECT
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
Years: 1992–1994

• Project COPE II
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 1992–1997

• Project COPE I – A National AIDS Demonstration Research Grant
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 1988–1991

• Risk Assessment Grant
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH)
Years: 1986–1988

Drug and Alcohol

Drug and Alcohol

Selected Research Projects

• Second-Hand Smoke and Health Risk Among Puerto Rican Children
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP), University of Connecticut
Years: 2006–2007

• Adolescents y Alcohol: Environmental Influences on Puerto Rican Adolescent Drinking Behavior
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Years: 1984–1987

• Drug Monitoring Study
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH)
Years: 1997–1998

• Drinking Behaviors of Migrant and Non-Migrant Farmworkers
Principal Investigator: Michael Duke
Funded by: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Year: 2002

• Sociocultural Factors on Syringe Sharing and HIV Risks among IDUs in Guangdong, China I Study
Principal Investigator: Jianghong Li
Co-Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 2001–2002

• Injection Drug Use and HIV Risk in Urban China
Principal Investigator: Jianghong Li
Co-Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Year: 2003

• Participant Perspectives on Drug-on-Drug Use/HIV Research Ethics
Principal Investigator: Celia Fisher
Co-Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Years: 2005–2008

• Migration, Alcohol Use, and HIV Risk in Rural Mexico
Principal Investigator: Michael Duke
Funded by: Fogarty International Center
Years: 2004–2006

Nutrition

Nutrition

Selected Research Projects

• Food Insecurity, Meal Skipping, Nutrient Intakes, and Pregnancy Outcomes among Low-Income Latinas
Principal Investigator: Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
Co-Principal Investigator: G. Damio
Funded by: University of Connecticut Research Foundation
Years: 2005–2006

• The Monthly Cycling of Food Insecurity and Diabetes Risk
Principal Investigator: Ángela Bermúdez-Millán
Funded by: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH/DHHS
Year: 2021

• Feasibility and Impact of the FOOD4MOMS Produce Prescription Program among Pregnant Latina Women
Principal Investigator: Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
Co-Principal Investigator: Sofía Segura-Pérez
Funded by: USDA GusNIP
Years: 2023–2025

• Impact of CHW Strategy on Produce Prescription Program Uptake for People with Diabetes
Principal Investigator: Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
Co-Principal Investigator: Sofía Segura-Pérez
Funded by: American Heart Association
Years: 2024–2025

• SWAMP Study
Principal Investigator: Kristen Cooksey
Co-Principal Investigator: Hassan Saleheen
Funded by: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Years: 2024–2025

• Community-Engaged Research with Hispanic and Black Youth to Address Targeted Unhealthy Food Marketing
Principal Investigator: Frances Flemming
Co-Principal Investigator: Sofía Segura-Pérez
Funded by: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Years: 2024–2025

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Maternal and Child Health

Maternal and Child Health

Selected Research Project

• Breastfeeding Education and Support Trial for Obese Women (BESTOW)
Principal Investigator: Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
Funded by: University of Connecticut Department of Nutritional Sciences
Years: 2007

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Behavioral

Behavioral

Selected Research Projects

• Guns Change the Story: Evaluation of an Intervention to Address Firearm Violence among Urban Racial and Ethnic Minority Adolescents in Urban Connecticut
Principal Investigator: Sarah Lowe
Co-Principal Investigator: Hassan Saleheen
Years: 2025–2027

• Access to Behavioral Health Services for Youth of Puerto Rican Descent
Principal Investigator: Michael Duke
Funded by: Connecticut Health Foundation
Years: 2002–2003

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Cancer

Cancer

Selected Research Project

• Latino Beliefs and Challenges About Cancer – Focus Groups for Latino Community Members, Caregivers, and People with Cancer
Principal Investigator: Merrill Singer
Funded by: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Years: 2007

Two women having a conversation indoors, one showing the other a document or presentation, with potted plants and a brick wall in the background.

Access to Health

Access to Health

Selected Research Projects

• Addressing Health Equity for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs) in Connecticut
Principal Investigator: Andy Beltran
Co-Principal Investigator: Sara Rodonis
Years: 2025–2026

• Patient Action Leaders Advancing Novel, Transformative, Equitable (PA’LANTE) Health Care
Principal Investigator: Hassan Saleheen
Co-Principal Investigator: Linda Sprague Martinez
Years: 2025–2027

• Connecticut Health Insurance Reform Project
Principal Investigator: Grace Damio
Funded by: Connecticut Health Foundation
Year: 2016

• Evaluating Culturally Appropriate Health Care
Principal Investigator: Susan Shaw
Funded by: U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Year: 2004

A man in a light gray shirt gestures with his hand on his chest while speaking to three women during a group discussion in an office or therapy setting.

Chronic Diseases

Chronic Diseases

Selected Research Projects

• Stress Management Among Latinos with Type 2 Diabetes
Principal Investigator: J. Wagner
Co-Principal Investigator: Grace Damio
Funded by: Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (CICATS) at UConn Health Center
Years: 2010–2015

• Impact of Type 2 Diabetes Peer Counseling on Behavioral, Metabolic, and Health Outcomes Among Latinos
Principal Investigator: Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
Co-Principal Investigators: Grace Damio, Sheryl Horowitz
Funded by: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Years: 2006–2008.