Carmen Giurgescu, PhD, RN, WHNP, FAAN
Chatlos Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing, Associate Dean of Research, Professor
College of Nursing
University of Central Florida
Years on BIBB study: 2017-present
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Carmen Giurgescu, the Chatlos Foundation Endowed Chair and associate dean of research, is a pioneer and leader in eliminating racial disparities in preterm birth among Black women. She has strategically developed a focused program of nationally recognized research to identify fundamental factors that underlie high rates of preterm birth among Black women. Her pioneering research, which is built upon more than 15 years of clinical practice as a labor and delivery nurse and women’s health care nurse practitioner, has progressed from drawing attention to the roles of social stressors, particularly neighborhood disorder, and experiences of racial discrimination, to elucidating the complex and interacting psychological and biological pathways by which social determinants of health increase risk for preterm birth. Giurgescu’s work, which has been consistently funded and currently includes two studies totaling $5.6 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, has implications for interventions ranging from policies to personalized therapies.
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Contact:
407.823.5878