Interdisciplinary Grant Aims to Prepare Diabetes Awareness Advocates

Published October 14, 2022
UTEP College of Health Sciences

An interdisciplinary team from the Colleges of Health Sciences and Liberal Arts will utilize funding from a recently awarded grant to prepare students for positions as diabetes awareness advocates in the Paso del Norte region.

The purpose of the project, “Diabetes Awareness Education Training Program for Community Outreach,” funded by the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, is to train public health students in diabetes awareness so they can deliver educational sessions to employers and community members across the region, with a special focus on human resources departments and community-based organizations. The interdisciplinary team responsible for designing and implementing the pilot project includes: Dr. Maria Duarte-Gardea, chair and professor of Public Health; Dr. William Robertson, dean of the College of Health Sciences; Dr. Ximena Burgos,  assistant professor of instruction in Public Health; Cynthia Wittenburg, lecturer in Public Health; Dr. Sarah Ruiz, PhD, RDN, CDES, lecturer in Public Health; Dr. Joao Ferreira-Pinto, assistant dean for Interdisciplinary Research and Evaluation; and Dr. Richard Pineda, associate professor of Communication.

Each member of the interdisciplinary grant team will be responsible for a specific portion of the programming. Duarte-Gardea will provide oversight of the project, while Ruiz and Burgos will develop the diabetes awareness modules. Pineda, a communication expert, will provide modules and training in cultural awareness and public speaking strategies. Robertson, an expert on adult learning, will provide students with strategies to capture the audience’s attention. Ferreira-Pinto will lead the evaluation of the training program. Wittenburg, who also serves as the practicum coordinator for the Department of Public Health Sciences, will integrate the curriculum into her practicum classes and introduce the training modules to students interested in becoming diabetes advocates.   

Duarte-Gardea spoke about the specialized training students will receive to prepare them for their future roles in the community.

“Students will receive standardized diabetes awareness training during the program, as well as training in adult learning approaches and public speaking,” she said. “Providing this type of standardized training will empower students to become advocates for diabetes awareness.”

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