Skip to main content

Help us celebrate 50 years of the Semel Institute. Learn more

Research Program

Healing Our Hearts, Minds & Bodies – sample

Leadership

Gail E. Wyatt, PhD
Principal Investigator

About

“Healing our Hearts Minds and Bodies” (HHMB) supports people living with HIV by reducing their risk of cardiovascular disease and trauma, particularly among African American and Latino populations. The project is a five-year partnership with Dr. Gail E. Wyatt’s Center Team at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Dr. Wilbert Jordan of the Oasis Clinic at Charles Drew Medical Center, and Dr. Ardis Moe from the Northeast Valley Medical Center. The program is localized in Los Angeles County and is available at OASIS Clinic and Northeast Valley Healthcare Corporation in Van Nuys.

HIV management has advanced due to decades of research and implementation of treatment. Concurrently, studies have shown that experiences of trauma increase the likelihood of HIV infection and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The identification and treatment of medical conditions including CVD are increasingly the focus of research and clinical attention, yet health care for people living with HIV rarely includes the intersecting issues of HIV, CVD, and trauma. “Healing our Hearts Minds and Bodies” addresses these 3 intersecting issues and aims to (1) access and enhance organizational readiness for addressing trauma and cardiovascular disease risk among ethnic minority people living with HIV; (2) evaluate the use and effectiveness of the implementation of strategies over time; and (3) evaluate the effect of HHMB on cognitive-behavioral, emotional, and physical outcomes among people living with HIV.


Faculty

  • Gail E. Wyatt, PhD

    Principal Investigator
  • Alison Hamilton, Ph.D, MPH

    Principal Investigator
  • Arleen Brown, MD, PhD

    Principal Investigator
  • Tamra Loeb

    Associate Research Psychologist
  • Dorothy Chin

    Associate Research Psychologist
  • Michele Cooley-Strickland, M.Ed., Ph.D.

    Clinical Psychologist / Project Scientist
  • Juan M. Barron, MD

    Bio Clinical Data Collector
  • Tony Wafford

    Staff Research Associate
  • Muyu Zhang

    Data Programmer
  • Amber Smith, M.A.

    Senior Research Administrative Analyst

Articles

Hamilton, A. B., Brown, A., Loeb, T., Chin, D., Grills, C., Cooley-Strickland, M., Liu, H. H., & Wyatt, G. E. (2020). Enhancing patient and organizational readiness for cardiovascular risk reduction among Black and Latinx patients living with HIV: Study protocol. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 63(2), 101-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2020.02.014 PDF

Novacek, D. M., Hampton-Anderson, J. N., Ebor, M. T., Loeb, T. B., & Wyatt, G. E. (2020). Mental health ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Black Americans: Clinical and research recommendations. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000796 PDF

Ebor, M. T., Loeb, T. B., & Trejo, L. (2020). Social workers must address intersecting vulnerabilities among Noninstitutionalized, Black, Latinx, and older adults of color during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2020.1779161 PDF


Join Study