Doctoral student receives NIH Research Service Award

Cristina Cabrera-Mino, PhD(c), RN, a third-year doctoral student at UCLA Nursing, has been selected to receive a National Institutes of Health Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship. 

The award, funded through the National Institute of Nursing Research, is designed to enable scientists to be trained to conduct independent nursing research and to collaborate in interdisciplinary research.

Cabrera-Mino’s research focuses on adults with moderate-to-complex congenital heart disease (CHD) and the psychological and neurocognitive deficits they often present with. The relationship between these deficits and key variables such as sex, clinical factors, and social determinants of health, remains underexplored. Her research aims to contribute new knowledge about the association of these variables to neurocognitive and psychological outcomes in aging adults with CHD, with the long-term goal of developing targeted interventions to improve these outcomes.

“I am deeply honored to have received this NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) F31 award. Receiving this award is an affirmation of the importance of my research and its potential impact on the lives of those affected by CHD,” Cabrera-Mino said. “This award not only provides the resources to delve deeper into understanding the complexities of CHD, but also stands as a testament to the incredible guidance and mentorship of my primary sponsor/Chair Dr. Nancy Pike, and my co-sponsors Dr. Holli DeVon, Dr. Jamil Aboulhosn, Dr. Kristen Choi, and Dr. Mary-Lynn Brecht. I look forward to starting my work in the unparalleled research environment that UCLA offers.”