Elena Fuentes-Afflick, M.D., MPH, an expert on the effect of acculturation —adoption of the cultural traits of another group — on health outcomes, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Her lecture, entitled “Acculturation: What immigrants teach us about being American,” begins at 4 p.m. in 208 Light Hall. It is sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics.
Fuentes-Afflick is professor and vice chair of Pediatrics and professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
Her research has focused on the broad themes of acculturation and immigrant health, with specific emphasis on perinatal and neonatal health disparities. In studies of Latinos in the southwestern United States, she and others have found favorable outcomes for less acculturated Latino immigrants relative to their US-born counterparts.
Fuentes-Afflick will discuss the role of acculturation on health outcomes and outline future research directions.
Fuentes-Afflick is a member of the Institute of Medicine, and she has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the national advisory councils of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
For a complete schedule of the Flexner Discovery Lecture series and archived video of previous lectures, go to www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/discoveryseries.
