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Stacciarini Receives Award for Research in Minority Health

Stacciarini after receiving her award at the Southern Nursing Research Society Annual Conference.

University of Florida College of Nursing Assistant Professor Jeanne- Marie Stacciarini, PhD, RN, was selected to receive the Southern Nursing Research Society (SNRS) Research in Minority Health Award. Stacciarini was honored for her research on the mental health of rural Latinos and her mentorship of minority students.

The SNRS governing board gives the Research in Minority Health Award to an individual or a group whose research has considerably improved the health care of minorities in the southern region of the United States. Stacciarini accepted the award at the SNRS Annual Conference in New Orleans in February.

“This is a great recognition of the work we have been doing with the underserved Latino population for the last 10 years,” Stacciarini said. “There are a number of individual and community-level implications that have not been well-explored regarding Latinos in rural ‘new destinations,’ such as North Florida, outside of traditional Latino gateways such as California and Miami.”

Stacciarini aims to find ways to unravel the complexities and alleviate the negative effects of social isolation and develop a community-based intervention to promote mental well-being. This requires involvement in areas that reflect the minority culture and are an integral part of daily life, such as churches, schools and health departments.

Stacciarini has received a diversity supplement grant from the National Institutes of Health to study depression in Latinas and promote diversity in health-related research. She also has mentored at least two minority students each year from various health professions majors. Stacciarini coordinates an undergraduate cross-cultural study program in Yucatan, Mexico, where UF nursing students travel and work with Yucatan nursing faculty and students.