Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
Dr. Fernández-Rhodes is a trained epidemiologist with experience in the areas of Genetic, Epigenetic, and Social Epidemiology. Her interdisciplinary research program seeks to 1) elucidate the complex etiology of chronic diseases, and 2) identify drivers of health disparities in the United States, both across the life course and across generations. To this aim, she leads a vibrant lab that conducts bio-psychosocially integrated studies of reproductive and cardiovascular traits in under-studied and marginalized populations, such as United States Hispanic/Latino immigrants and their families. They use a variety of traditional epidemiologic and family-based genetic methods to describe the intergenerational patterning of genetic, epigenetic and societal risk factors and their cumulative impact on health across the life course.
Teaching and educational interests
Dr. Fernández-Rhodes teaches a number of courses/workshops in epidemiologic, research methods. In addition, she is actively involved in educational opportunities that promote diversity & inclusion in higher education.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Epidemiology, Global Health Certificate, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2011 → 2016
Epidemiology, MSPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2009 → 2011
Biology, BS, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2003 → 2007
External positions
Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2019 → …
Inducted Member, Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health
2016 → …
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 3 Active
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Immigration Policies, Dietary Acculturation, and Childhood Obesity.
Fernandez-Rhodes, L. (PI)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
8/9/24 → 7/31/26
Project: Research project
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Bio-Social Pathways Linking Socioeconomic Adversity to Obesity
Fernandez-Rhodes, L. (PI)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
8/17/23 → 6/30/25
Project: Research project
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Leveraging Hispanic/Latino diversity to map and characterize cardiovascular disease loci
Graff, M. (PI) & Fernandez-Rhodes, L. (CoPI)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
1/16/23 → 12/31/25
Project: Research project
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Advancements in genetic research by the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos: A 10-year retrospective review
Rao, H., Weiss, M. C., Moon, J. Y., Perreira, K. M., Daviglus, M. L., Kaplan, R., North, K. E., Argos, M., Fernández-Rhodes, L. & Sofer, T., Jan 9 2025, In: Human Genetics and Genomics Advances. 6, 1, 100376.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access -
All Together Now: Data Work to Advance Privacy, Science, and Health in the Age of Synthetic Data
Fernández-Rhodes, L. & Wagner, J. K., 2025, In: Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing. Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing. 30, p. 690-695 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Family Functioning and Pubertal Maturation in Hispanic/Latino Children from the HCHS/SOL Youth
April-Sanders, A. K., Tehranifar, P., Terry, M. B., Crookes, D. M., Isasi, C. R., Gallo, L. C., Fernandez-Rhodes, L., Perreira, K. M., Daviglus, M. L. & Suglia, S. F., Apr 2025, In: International journal of environmental research and public health. 22, 4, 576.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Genetic ancestry influences gene-environment interactions with sociocultural factors: Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos
Sharma, J., McArdle, C. E., Graff, M., Cordero, C., Daviglus, M., Gallo, L. C., Isasi, C. R., Kelly, T. N., Perreira, K. M., Talavera, G. A., Cai, J., North, K. E., Fernández-Rhodes, L. & Wojcik, G. L., Jul 10 2025, In: Human Genetics and Genomics Advances. 6, 3, 100451.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Multiomics reveal key inflammatory drivers of severe obesity: IL4R, LILRA5, and OSM
Chen, H. H., Highland, H. M., Frankel, E. G., Scartozzi, A. C., Zhang, X., Roshani, R., Sharma, P., Kar, A., Buchanan, V. L., Polikowsky, H. G., Petty, L. E., Seo, J., Anwar, M. Y., Kim, D., Graff, M., Young, K. L., Zhu, W., Karastergiou, K., Shaw, D. M. & Justice, A. E. & 19 others, , Mar 12 2025, In: Cell Genomics. 5, 3, 100784.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations