Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, with additional appointments in Nutritional Sciences, the Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Her research focuses on mental health disparities among women and mothers, particularly within racial and ethnic minority, immigrant, and military populations. She investigates how psychosocial, cultural, structural, and physiological factors contribute to mental health outcomes. Her current projects include studies on prenatal depression, diabetes management, and brain activation related to pain in postpartum women with and without depression.

In this interview, Lara-Cinisomo shares her experience as a CSBS Small Grant recipient for her research project examining the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women and mothers of young children, particularly those of Mexican descent.

Tell us briefly about your research project.
We conducted parallel studies using a unique dataset and newly collected qualitative data to address urgent research questions. We aimed to evaluate changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms in pregnant women and mothers of young children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined how COVID-19 stressors, such as food access, affected Mexican-descent pregnant women and mothers of young children.

In what ways did the CSBS Small Grant Program help you to connect with interdisciplinary collaborators at Illinois?
The CSBS Small Grant Program provided resources to conduct and collect timely data, including graduate students who assisted with qualitative interviews. The funding also allowed the time to answer critical questions by leveraging an existing dataset.

What did the interdisciplinary collaboration allow you to do that you would not have been able to do on your own or with collaborators from your own discipline?
The collaboration and funding provided us with resources to gather qualitative data from pregnant women of Mexican descent and mothers of young children regarding their experiences related to COVID-19 in a timely manner that would not have been possible otherwise.

How did the initial CSBS Small Grant funding aid in your external funding efforts?
The collaboration enabled us to enhance our complementary skills and strengthen our partnership by submitting an application showcasing our collective strengths and shared vision.

What advice do you have for Illinois faculty who may be interested in applying for a CSBS Small Grant?
I encourage faculty to submit a pre-proposal, which allows CSBS reviewers and staff to provide early feedback on the project.