The Holistic Families Lab (HFL) has several key objectives. First, it seeks to harness innovative ethnographical and integrative medicine tools to examine and address cumulative intersectional stressors, including intergenerational trauma, racial trauma, gender discrimination, caregiver burden, acculturation stress, and minority stress. This involves evaluating stress responses within marginalized families, women, and children. Second, HFL aims to offer solutions for enhancing the well-being of these groups through scientific research, educational and training initiatives, community services, and advocacy efforts both in the United States and on a global scale. Additionally, the lab focuses on the development of culturally tailored and cost-effective mind-body interventions designed to enhance the overall health of racialized populations. Currently, HFL is actively engaged in several research projects, including the Haitian Well-Being Study, Nurturing Moms, and Realist Women.

The Realist Women Study

Virtual Reality Intervention for Stress, Resilience, and Blood Pressure Management in Black Women. The Realist Women Study wants to see if a special program using virtual reality can help Black women deal with stress and improve their heart health. This study is a randomized clinical trial, like flipping a coin, which means some people in the study will use the virtual reality intervention, while others will read brochures about heart health. We want to see if the people using virtual reality have lower blood pressure towards the end of the intervention.

Learn More realistwomenstudy@miami.edu and call 305-243-2728

The Cocooned Moms Study

Efficacy of a Culturally-Sensitive Telehealth Platform in Fostering Community-Based Care Coordination for Respectful Maternal Mental Health. This pre- and post-design study primarily aims to reduce stress, depressive symptoms, and blood pressure among expectant Black women by providing free access to the InovCares mobile app. InovCares is a culturally sensitive telehealth platform designed to enhance maternal care through community-based care coordination. The platform offers a tailored maternal mental health program that includes resources addressing social determinants of health, as well as access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy, and compassion-focused therapy (CFT). Additional features include peer-to-peer support and gamification. The study evaluates the impact of these interventions on reported stress levels, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and blood pressure among Black pregnant women.

Learn More: cocoonedstudy@miami.edu or 305-243-2728

The Haitian Well-Being Study

Identifying Multilevel Determinants of Mental Health Among a Sample of Haitians. This pilot study aims to identify psychosocial, neurological, genetic, sleep, physical health, socio-economic (SES), spiritual, and behavioral health factors associated with mental well-being in a sample of Haitians.

Collectively, HFL projects contribute to a growing body of over 80 peer-reviewed and public-facing publications. They illuminate the biological, psychological, and environmental mechanisms linking chronic stress to adverse health outcomes, particularly in the areas of sleep and cardiometabolic function.