Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, United States
Dr. Lara-Cinisomo's research focuses on addressing mental health disparities among racial and ethnic, low-income, immigrant, and military mothers using qualitative, quantitative and controlled laboratory methods. Her current research focuses on the relationship between postpartum depression, breastfeeding practices, stress reactivity, and pain sensitivity. Dr. Lara-Cinisomo's prior research focused on mental health and functioning among military spouses. Currently, Dr. Lara-Cinisomo's projects include exploring the link between a depression status during the perinatal period (pregnancy and postpartum), breastfeeding duration and oxytocin signaling in a sample of Latina (immigrant and US-born), Spanish- and English-speaking mothers. A second project examines the relationship between postpartum depression, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, and pain sensitivity among Latina mothers. Dr. Lara-Cinisomo has more than 20 publications and is the lead editor of the first reference book focused on postpartum depression among Latina mothers titled "Perinatal depression among Spanish-Speaking and Latin American Women: A Global perspective on detection and treatment." Dr. Lara-Cinisomo's research has been funded by National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, National Institute of Mental Health, The Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness, The North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute and National Military Family Association, among others.
