Marla McDaniel, Ph.D.
The
Urban Institute
Junior Investigator, Vulnerable Populations
Project Title: Toward Understanding Racial Disparities in Childhood Asthma: Do Self-Management Behaviors Differ by Race?
"I applied to the RWJF New Connections Program because it is a unique initiative that provides funding for both research and training, and it is specifically geared for new investigators interested in racial disparities in health."
Project Description
The high prevalence and persistent racial disparities of childhood asthma are a major public health concern. McDaniel's research seeks to contribute to the scientific understanding about racial disparities in asthma by examining differences in the preventive treatment, symptom management and asthma education received by a nationally representative sample of children.
Her study will test whether there are: (1) racial differences in asthma self-management behaviors and education that persist even after adjusting for factors like education, socioeconomic position, health insurance access and care, employment and family structure; and (2) whether racial differences in asthma are reduced when asthma management measures are taken into account.
Biography
Marla McDaniel, Ph.D., is a research associate in the Labor, Human Services and Population Center at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on family resources, social policies and race, and their influence on child and adult health and well-being. Recent published reports and articles have examined disparities in health and social welfare systems, child maltreatment and youth development.
Prior to joining the Urban Institute in 2005, McDaniel was a postdoctoral fellow at the Columbia University School of Social Work. She received her doctorate in human development and social policy from Northwestern University.
