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Sheps Researchers Awarded $3.6 Million Grant to Improve Asthma Care for Hispanic Youth

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Researchers affiliated with the Child & Adolescent Health Services Program at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research are part of a multidisciplinary team that has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to improve asthma care and outcomes for Hispanic adolescents.

The project is led by Betsy Sleath, director of the Child & Adolescent Health Services Program at Sheps and a faculty member in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She is joined by fellow Sheps researchers Michelle Hernandez, a pediatric allergist and immunologist with UNC Health; Delesha Carpenter, a behavioral researcher in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy; and Monica Jolles, a researcher with the University of Colorado whose work focuses on patient engagement and Hispanic families.

The new study builds on years of research led by Sleath and her colleagues on helping young people take a more active role in their health care. Earlier studies showed that encouraging youth to ask questions and engage more during asthma visits improved communication with providers and was associated with better asthma outcomes. This latest project will examine whether a similar approach can help reduce asthma disparities among Hispanic youth.

The project will be conducted in partnership with researchers and clinical practices in North Carolina and Georgia.

 

Read the full story from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy:
https://pharmacy.unc.edu/2026/09/17/helping-hispanic-teens-find-their-voice-in-asthma-care/