Dr. Girardin Jean-Louis

Girardin Jean-Louis, PhD, is Professor of Population Health and Psychiatry at the Center for Healthful Behavior Change in the Department of Population Health at the NYU School of Medicine, and Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded PRIDE Summer Institute on Behavioral Medicine and Sleep Disorders Training Institute. He served for three years on the NHLBI’s Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board, and is currently a member of the Cancer, Heart, and Sleep Epidemiology (CHSB) study section, and the NHLBI Special Emphasis Panel/Scientific Review Group.

Dr. Jean-Louis has been involved in several important NIH-funded studies, which have led to over 295 publications, primarily in sleep and cardio-metabolic diseases, circadian rhythm, and health disparities. His research findings have appeared in 150 scientific conference proceedings and book chapters and 145 peer-reviewed scientific journals. The overarching goal of his research is to address patient-level, provider-level, and system-level barriers hindering adoption of healthful practices. His research focuses on the application of tailored behavioral models to enhance treatment adherence in order to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and early mortality among underserved or disadvantaged minorities.

Dr. Jean-Louis’s research addresses how sociocultural and environmental determinants of health behavior prevent access to adequate care in low-income and black communities, which are disproportionately burdened by adverse cardiovascular outcomes. His current studies aim to identify barriers to diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea-related metabolic diseases among minorities and to study the efficacy of behavioral models that attempt to improve adherence to recommended therapies. His studies also aim to engage patients, community providers and stakeholders in developing messages to promote health literacy at the community level. By linking community health promotion to the healthcare system, Dr. Jean-Louis’ research and educational programs are helping to achieve objectives of the national mandate to increase health equity in vulnerable communities