The University of Miami Center of Excellence for Hispanic Health Disparities Research (El Centro) is dedicated to the creation and dissemination of scientific knowledge to improve the health of Hispanics.

El Centro develops and evaluates culturally-tailored interventions in a constellation of health conditions that disproportionately affect Hispanics:

  • Substance abuse;
  • HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections;
  • Family and intimate partner violence; and
  • Co-occurring mental health conditions.

Established in 2007 through a five-year grant from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health, (1P60 MD002266-01, Nilda  P. Peragallo, Principal Investigator), El Centro will contribute to the well-being of the fastest growing and most diverse ethnic group in the United States.

Located at the School of Nursing and Health Studies, El Centro also facilitates research collaborations with community and academic partners including the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Equally important, El Centro provides a training environment for students, emerging investigators, and health providers that promotes education and community outreach efforts addressing health disparities.