����ý

Christine Toledo

Tackling Maternal Health Inequities: Dr. Christine Toledo's Leadership in Research and Nursing Education

Dr. Christine Toledo, assistant professor at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, always wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. From a very young age, she realized the best way to do it is by improving people’s health.

“Nurses are always with the patients, and we have the unique opportunity to provide care, comfort, and support during their most vulnerable moments,” she said.

Dr. Toledo enjoys teaching nursing because it means actively preparing students for the health care workforce. She sees it as a very important responsibility and puts a lot of effort into helping her students pass their licensure exams to become highly-skilled, compassionate nurses.

“We have a moral obligation to mold our students into health care professionals to serve our communities,” she said. “I strive to inspire my students by instilling a thirst for knowledge and support them through consistent mentorship.”

Dr. Toledo’s research focuses on various health disparities that afflict minority women and maternal health, such as breastfeeding, postpartum depression, HIV and maternal morbidity.

She is currently developing an innovative intervention in a format of a filmed dramatized story (telenovela/soap opera) entitled Mi Leche Es Suficiente (MLES), or “My Milk is Enough” to address the marked disparity in breastfeeding exclusivity among Hispanic women living in the United States.

“The telenovela will emphasize the influence of cultural myths and beliefs regarding infant nutrition and formula supplementation delivered in English and Spanish language,” she said. The results of this study will lead to a proposal to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to test the impact of the telenovela intervention to potentially impact breastfeeding outcomes in the Hispanic population.

“I hope that this research will impact nursing by supporting the need for culturally tailored interventions to promote healthy behaviors among the patients we serve,” Dr. Toledo added.

Through her research, she collaborated with colleagues at the University of Miami School of Nursing & Health Studies and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Nursing.

Dr. Toledo has served as a research mentor for students in the Honors Nursing Program and in the Health Equity Nursing Scholars program.

“I offer students the chance to work as research assistants on my projects,” she explained. This includes tasks like data collection, analysis, and literature review, giving them hands-on experience in the research process. Dr. Toledo also helps students secure internships or fellowships related to their research interests, assists students in applying for research grants and funding opportunities, and organizes workshops and seminars on research methodologies and skills.

“I collaborate with local organizations such as the Florida Department of Health and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program to create meaningful service opportunities for students,” she said. “These partnerships ensure that the projects are relevant and beneficial to both the community and the students.”

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Toledo is the co-director of the Health Equity Nursing Scholars program funded by Florida Blue and DeLuca Health Foundations, a program that supports nursing students in the mission of advancing health equity through education, research and mentorship.  She is also a general committee member of the community programs like Consortium for a Healthier Miami-Dade, Healthy Baby Task Force, Consortium for a Healthier Miami-Dade, Health Promotion & Disease Prevention and Consortium for a Healthier Miami-Dade, Children Issues.