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Chandra L. Ford, PhD, MPH, MLIS
Associate Professor
Address
Department of Community Health Sciences
UCLA School of Public Health
650 Charles E. Young Dr., S.
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772
Phone
(310) 825-6063
Fax
(310) 794-1805
Email
clford@ucla.edu
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CHANDRA l. fORD, PhD, MPH, MLIS
Pilot Study and Career Mentors: William E. Cunningham and Steven Wallace
Pilot Studies:
1."HIV Conspiracy Beliefs and Perceived Racism among Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults." (2009-2010)
2."HIV Testing and Older Adults: Roles of HIV Conspiracy Beliefs and Racism." (2010-2011)
Biography
Dr. Chandra L. Ford earned her doctorate in Public Health at the University of North Carolina. Prior to joining UCLA she completed postdoctoral fellowships in Social Medicine (University of North Carolina) and Epidemiology (Columbia University). Dr. Ford’s expertise is in social epidemiologic approaches to the study of health disparities among racial and ethnic minority as well as sexual minority populations. The overarching aim of her research is to explain mechanisms by which social inequities contribute to disparities in human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and other health outcomes. Her work is characterized by its: 1) multilevel conceptualization and measurement of racism; 2) emphasis on intersectionality; 3) development of a theoretical framework to guide the study of race and racism, and; 4) critical examination of the tools used to produce scientific knowledge about socially marginalized populations.
Pilot Study Description
Dr. Ford's two CHIME pilot studies explore HIV conspiracy beliefs, medical distrust and medical discrimination relative to HIV testing (i.e., ever HIV tested, past year HIV tested) among diverse older adults (i.e., 50+ years) at risk for HIV infection. Consistent with the HIV prevention literature, older adults are defined as persons 50 years of age or older and this age marks a critical point in the lifecourse at which traditional HIV prevention approaches become inadequate.
Dr. Ford is conducting secondary analysis of data recently released from L.A. VOICES (PI: W.E. Cunningham), which is a large-scale study of factors influencing acceptability of a future HIV vaccine.
The study’s four (4) aims are to:
(1) Determine whether the prevalence of HIV conspiracy beliefs, medical distrust, discrimination, HIV risk behaviors and HIV testing behaviors vary between older adults (50+ years) and younger adults (<50 years);
(2) Examine the effect of aging on the associations between HIV conspiracy beliefs, medical distrust, discrimination and HIV testing;
(3) Determine whether the prevalence of HIV conspiracy beliefs, medical distrust, discrimination, HIV risk behaviors and HIV testing behaviors vary between racial/ethnic minority and non-minority older adults (i.e., 50+ years); and,
(4) Examine racial/ethnic disparities in associations between HIV conspiracy beliefs, medical distrust, discrimination and HIV testing among older adults (i.e., 50+ years).
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