Prospera Institute Partners with UCLA Tornini Lab on Groundbreaking Research Backed by UCLA Dana Center Grants
[Boston, Massachusetts] — The Prospera Institute is proud to announce its role as a co-investigator on an innovative research project led by the Tornini Lab at UCLA, which has been awarded one of the prestigious 2024 UCLA-CDU Dana Center for Neuroscience and Society Seed Grants. This $50,000 grant will support the study titled “Complex Interplay of Compounded Noise and Heat Effects on Developing Neural Circuits,” a project focused on exploring how environmental stressors influence neural development and health outcomes in underserved communities
This collaboration represents the Prospera Institute’s first major academic research initiative and is grounded in its mission to advance community-engaged ethics that center the voices, needs, and lived experiences of historically marginalized populations.
“Partnering with the Tornini Lab on this vital research exemplifies our commitment to ensuring that science is accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the communities it seeks to serve.” Joanne Suarez, Founder and Executive Director of the Prospera Institute.
“By bridging academic inquiry with community wisdom, we’re building a new model for ethically engaged, culturally relevant public health research.” Prospera Institute’s role in the project includes spearheading community engagement efforts to ensure that findings are rooted in the realities and priorities of South Los Angeles, where the UCLA-CDU Dana Center is focused.
Dr. Valerie Tornini, Principal Investigator and Director of the Tornini Lab, shared: “This project addresses a pressing yet understudied issue in neuroscience—how environmental factors like abnormal noise and extreme heat together shape neurodevelopmental outcomes. We are honored to work alongside the Prospera Institute, whose expertise in community-engaged ethics ensures that our research is both scientifically rigorous and socially impactful."
Dr. Ashley Feinsinger, Co-Director of the UCLA-CDU Dana Center for Neuroscience and Society—a new interdisciplinary center at UCLA and Charles R. Drew University funded by the Dana Foundation—emphasized the importance of collaboration in this research. “The Center is delighted to support such a promising partnership between the Tornini Lab and the Prospera Institute. By uniting cutting-edge neuroscience with community-centered ethical frameworks, this project has the potential to redefine how basic neuroscience can address health equity.”
About the Prospera Institute
The Prospera Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing ethical and moral challenges at the intersection of Latinx health, culture, and society. Its mission is to promote health equity through culturally responsive, community-engaged ethics, elevating the voices of underrepresented groups in public health and science.
About the Tornini Lab at UCLA
Led by Dr. Valerie Tornini, the Tornini Lab at UCLA focuses on understanding the genetic and environmental mechanisms that shape neurodevelopment. The Tornini Lab seeks to advance basic biological discoveries and innovative solutions to improve health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations. Dr. Tornini is an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology and the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA, and she was recruited through UCLA’s Hispanic Serving Institution infrastructure initiative.
About the Dana Center for Neuroscience and Society at UCLA
The UCLA-CDU Dana Center for Neuroscience and Society is an interdisciplinary initiative that reimagines the relationship between neuroscience and the public. Our mission is to develop a practice of community-partnered neuroscience, influencing education, research, and systems change through centering the knowledge of communities historically underrepresented in neuroscience research. To achieve these objectives, we bring together a diverse group of scholars from neuroscience, social sciences, education, policy, and the humanities, collaborating with local clinician-scholars, community partners, and organizations in South Los Angeles. This partnership is dedicated to developing a new generation of leaders, including neuroscientists proficient in conducting community participatory research and community experts adept at navigating and applying neuroscience methodologies.
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Prospera Institute