Hyunhwa "Henna" Lee (Nursing) is a recipient of the 2019 American Psychiatric Nurses Association Research Grant for her research project, “Epigenetic Effects of Preinjury Adversity on Functional Disparities after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Asian and Pacific Islanders." In this study, she will identify peripheral epigenetic markers (blood and salivary) and objective functional measures (saccadic eye movements, walking balance, stabilometer balance, and cognitive battery) for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs), who have shown worse long-term post-injury deficits. Because racial minorities, including APIs, are disproportionately exposed to multiple adverse psycho-social events which may affect their health years later via epigenetic mechanisms at the molecular level, Lee also will examine how preinjury life adversity may affect post-injury symptom profiles among APIs with mTBIs. The findings may contribute to reducing racial disparities in mTBI morbidity and mortality.