Endocrinology & Metabolic Syndrome
Open Access

Sunita Dodani

Biography

Dr Sunita Dodani MD, MSc, FCPS, PhD, FAHA is a Physician with specialization in cardiology. She received her undergraduate degree from the Aga Khan University, one of the premier private universities in Pakistan. In addition, she also received Masters in epidemiology and community health from the Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and PhD in epidemiology (majors in cardiovascular disease epidemiology) from the University of Pittsburg. Her research interests are focused on health disparities related to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in African Americans, Hispanics and South Asians. Dr Dodani’s future goal is to reduce health disparities and develop national level registries for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes for ethnic minorities.
 Dr Dodani is NIH funded and recipients of several extramural funding including NIH. Dr. Dodani has successfully completed several research projects in Pakistan as well as in the US that focused on the distribution and determinants of cardiovascular diseases in ethnic minorities. Her current focus involves profiling non-traditional and genetic cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in south Asian immigrants. She has worked with many ethnic minorities helping to reduce health disparities. For example Fit Body and Soul, Diabetes prevention program for African American churches was funded by NIH. Similarly HEALS-Healthy eating and Living spiritually is hypertension control program for African American. In addition CHHIL study (Children’s Healthy habits Integrated for Life) is a childhood obesity control program for African American kids. Dr Dodani received a National Gold Medal as Best Young Researcher of Pakistan in 2002, in addition to several awards for her achievements in this area. She also received the “Community Service Award” from the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB).” She has been recognized and honored as “Fellow” American Heart Association (FAHA). Dr. Dodani has published more than 40 multi-disciplinary articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Research Interest

Health disparities related to cardiovascular diseases in ethnic minorities with focus on development of successful community based, outcome research projects related to cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and childhood obesity control for African Americans, Hispanics and South Asians. Future goal is to reduce health disparities and develop national level registries of cardiovascular diseases for ethnic minorities. Expertise in Cardiovascular Global Health with respect to capacity building related to cardiovascular prevention research in developing countries.