Yamnia Cortés, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, FAHA

Dr. Cortés, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) School of Nursing, leads an interdisciplinary program of research focused on 1) understanding sociocultural, environmental, and biological factors that impact midlife women’s health; 2) the interface between reproductive aging and cardiovascular disease risk; 3) interventions to promote cardiovascular health, particularly in Latinas. Methodologically, Dr. Cortés integrates approaches from biosocial research, epidemiology, behavioral medicine, and community engagement strategies.

Dr. Cortés earned a PhD from Columbia University and completed postdoctoral training in cardiovascular epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. She is a Fellow of the American Heart Association, Research Fellow of the UNC-CH Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and Affiliate of the UNC-CH Center for Population Aging and Health.

Refereed Papers/Articles

*data-based manuscript

†student mentored manuscript

‡ senior author

Complete bibliography available here. 

Osakwe, Z. T. & Cortes, Y. I. (2021). Impact of COVID-19: A Text mining analysis of Twitter data in Spanish Language. Hispanic Health Care International [Epub ahead of print July 29, 2021]. Doi: 10.1177/15404153211020453.

Estrada, L., Solano, J., Reading Turchioe, M., Cortés, Y.I., Caceras, B.A. (2021). Comparative effectiveness of behavioral interventions for cardiovascular risk reduction in Latinos: A systematic review. (2021). Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. [Epub ahead of print April 30, 2021]. Doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000806. PMID: 33938534

*Cortés, Y.I., Brooks, M., Barinas-Mitchell, E., Matthews, KA., Thurston, R.C., Catov, J.M. (2021). Impact of prior preterm or term small for gestational age birth on maternal blood pressure during the menopause transition in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. Menopause, 28(3): 255-262. DOI:10.1097/GME.0000000000001739. [Epub ahead of print February 8, 2021]. PMID: 33570873. PMCID: pending.

*Cortés, Y.I., and Breathett, K. (2021). Addressing inequities in cardiovascular disease and maternal health in Black women. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, Feb; 14(2):e007742. DOI:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.121.007742. PMID: 33563006. PMCID: PMC7899716.

*Cortés, YI., Berry, DC., Perreira, KM., Stuebe, A., Stoner, L., Woods Giscombé, C., Crandell, J., Santiago, L., Harris, LK., Duran, M (2021). A multi-component, community-engaged intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in perimenopausal Latinas: Pilot Study Protocol. BMC Pilot and Feasibility Studies, Jan 6; 7(1):10. DOI: 10.1186/s40814-020-00756-1. PMID: 33407947 PMCID: PMC7786946.

*Cortés, YI., Marginean, V., Berry, D. Physiologic and psychosocial changes of the menopause transition in US Latinas: A narrative review. (2020). [Epub ahead of print November 11, 2020]. Climacteric, Nov 11;1-15. DOI:10.1080/13697137/2020/1834529. PMID: 33174466 NIHMSID: 1651948 PMCID: PMC8110607.

*Cortés, YI., Conant, R., Catov, J., Matthews, K., Crawford, S., Hedderson, M., Thurston, R. Impact of nulliparity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and gestational diabetes on vasomotor symptoms in midlife women. (2020). [Epub ahead of print August 10, 2020]. Menopause. DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001628. PMID: 32796290. PMCID: pending.

 *Cortés, Y.I., Barinas-Mitchell, E., Suder Egnot, N., Bhasin S., Jasuja, R., Santoro, N., Thurston, RC. (2020). Associations of endogenous sex hormones with carotid plaque burden and characteristics in midlife women. [Epub ahead of print January 4, 2020]. Journal of Clinical and Endocrinology and Metabolism, 105(4):1126-1136. DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgz327. PMID: 31900485. PMCID: PMC7077951.

Berry, D.C., Gonzales, C., Peragallo Montano, N., Perreria, K.M., Faith, Ammerman, A.S., Crandell, J., Evenson, K.R., Faith, M.S., Waters, H., Linares, C., Cortés, Y.I., Perrin, E.M. (2019). Rationale, design, and methodology for the Healthy Mothers-Healthy Children Study: A randomized controlled trial. BMC Nutrition, Dec 16;5:58. DOI: 10.1186/s40795-019-0322-7. PMID: 32153971. PMCID: PMC7050912.

*Cortés, Y.I., Catov, J.M., Brooks, M., El Khoudary, SR. Thurston, RC., Matthews, KA. Isasi, CR., Jackson, EA., Barinas-Mitchell, E. Pregnancy-related events associated with subclinical cardiovascular disease burden in late midlife: SWAN [Epub ahead of print July 30,2019].  Atherosclerosis. Doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.07.012. PMID: 31446211.

*Kariuki, J.K., Cortés, Y.I., Imes, C.C., Weiss, P.M., Engber, S. (2019). The impact of lifestyle modification on absolute cardiovascular disease risk: A systematic review protocol [Epub ahead of print March 7, 2019]. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports. Doi: 10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003847. PMCID: pending.

*Lucero, R., Jaime-Lara, R., Cortés, Y.I., Kearney, J., Suero-Tejeda, N., Bakken, S., Mittelman, M., Luchsinger, JA. (2019). Hispanic dementia family caregiver’s knowledge, experience, and awareness of self-management: Foundations for health information technology interventions. Hispanic Health Care International, 17(2):49-58. Doi: 10.1177/1540415318819220. PMID 30590959. PMCID: pending.

*Cortés, Y.I., Parikh, N., Allison, M., Criqui, M., Suder Egnot, N., Barinas-Mitchell, E., Wassel, C. (2018). Women’s reproductive history and pre-clinical peripheral arterial disease in late life: The San Diego Population Study [Epub ahead of print December 1, 2018]. Journal of Women’s Health. Doi: 10.1089/jwh.2018.7080. PMID: 30508411. PMCID: pending.

*Cortés, Y.I., Catov, J.M., Brooks, M., Harlow, S.D., Isasi, C., Jackson, E.A., Matthews, KA., Thurston, RC., Barinas-Mitchell, E. (2018). History of adverse pregnancy outcomes, blood pressure, and subclinical vascular measures in late midlife: SWAN. Journal of the American Heart Association, 7(1). doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.007138. PMCID: PMC5778964.

*Rowell-Cunsolo, T.L., Cortés, Y.I., Long, Y., Castro-Rivas, E., Liu, J. Acceptability of rapid HIV testing among Latinos in Washington Heights, New York City, New York, USA. (2017) Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 19(4), 861-867. PMCID: PMC5418111.

*Cortés, Y.I., Reame, N., Zeana, C., Ferris, D.C., Shane, E., Yin, M.T. Cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected and uninfected postmenopausal minority women: Use of the Framingham Risk Score. (2017). Journal of Women’s Health, 26(3), 241-248. PMCID: PMC5361765.

*Cortés, Y.I., Arcia, A., Kearney, J., Luchsinger, J., Lucero, J. Urban-dwelling community members’ views on biomedical research engagement: A qualitative study. (2017). Qualitative Health Research, 27(1), 130-137. PMCID: PMC5166984.

*Lucero, R.J., Kearney, J., Cortés, Y.I., Arcia, A., Appelbaum, P., Fernandez, R., Luchsinger, J. Benefits and risks in secondary use of digitized clinical data: Views of community members living in a predominantly ethnic minority urban neighborhood. (2015). AJOB Empirical Bioethics, 6(2), 12-22. PMCID: PMC4475405.

Cortés, Y.I., Yin, M.T., Reame, N.K. Low bone mineral density and fractures in postmenopausal HIV-infected women: A systematic review. (2015). Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 26(4), 387-398. PMCID: PMC4573531.

*Smaldone, A., Stockwell, M., Osborne, J.C., Cortés, Y. Bekele, E., Green, N.S. Adolescent and parent use of mobile technologies and health communication preferences in an urban Latino community. (2015). Journal of Public Health Research, 4(1), 376-381. PMCID: PMC4407036.

Dong, H.V., Cortés, Y.I., Shiau, S., Yin, M.T. Fractures and osteoporosis in HIV/HCV co-infected persons: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2014). AIDS, 28(14), 2119-2131. PMCID: PMC4940983.

Active

Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators, UC Davis Health, Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia in midlife Latinos (PI: Cortés)

K23 MD014767, Reducing cardiovascular risk in perimenopausal Latinas: Pilot study of a Multi-Component Intervention (PI: Cortés)

UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of the menopause transition among midlife Latinas (PI: Cortés)

2KR1262004, Reproductive hormones as risk factors for progression of carotid plaque burden and characteristics in midlife women (PI: Cortés)

Funded (Completed)

UNC Provost’s Faculty Development Award, Menopausia, Salud, Corazón: A multi-component intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk in perimenopausal Latinas, Provost’s Junior Faculty Development Award (PI: Cortés)

R25 HL105444, Programs to increase diversity in faculty engaged in behavioral and sleep medicine (PI: Jean-Louis & Olugbenga)

T32 HL083825, Cardiovascular Epidemiology Training Program (PI: Orchard)

T32 NR013454, Training in Interdisciplinary Research to Prevent Infections (PI: Larson)