Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery Assistant Professor Drew Gunnells, M.D., was awarded an Obesity Health Disparities Research Center (OHDRC) Investigators award for his project “Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on surgical outcomes in patients with obesity.”

This award will provide timely research into surgical disparities in this high-risk patient population. The Analysis on COVID-19 in the context of Obesity and Health Disparities grant period is Aug. 2020 – Feb. 2021 and can amount up to $7000.

The UAB OHDRC, a Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center initiative funded through the NIMHD’s Centers of Excellence program, supports transdisciplinary, multi-level, and multi-domain research to understand the complex contributors to obesity and obesity-related health disparities.