Our Foundational Journey
At BaCHRI, our journey began with a deep commitment to addressing the hidden yet critical factor influencing health disparities: stress. Our founder, Dr. Uddoh, drawing from observations of financial stress as a determinant of health outcomes within familial and community settings, has dedicated years to uncovering the profound connection between stress and health disparities. She also participated in a research program under Dr. Andrew Weil, focusing on stress and its physiological effects.
Stress is more than a personal burden; it’s a systemic issue tied to inequities at every level—personal, institutional, and societal. At BaCHRI, we aim to address these stressors with precision, empathy, and evidence-based interventions to improve lives and outcomes.
Vision for the Future
Building a Transformative Path Through the Social Ecological Model
At BaCHRI, our vision for the future is rooted in creating systemic change by addressing health inequalities at every level of society. Guided by the Social Ecological Model, our approach ensures that no factor—be it individual or systemic—is overlooked as we strive to build healthier, more equitable communities.
BaCHRI envisions a future where research isn’t just about identifying problems but solving them—where data fuels action, and equity becomes the standard, not the exception.
Meet Our Founder
Dr. Marcia Uddoh: Visionary Leader in Health Equity and AI Innovation
About the Founder
Marcia E. I. Uddoh, MD (candidate), PhD, MPH, MS, MSW — Founder & Principal Investigator
Marcia Uddoh is a community-engaged researcher and educator focused on stress-driven cardiometabolic risk and faith-rooted, non-clinical tools that help communities act on stress in everyday life. She leads work across Image Cloister (self-guided sacred image + Scripture reflection cards) and SlimmAI-HRV (wearable-informed analytics), integrating cultural context, ethics, and implementation realities for Black communities in the U.S. and globally—including emerging work with Nigerian populations.
Her training spans public health, social work, and art education, including faculty work in art education (University of Houston), a visiting scholar appointment (Arizona State University), and field experience with migrant and safety-net communities. Her stress-and-imagery framework was strengthened through doctoral research and formative integrative-medicine mentorship (Dr. Andrew Weil). She has also held ethics-focused training (Georgetown University, Kennedy Institute of Ethics), served as a Fellow and contributing editor with the American Institute of Stress, and presented this work to community partners and diocesan audiences—including at the United Nations—grounding BaCHRI’s commitment to rigorous, culturally responsive, ethically guided practice.
Scientific and leadership highlights
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Principal Investigator and founder of Stress Vitals Institute; IRB and ethics oversight for SlimmAI-HRV studies.
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Peer-reviewed outputs: PLOS Mental Health (accepted, 2025) on Black Catholic health; MLHC 2025 abstract accepted on SHAP-interpretable risk pathways.
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Technical stack: Python/Jupyter, scikit-learn/XGBoost, TensorFlow, Kubios HRV; Mplus SEM/LPA; SHAP explainability and fairness monitoring.
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Credentialed in HRV: BCIA-certified HRV biofeedback; training through NIH community-engaged research programs.
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Grant readiness: Pending NIH AIM-AHEAD FAIR-MED application (SlimmAI-HRV) and prior multi-site community deployments; experienced in HIPAA-aligned telehealth workflows.
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20+ years curriculum design and community-based participatory research, including maternal-child health and faith-health partnerships.
Our Research Team (in brief)
An interdisciplinary group advancing equitable cardiovascular prevention:
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Clinical partner: hospital-based cardiology advisors for protocol review and safety-net implementation.
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AI & data systems: senior computer-science leadership at a public university; cloud engineers maintaining audited pipelines and privacy controls.
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Biostatistics & methods: SEM/LPA, mixed-effects modeling, and explainable tree ensembles with continuous fairness metrics.
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Community fellows: trained local technicians who staff HRV kiosks, collect high-quality data, and support participant follow-up.
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Ethics & governance: independent reviewers for transparency, data minimization, and community feedback loops.
Call to action:
Want the full bio, recent abstracts, or a methods briefing? Visit Invite a Speaker to book a lecture or workshop on SlimmAI-HRV and Stress Vitals.
“Health equity is not just a goal—it is our mission. Through data-driven research, community engagement, and faith-based initiatives, we empower Black communities to thrive and dismantle systemic barriers. Our work is a testament to the power of science, collaboration, and faith in transforming lives.”
Research
We conduct cutting-edge research to uncover systemic barriers to health equity, focusing on the Black community and Black Catholics.
Community
Our work begins with listening. Through direct engagement, we identify the needs and challenges faced by Black communities to guide impactful solutions.
Analysis
We analyze complex data using advanced methodologies to reveal disparities and create actionable insights for systemic change.
Impact
From education to policy, we turn research into action by partnering with communities, faith organizations, and institutions to promote change.
