UMass Medical School was awarded a $1.7 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to address the increasing prevalence of Crohn’s disease in Puerto Rico in a cost-effective, culturally sensitive way. With the funding, Ana Maldonado-Contreras, PhD, assistant professor of microbiology & physiological systems, will tailor a novel diet created at UMass Medical School to patients on the island with different food availability and preferences.
“The prevalence of Crohn’s disease has increased in Puerto Rico by five-fold in less than one decade,” Dr. Maldonado-Contreras said. “It is now comparable to that of North America and Europe, regions with the highest prevalence of Crohn’s disease in the world.”