faculty profile

James Muchira   PhD, MSN

Assistant Professor

Bio

Dr. Muchira investigates the influence of biological components (inflammation, genomics, and epigenetics) and neighborhood-level environmental stressors on intergenerational cardiovascular disease (CVD). Utilizing 70+ years of Framingham Heart Study data, his research reveals notable findings: children of heart-healthy parents gain nearly 10 extra CVD-free years, with maternal heart health more predictive of offspring's CVD onset than paternal. Dr. Muchira studies the social determinants of health within the domain of neighborhood and the built environment. His research indicates that although CVD is linked to common risks, like obesity, poor diet, and inactivity, over 70% of risk is attributed to the environmental exposures. He uses the exposome approach to address health disparities, providing personalized CVD care by evaluating multilevel CVD exposures in patients' contexts. This approach aims to break the cycle of intergenerational CVD, fostering healthier lives for parents and their children.

Education

  • PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston
  • MSN, University of Massachusetts Boston
  • BSN, University of Eastern Africa, Baraton

Current Research/Scholarly Interests

  • Mother-child heart health
  • Environmental exposures
  • CVD-inflammatory markers
  • Air quality

Academic Interests

  • Social determinants of health
  • Exposome
  • Arterial stiffness
  • Clinical trials
  • CVD epigenetics

Current Projects

  • Family-based assessment of neighborhood-level environmental stressors (area deprivation index, neighborhood stress, household chaos and air pollution)
  • Measuring inflammatory markers (leptin, CRP and adiponectin) and aortic stiffness and central aortic blood pressure

Representative Publications

Journals

For full publication list, visit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/james.muchira.1/bibliography/public/

Muchira JM, Gona PN, Mogos MF, et al. Association of Parental Cardiovascular Health With Disability-Adjusted Life Years in the Offspring: Results From the Framingham Heart Study. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2023;16(1):e008809. doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.121.008809

Muchira JM. Editorial: The effects of coffee intake on the risk of cardiovascular disease. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2022;29(17):2238-2239. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwac257

Muchira JM, Mogos MF, Park C, Logan J, Piano MR. A Mother-Child Dyadic Approach to Evaluating Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Young Children: A Feasibility Study. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. Published online September 2, 2022.doi: 1097/JCN.0000000000000944. doi:10.1097/JCN.0000000000000944

Muchira, J. M., Gona, P. N., Mogos, M. F., Stuart-Shor, E., Leveille, S. G., Piano, M. R., & Hayman, L. L. Parental cardiovascular health predicts time to onset of cardiovascular disease in offspring. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2022;29(6):883-891. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaa072 (Editor's choice)

Muchira, JM, Heelan-Fancher L, Hayman LL. Maternal Cardiovascular Health and Adverse Childbirth Outcomes in the United States: Analysis of the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. Published online April 9, 2021. doi:10.1097/JCN.0000000000000813

Book Chapters

Hayman, L. L & Muchira, J.M (2019). Primordial/Primary Prevention: Implications and Challenges for Families and Children (3rd edition, p.841-847). Lifestyle Medicine. Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, Boca Raton, FL, USA.

Reviewer

  • European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
  • Journal of American Heart Association
  • British Medical Journal (BMJ) open
  • Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, PLOS One

Professional Organizations

  • American Heart Association
  • Sigma Theta Tau International
  • Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association

Honors/Awards

  • Jonas Policy Scholar, American Academy of Nursing - 2021/2022
  • Honorable Mention, The 2021 Postdoc of the Year Award, from the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs - 2021
  • Winning Abstract Award for Original Research category, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA's 27th Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium) - 2021
  • 2020 Research Article of the Year Award-American Heart Association Council of Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing - 2020
  • Anne Kibrick Graduate Nursing Award Winner (Merit-based award) - 2019
  • Winning Abstract Award, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA's 24th Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium)-2018
  • PhD Nursing Program Outstanding Leadership Award - 2017
  • Merit-based Awards-Lynch Foundation Fund Nursing Fellowship - 2015 - 2019

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