This story takes a closer look at why Latinos have higher rates of birth defects of the brain and spine and what's being done about it. It is the first of three fellowship stories about health disparities in Utah by race/ethnicity and geography.
Dr. Beate Ritz is a professor in the department of epidemiology and environmental health at the UCLA School of Public Health, and in the department of neurology at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine. Ritz is also a member of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, the NIEHS-UCLA-USC Environmental Health Science Center, and a participant in the UCLA EPA-Particle Center effort. She is the co-director of the NIEHS-funded UCLA Center for Gene-Environment Studies in Parkinson's Disease.