Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Latha Palaniappan MD, MS, is an internist and clinical researcher. Her research has focused on the study of diverse populations, chronic disease and prevention. Dr. Palaniappan specifically seeks to address the gap in knowledge of health in Asian subgroups and other understudied racial/ethnic minorities (PACS 5R01DK081371, CASPER R01HL126172, and CAUSES R01MD007012). During her time at Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), she led the organization-wide initiative to collect patient race/ethnicity and language information, enabling PAMF researchers to conduct disparities research using electronic health records. She was the co-founder of PRANA (along with Dr. Ronesh Sinha), a South Asian Wellness program. Her current work examines the clinical effectiveness of structured physical activity programs for diabetes management (Initiate and Maintain Physical Activity in Clinics - IMPACT, 5R18DK096394), as well as best exercise regimens for normal-weight diabetics (Strength Training Regimen for Normal Weight Diabetics - STRONG-D, 2R01DK081371).
