Dr. Lisa Chasan-Taber, professor of epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, has received a five-year, $3.2 million grant from NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases to use individual coaching and support to help Hispanic women in western Massachusetts avoid obesity during pregnancy and to develop a healthy, active lifestyle. As Dr. Chasan-Taber explains, “Hispanic women are the fastest growing minority group in the United States and are more likely to begin their pregnancies overweight or obese compared to other women, which means they have a higher risk of additional weight gain during pregnancy and associated long-term health problems, such as diabetes.”