UNMC recently awarded six community-engaged public health research grants totaling $230,000 to address health disparities and advance health equity.
The grants were funded through the UNMC College of Public Health’s Department of Health Promotion and the Center for Reducing Health Disparities.
UNMC’s Paul Estabrooks, PhD, said the grant program is designed to achieve community impact and advance science through partnerships between community organizations and faculty.
“Community partners are active collaborators and share the leadership of each of these projects, which resulted in research that is relevant to communities, resolves local needs and may be applicable to other community or clinical settings,” said Dr. Estabrooks, Harold M. Maurer Distinguished Chair and professor in the College of Public Health Department of Health Promotion. “The intent is to generate preliminary data that could support larger competitive funding applications in the future, while having a local impact with these pilot projects.”
Grantees and grant titles are below.
Athena Ramos, PhD, and collaborators from the UNMC College of Public Health partnered with Nebraska Appleseed and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union on a grant titled: “Meat Processing, COVID-19 & Infection Prevention and Control: Community Defined Solutions.”
David Dzewaltowski, PhD, and co-investigators from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Cooperative Extension, received a grant titled: “Coordinating Whole-of-Community Systems for Early Life Cancer Prevention in the Great Plains: All Sports for All Kids Project.”
Shannon Maloney, PhD, and collaborators from the UNMC College of Medicine and the Olson Center for Women’s Health, received a grant titled, “Enhancing Uptake of Preconception Care Services in Family Practice Clinics Using a Patient-Centered Screening Tool: A Pilot Study.” Dr. Maloney also received a grant titled “Overcoming Barriers to Telehealth Services Among Low-Income Urban Women” with collaborators from the UNMC College of Public Health, College of Medicine, Olson Center for Women’s Health, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Tzeyu Michaud, PhD, UNMC College of Public Health, and incentaHealth LLC, a community-weight loss program development company received a grant titled, “Identifying Factors Associated with Program Engagement and Retention to Improve Health Disparities Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Participants in a Digital-Based Weight Loss Program.”
Fabio Almeida, PhD, College of Public Health, and Christine Eisenhauer, PhD, College of Nursing Northern Division in Norfolk, in partnership with the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department, Dakota County Extension and the Dakota Health Department, received a grant titled, “Leveraging Existing Community Partnerships to Culturally Adapt a Technology-Based Weight Loss Program for Rural Middle-Aged LatinX Men.”
Congratulations on your grant funding and thank you for your continued work to address health disparities and advance health equity.