Dr. Rosen named Great Plains Community Collaborator of the Year

Marisa Rosen, PhD, an assistant professor in the UNMC College of Public Health’s Department of Health Promotion, is the newest recipient of the Community Collaborator of the Year Award.

Dr. Rosen was honored for her work on Oct. 16 during the Great Plains IDeA-CTR 7th Annual Scientific Meeting at the Truhlsen Event Center.

The Great Plains IDeA-CTR Network was formed to uphold the National Institutes of Health’s nationwide effort to improve the health of all Americans and to provide approaches to overcoming the issues endemic to this part of the country.

Dr. Rosen is involved in Diabetes On Track, a rural community demonstration project led by UNMC and funded by the Diabetes Care Foundation of Nebraska. Since August 2022, Dr. Rosen has facilitated community coalitions in Hastings and Wayne, Nebraska. The coalitions, which are comprised of diverse stakeholders, engage in a data-driven process to develop their capacity and create a coordinated system to receive information about and access to pre-diabetes and diabetes screening, prevention care and management services across the communities. She has facilitated 24 meetings to date.

In addition to these meetings, Dr. Rosen oversees efforts to create a referral pathway for individuals at-risk of diabetes and those living with prediabetes or diabetes.

“More than one in three adults in the U.S. have prediabetes, which is a serious health condition that puts someone at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes,” Dr. Rosen said. “To prevent and manage diabetes across an entire community, efforts cannot happen in a silo. This is why our goal is to bring together stakeholders across health care, local health departments and other community-based organizations to build on local assets and design this referral pathway.”

Dr. Rosen also has worked with Wellscapes, a rural community-led initiative. This research study supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, focuses on physical activity and child population health. By using data to drive decision making and establishing a community coalition of stakeholders and public health representatives, the initiative has a goal of leading communities to improve youth’s physical activity.

In addition to participating in community coalition meetings for Wellscapes, Dr. Rosen has helped develop two facilitator guides representing distinct community action processes used in these meetings. She also has supported evaluation efforts to improve youth physical activity in four additional rural Midwest communities.

“Influencing change in addressing prediabetes and diabetes in Hastings and Wayne is a team effort that involves professionals from the UNMC College of Public Health and College of Medicine, local health care, local health departments and other community-based organizations,” Dr. Rosen said. “We are grateful to the Diabetes Care Foundation for the opportunity to work with rural communities in the state to address this chronic condition.”