African American women in the United States are three to four times more likely to have pregnancy-related complications and die than non-Hispanic white women. Assistant Professor Renee Branch Canady explains the reasons behind this statistic and shares her own experiences with prejudicial trauma.
African Americans suffer disproportionately across most health issues. A lack of knowledge about general familial health history coupled with a lack of racially appropriate health communication strategies makes early detection of the disease difficult. Kent Key, PhD, MPH, will use a $622,835 grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to co-develop culturally appropriate family health history tools with African American community members.
Disparities in colorectal cancer screening in African Americans result in a higher death rate among that segment of the population. Todd Lucas and his research team will use a five-year, $1.7 million Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society to study colorectal cancer screening and health equity. The primary goal is to build on a program of research centered around improving take-home CRC screening among African Americans as a route to achieving greater screening equity.
The Flint Center for Health Equity Solutions (FCHES), under the direction of Debra Furr-Holden, focuses its research efforts on health disparities and chronic diseases that cross boundaries and directly affect the Flint and Genesee County community. The FCHES is an assembly of stakeholders, including public health researchers, policymakers, health officials, community organizations, and faith-based partners across a range of specialties to mount evidence-based and promising approaches to prevent chronic disease and reduce health inequities.
Robey B. Champine, PhD, MS, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Public Health Program, where she teaches courses on social and behavioral aspects of public health and program evaluation. Her research involves partnering with communities to design, implement, and evaluate programs for children exposed to potentially traumatic events. She highlights seven teaching and mentoring strategies from Fuentes et al. (2021) that are translatable across disciplines.
