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Principal Investigator: Julie A. Baldwin
Organization: NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $4,329,719
Funding agency: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
PROJECT SUMMARY
The overall goal of the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative (SHERC) is to increase basic
biomedical, clinical, and behavioral research at Northern Arizona University (NAU) to address health disparities
and advance health equity among diverse populations of the southwestern United States. In the next 5 years,
we will increase research capacity especially in the areas of clinical and translational research with a focus on
team science and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). SHERC will work closely with community
partners to expand capacity to address health disparities in multiple chronic and infectious diseases, as well as
high-priority behavioral health conditions, as determined by community partners. SHERC consists of 5 cores
that all interact synergistically. Each of the SHERC cores provides a clear opportunity for innovation
individually; in combination, they demonstrate significant impact in innovation. The Administrative Core
combines evidence-based organizational theory with a tested but novel use of a “continuous improvement”
model of program assessment and feedback. The innovative Core Leadership Development Program will
cultivate a new cadre of mentored research leaders from underrepresented (UR) backgrounds. The Research
Capacity Core focuses on enhancing translational, data, and clinical science, and simultaneously aims to
grow the use of novel laboratory technologies, cutting-edge community-engaged methods and models,
biostatistics, interinstitutional collaborations, and support of relevant NAU core research facilities. The
Investigator Development Core will support early-stage investigators in basic biomedical, behavioral, and
clinical sciences at NAU through 2 programs: a Pilot Project Program and an Individualized Mentoring
Program. The Community Engagement Core uses an innovative 4-direction Framework for Inquiry and
Action that will represent the shared and distinct social determinants of health in Arizona. The Recruitment
Core aims to recruit 2 mid-level or senior faculty members with established health equity research programs to
fill gaps in institutional expertise; to support the new hires in establishing collaborative and independent health
equity research programs at NAU; and to integrate them into SHERC as collaborators, mentors, and leaders.
The 3 Research Projects include the following innovative studies: Project 1 (Camplain) addresses physical
activity and sedentary behavior and their impact on health outcomes among women incarcerated in Arizona.
Project 2 (Cope) focuses on childhood asthma and aims to determine the effect of a gut microbiome modifying
therapy (fiber supplementation) to improve type-2 asthma symptoms by reducing airway inflammation via the
gut microbiome-airway axis. Project 3 (Mihaljevic) will develop and operationalize modeling tools that allow us
to rapidly improve the design and implementation of spatial epidemiological models of SARS-CoV-2 that are
informed by local-level geographic and demographic features, including social determinants of health.
Terms: <2019 novel corona virus><2019 novel coronavirus><2019-nCoV><Accountability><Address><Affect><Area><Arizona><Asthma><Asthma in Children><Basic Research><Basic Science><Behavior Conditioning Therapy><Behavior Modification><Behavior Therapy><Behavior Treatment><Behavioral Conditioning Therapy><Behavioral Modification><Behavioral Research><Behavioral Sciences><Behavioral Therapy><Behavioral Treatment><Biomedical Research><Biometrics><Biometry><Biostatistics><Bronchial Asthma><COVID-19 virus><COVID19 virus><Childhood Asthma><Chronic Disease><Chronic Illness><Clinical><Clinical Research><Clinical Sciences><Clinical Study><Clinical and Translational Science Awards><CoV-2><CoV2><Collaborations><Communicable Diseases><Communities><Computing Methodologies><Conditioning Therapy><County><Data Analyses><Data Analysis><Data Collection><Data Science><Data Security><Data awareness><Decrease health disparities><Development><Disease><Disorder><EXTMR><Ensure><Environment><Evaluation><Extramural><Extramural Activities><Federally Qualified Health Center><Feedback><Fiber><Fostering><Funding><GI microbiome><Geography><Goals><Health><Health Inequity><Health disparity mitigation><Health disparity reduction><Health equity research><Hospitals><Imprisonment><Indian Health Service><Individual><Individuals from minority><Individuals of minority><Inequalities in Health><Inequities in Health><Infectious Disease Pathway><Infectious Diseases><Infectious Disorder><Informatics><Infrastructure><Institution><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Investigators><Justice><Laboratories><Lower health disparities><Mentors><Methodology><Methods><Minority Groups><Minority Health Research><Minority People><Minority Population><Minority individual><Minority research><Minority-Serving Institution><Mitigate health disparities><Modeling><Morbidity><Morbidity - disease rate><NIH><National Institutes of Health><Pediatric asthma><Physical activity><Pilot Projects><Policies><Population><Population Heterogeneity><Postdoc><Postdoctoral Fellow><Productivity><Program Development><Quality Control><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Reduce health disparities><Relationship-Building><Research><Research Associate><Research Design><Research Grants><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Research in health equity><Researchers><Risk><Role><SARS corona virus 2><SARS-CO-V2><SARS-COVID-2><SARS-CoV-2><SARS-CoV2><SARS-associated corona virus 2><SARS-associated coronavirus 2><SARS-coronavirus-2><SARS-related corona virus 2><SARS-related coronavirus 2><SARSCoV2><Schools><Science><Scientific Inquiry><Sedentary behavior><Sedentary life-style><Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Corona Virus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome associated corona virus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome related corona virus 2><Southwest U.S.><Southwest US><Southwestern United States><Study Type><Supplementation><Testing><Time><Translational Research><Translational Science><Tribes><Underserved Population><United States Indian Health Service><United States National Institutes of Health><Universities><Work><Wuhan coronavirus><airway epithelium inflammation><airway inflammation><airway microbiome><alleviate symptom><ameliorating symptom><authority><behavior intervention><behavioral health><behavioral intervention><career><chronic disorder><collaboration with communities><communicable disease transmission><community based organizations><community collaboration><community engagement><community organizations><community partners><community-based collaboration><community-based partners><computational methodology><computational methods><computer based method><computer methods><computing method><coping><coronavirus disease 2019 virus><coronavirus disease-19 virus><data interpretation><data quality><decrease symptom><design><designing><developmental><digestive tract microbiome><disease transmission><disparity in health><diverse populations><diversity, equity, and inclusiveness><efficacious intervention><empowerment><engagement with communities><enteric microbiome><epidemiological model><equity, diversity, and inclusion><evidence base><female outcomes><fewer symptoms><full professor><gastrointestinal microbiome><gut microbiome><gut-associated microbiome><hCoV19><health disparity><health disparity community><health disparity group><health disparity populations><health equity><health equity-focused research><health goals><health inequalities><heterogeneous population><improved><incarcerated><incarceration><infectious disease transmission><information security><innovate><innovation><innovative><inter-institutional><interventional strategy><intestinal biome><intestinal microbiome><lab equipment><laboratory equipment><laboratory technology><leadership development><member><minority communities><minority health disparity><minority institution><mortality><nCoV2><novel><outcomes among females><outcomes among women><outcomes in females><outcomes in women><pilot study><population diversity><post-doc><post-doctoral><post-doctoral trainee><programs><recruit><reduce symptoms><relieves symptoms><research associates><research facility><research in minorities><research on health equity><research on minorities><research related to health equity><research related to minorities><research to attain health equity><research with minorities><resilience><resilient><respiratory inflammation><respiratory microbiome><respiratory tract inflammation><respiratory tract microbiome><sedentary lifestyle><senior faculty><social health determinants><social role><spatial epidemiology><study design><symptom alleviation><symptom reduction><symptom relief><theories><tool><translation research><translational investigation><tribal agency><tribal board><tribal entity><tribal health><tribal organization><under served group><under served individual><under served people><under served population><underserved group><underserved individual><underserved people><women's outcomes>