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Our Vision for a Healthier Future

The vision of the Forge AHEAD Center is to improve health outcomes related to diabetes, obesity, and hypertension across the South through collaborative research, training, outreach, and education. We pursue this vision by building strong partnerships with academic institutions, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to expand access to effective, evidence-informed health strategies.

Advancing Better Health for All Through Data, Partnership, and Local Solutions

The Forge AHEAD Center is committed to addressing urgent health challenges affecting communities across our region. Cardiometabolic conditions—including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension—continue to impact individuals at high rates, particularly in the Deep South. This region experiences some of the highest prevalence of these conditions in the United States, along with lower average life expectancy.

These chronic conditions tend to disproportionately burden communities across the Deep South where individuals face limited access to care and greater financial insecurity. Through research, partnerships, and community engagement, our goal is to support meaningful improvements in health outcomes and expand access to effective prevention and care strategies. This will require a precision public health approach, best viewed as “providing the right intervention to the right population at the right time.” This approach acknowledges the importance of context, culture, individual beliefs, and preferences, and emphasizes the needs for intervention on multiple levels addressing several areas of health and wellness.

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