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Forge AHEAD Center

Achieving Health Equity Across the Deep South

Forge AHEAD Center

Achieving Health Equity Across the Deep South

Forge AHEAD Center

Achieving Health Equity Across the Deep South

A Collaborative Health Equity Research Center

Forge AHEAD Center is a regional comprehensive research center that focuses on the prevention and management of cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension (HTN), associated with health disparities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

At Forge AHEAD Center, our focus is to achieve health equity by addressing health disparities, and enhancing access to health care and public health, so that Deep South communities are filled with knowledgeable and healthy people.

Funded by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), Forge AHEAD Center is a part of the Health Equity Action Network.  

Heersink

Pennington

Tuskegee

MS Med Center

Institutions Partnering in a Center For Health Equity

Forge AHEAD Center is a partnership between institutions working together to develop the best approaches to research, education, and community engagement.

Our Vision for a Healthier Future

The vision of Forge AHEAD Center is to achieve health equity by eliminating health disparities and improving health outcomes in diabetes, obesity, and hypertension throughout the South. Our vision is accomplished through effective partnerships with academic, non-academic, and community organizations to support research, training, outreach, and education.

Our Values in Achieving Health Equity

 

 

Teamwork

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH

TRUSTWORTHINESS

Transparency

Innovation

Transitioning from Health Disparities to Better Health For All

Forge AHEAD Center is motivated to improve current health issues in our region. Inequalities in cardiometabolic health have long been a concern. Now, in some cases, these inequalities have widened across racial, socio-economic, and geographic lines. In the “Deep South” region of the United States of America (USA) rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are the highest in the nation. Life expectancy in the Deep South is substantially lower than other regions, and this difference is even greater for Black Americans living in the area.

Elimination of these disparities – health equity for all – is our ultimate goal. Reaching health equity 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.

 In The News & Local Events

Four new research projects to expand reach of Forge AHEAD Center

Four new research projects to expand reach of Forge AHEAD Center   The Forge AHEAD (Advancing Health Equity Across the Deep South) Center has received a new award, totaling over $4.5million, to fund four new research projects aimed to expand the reach of the center’s mission. Forge AHEAD Center, a regional comprehensive research center, is making significant strides in the battle against cardiometabolic diseases in...

Forge AHEAD HIV-Focused Pilot RFA

Forge AHEAD HIV-Focused Pilot RFA The Forge AHEAD (Advancing Health Equity Across the Deep South) Center is pleased to announce a new HIV-focused request for applications for its Pilot and Feasibility Scholars Program.  Funding for this special emphasis round is available for up to 3 pilot awards (up to $50,000 each for 1 year) focused specifically on health equity issues related to HIV and cardiometabolic disease,...

LAUNCHED is Recruiting Underrepresented Minority Scientists

Now Recruiting Underrepresented Minority Scientists: LAUNCHED (The Louisiana Center for Advancing Underrepresented Scientists Careers in Health, Nutrition, Obesity, and Disparities Research) The Louisiana Center for Advancing Underrepresented Scientists Careers in Health, Nutrition, Obesity, and Disparities Research (LAUNCHED) is a comprehensive program designed to provide mentorship, training, and career...

Inaugural Forge AHEAD Seminar – A Meaningful Start

Inaugural Forge AHEAD Seminar – A Meaningful Start Forge AHEAD kicked off the Center’s monthly seminar series on April 26, 2023 as twenty-one attendees from 3 states and multiple institutions gathered on Zoom for a presentation by Drs. Tina Kempin Reuter and Casey Herman. These two presenters shared the results of our their mixed-methods research on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic for family members and...

Forge AHEAD Center Requests Applications – 2023

Forge AHEAD Center Requests Applications – 2023 Forge AHEAD (Advancing Health Equity Across the Deep South) Center is pleased to announce a new request for applications for its Pilot and Feasibility Scholars Program. The Center is a collaboration between the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tuskegee University, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and...

Compretta Joins Leadership of the Office of Research at UMC

Caroline Compretta, PhD Joins Leadership of the Office of Research at University of Mississippi Medical Center Forge AHEAD is excited to announce Dr. Caroline Compretta’s new appointment as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research at University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Compretta is a charismatic and innovative researcher whose unique experience grounds her in the communities she serves. Drs. Bidwell and...

2023 Methods Symposium

2023 Methods Symposium: Scientific Methods to Support Health Equity Research Forge AHEAD partnered with UAB COERE to host the 2023 Methods Symposium on “Scientific Methods To Support Health Equity Research” on Thursday, January 19, 2023. The hybrid, half-day symposium was designed to provide local and national attendees with an overview of recent developments and current projects related to scientific methods that...

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Cite Forge AHEAD's Grant

Forge AHEAD Center is a regional comprehensive research center funded by a P50 grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Click below for citation information.

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