Pilot Award Projects


Pilot Award Projects

Forge AHEAD Center: Pilot Award Projects

Forge AHEAD Center is committed to awarding early stage investigators pilot award funds for projects to advance the knowledge of chronic disease in the Deep South. By supporting these projects, we are forging a future of informed investigators who are quick to collaborate and innovate. We look forward to fostering the next generation of investigators.

The following projects have been awarded to Forge AHEAD Scholars through our Pilot & Feasibility Scholars Program. Click here to learn about the funding process.

Funding is available for up to 6 projects per cycle for up to $50,000 each for one year.

Cohort 6

Using a Physician-Patient and Community Advisory Board to Address Health Care Discrimination and Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes for Black American Adults

Scholar: Osayande Agbonlahor
Institution: UMMC
State: MS
Disease focus: Hypertension Control, Cardiovascular Disease

a patient sitting on an examination table in an exam room, with

Empowering faith-based communities to provide personalized diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) in the Magic City: A pilot study

Scholar: Dashauna M. Ballard
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus:Diabetes Management

Assessing the Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of a Hispanic Community Health Worker Program in a Safety-net Clinic

Scholar: Courtney E. Gamston
Institution: Auburn University
State: AL
Disease focus: Diabetes Management

Impact of a Health Coaching Program to Improve the Health of Food Insecure Adults with Cardiovascular Disease

 

Scholar: Catheryn Orihuela
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Food Insecurity

Pharmacist-Led Remote Patient Monitoring for Diabetes and Hypertension Management in Persistent Poverty Areas

Scholar: Chloe Taub
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Diabetes Management, Hypertension Control

A Clinical Decision Support Questionnaire to Identify Obstacles to Blood Pressure Control

Scholar: Gabriel S. Tajeu
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Hypertension and Blood Pressure Control

Cohort 5

Evaluating the Utilization of the Heart Truth Program® among Young Black Women in the Deep South

Scholar: Keri Barron
Institution: University of Alabama
State: AL
Disease focus: 

a patient sitting on an examination table in an exam room, with

Pilot Testing of a Primary Care-Based Dyadic Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention: “Heart Care Pairs”

 

Scholar: Kaylee Crockett
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: 

Fit young African athlete running alone on a track

Enhancing Patient-Centered Care for Older African American Patients with Cardiovascular Comorbidities: Piloting the Patient Priorities Care Model at Cooper Green Mercy Health Service Authorities (PPC-HEART)

Scholar: Deborah Ejem
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: 

above view of bleeding finger after puncture for free hiv test in african hospital

Challenges and Enabling Factors to Implementing Remote Patient Monitoring for Hypertensive Conditions of Pregnancy

Scholar: Abbey Gregg
Institution: University of Alabama
State: AL
Disease focus: 

Development and Validation of a Diabetes Risk Score for Undiagnosed Hispanics Living in the United States

Scholar: Lucia Juarez
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: 

a patient sitting on an examination table in an exam room, with

AI-Guided Risk Stratification for Medication Reconciliation for Patients with Diabetes
Focus: Uses artificial intelligence to strengthen medication reconciliation and reduce adherence-related risks for diabetic patients.

Scholar: Joshua Lee
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: 

a patient sitting on an examination table in an exam room, with

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Yoga Intervention in Heart Failure Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Scholar: Chin-Yen Lin
Institution: Auburn University
State: AL
Disease focus: 

Cohort 4

Facilitated Stable Housing as a Strategy for Uptake and Sustainment of Evidence-Based HIV and Cardiometabolic Medicine in People with HIV

Scholar: Donny Gerke
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: HIV, Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

a patient sitting on an examination table in an exam room, with

Laying the Foundation for PrEP in Urgent Care Settings

Scholar: Matt Gravett
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: HIV, Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

Fit young African athlete running alone on a track

Peer MODELS: (Managing a Community-based HIV, Diabetes, and pain intervention that Encourages healthy Living and provides Support), for PWH and T2D in the setting of chronic pain

Scholar: Kristen Allen-Watts
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: HIV, Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

above view of bleeding finger after puncture for free hiv test in african hospital

Enhancing Recruitment and Retention for Black Females with HIV: Identifying Barriers, Facilitators, and the Role of Social Determinants for the Willingness to Participate in the HEALTH Study

Scholar: Rongbing Xie
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: HIV, Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

Cohort 3

Linking GAINS: Linking Genetics and Improving Nutrition in Scotlandville

Scholar: Jennifer Caldwell
Institution: PBRC
State: LA
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention, Diabetes Prevention

Adaptation and Initial Feasibility of a Primary Care-based Dyadic Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Intervention: “Heart Care Pairs”

Scholar: Kaylee Crockett
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention, HTN Control

Post-Emergency Department Discharge Clinic Telehealth Program for Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension

Scholar: Lama Ghazi
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: HTN Control

An integrated cardiometabolic intervention targeting physical and financial health: A pilot study

Scholar: Amber W. Kinsey
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

Cohort 2

Mobile Community Stroke Self-Management Program: A Feasibility Study

Scholar: Mudasir Andrabi
Institution: UA
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

A feasibility trial of a stakeholder-enhanced, lay-navigator-delivered intervention to improve the decisional partnership of Chronic Kidney Disease dyads

Scholar: Shena Gazaway
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention, HTN Control

Sickle Cell FIT: Increasing Physical Activity in Youth with Sickle Cell Disease

Scholar: Cynthia Karlson
Institution: UMMC
State: MS
Disease focus: Obesity Treatment, Diabetes prevention

Preliminary implementation and development of an enjoyable virtual reality exercise program for the prevention of cardiometabolic disease among children with cerebral palsy in school settings

Scholar: Byron Lai
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

TARGETing Healthy Weight Loss in the Context of Food Insecurity Pilot and Feasibility Trial II

Scholar: Candice A. Myers
Institution: PBRC
State: LA
Disease focus: Obesity Treatment

Addressing Cardiometabolic Disease in People Living with HIV: Developing Strategies to Improve Diet and Exercise by Assessing Multi-level Social Determinants of Health

Scholar: Rongbing Xie
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention, HIV, Medically Complex Patients

Cohort 1

Cardiometabolic Complications in Women with PCOS: Role of Androgens, Race/Ethnicity, and the Renin-Angiotensin System

Scholar: Licy L. Yanes Cardozo
Institution: UMMC
State: MS
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

Social Determinants of Health and their Impact on Establishing Heart Failure Care in a Clinic for the Underserved

Scholar: Stephen Clarkson
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention

Tracking Outcomes of Hypertension in Women with Breast Cancer

Scholar: LaQuita Cooper
Institution: UMMC
State: MS
Disease focus: HTN Control, Breast Cancer

African American Stress Intervention Study- Feasibility in Hypertension: (ASIS-Feasibility HTN Cohort)

Scholar: TJ Exford
Institution: NCATSU
State: NC
Disease focus: HTN Control

Teen Mom 2: A Multicomponent Digital Health Intervention to Improve Black Maternal Cardiometabolic Health in Mississippi’s WIC Community

Scholar: Abigail Gamble
Institution: UMMC
State: MS
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention, HTN Control

Improving patient knowledge of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: patient-centered and community-engaged pilot study

Scholar: Yulia Khodneva
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Cardiometabolic Disease Prevention, Medically Complex Patients

TARGETing Healthy Weight Loss in the Context of Food Insecurity Pilot and Feasibility Trial

Scholar: Candice A. Myers
Institution: PBRC
State: LA
Disease focus: Obesity Treatment

Use of home-delivered meals to manage cardiometabolic health during pregnancy among predominantly Black, low-income women in Alabama

Scholar: Camille Schneider-Worthington
Institution: UAB
State: AL
Disease focus: Obesity Treatment, HTN Control, Diabetes Management

Join the Forge AHEAD Center Community Today!