Events & Announcements – Forge AHEAD Center

2024 Methods Symposium Recap

The 2024 Methods Symposium, “Scientific Methods to Support Implementation Science” was a hybrid event held at the Edge of Chaos in the UAB Lister Hill Center on January 18th. COERE Director, Dr. Michael Mugavero shared that “the 2024 Methods Symposium exceeded our lofty expectations and provided overwhelming evidence of the substantial interest in learning more about Dissemination and Implementation Science research. We engaged over 150 participants (60+ in person and 98 via Zoom), heard four fantastic presentations, and had substantive interactions among those in attendance throughout the half day event.” The 2024 Methods Symposium was sponsored by UAB COERE, CFAR, CCTS, UAB School of Public Health, Heersink School of Medicine, and Forge AHEAD Center.

The 2024 Methods Symposium featured dynamic talks from Drs. Eva Woodward from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Jereme Wilroy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Alicia Bunger from The Ohio State University. The highlight of the event was with the Meredith Kilgore Endowed Lectureship delivered by Dr. Maria Fernandez from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, that focused on implementation mapping. Attendees interacted with speakers to discuss facilitators and challenges to implementation science, novel methods, and ways to leverage social networks. The Symposium concluded with an interactive luncheon with speakers and in-person attendees. “The COERE team looks forward to seizing the momentum of the Methods Symposium in working with co-sponsors and other partners to further build the Implementation Science training and research portfolio at UAB and across the Deep South region. Our concerted, collaborative efforts to enhance Implementation Science research capacity are essential to ensure that effective scientific innovations are systematically and equitably delivered to individuals, communities, and populations in greatest need with maximal reach, rigor, and expediency to advance health and wellness” said Mugavero. With its diverse range of perspectives, the Symposium helped reaffirm a collective commitment to support and build the field of research in implementation science.

Explore the complete event photo album.

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 the Deep South. Focused on the prevention and management of health disparities associated with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension (HTN), Forge AHEAD Center spans the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and a key player in the Health Equity Action Network, the center’s vision is clear: achieve health equity by eliminating disparities and improving health outcomes.

In the Deep South, where rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are the highest in the nation, Forge AHEAD Center is addressing a critical need. Life expectancy in the region, particularly for Black Americans, lags significantly behind other areas. Forge AHEAD Center recognizes the urgent need for intervention on multiple levels, encompassing research, training, outreach, and education. The goal is the elimination of health disparities and the realization of health equity for all.

“This new funding supports an exciting advancement of the mission of Forge AHEAD Center to address health equity in cardiometabolic disease across the South,” says Andrea Cherrington, M.D., professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine in the Department of Medicine, and the contact primary investigator for Forge AHEAD Center.

“These additional Forge AHEAD Center projects invest in four new investigators conducting interventions focused on cardiometabolic disease prevention and management that apply novel intervention approaches not addressed by the Center’s current projects.”

The following research projects aim to support the center through this new grant:

Project 1
Title: Teen Mom Study: A Hybrid Cluster Randomized Trial
Abigail Gamble, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Mississippi Medical Center

Project 2
Title: Remotely Delivered Resistance Training for Cardiometabolic Health among Black Women: A Pilot Trial
Amber W. Kinsey, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
UAB Heersink School of Medicine –Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine

Project 3
Title: Remotely-delivered Mindfulness-Based Diabetes Education for rural adults with uncontrolled diabetes and elevated distress
Caroline Presley, M.D.
Assistant Professor
UAB Heersink School of Medicine –Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine

Project 4
Title: Weight-focused vs. weight-neutral adaptive biobehavioral strategies for improving metabolic health in Black adults with Stage 1 Obesity: A pilot Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial
Drew Sayer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
UAB Department of Family and Community Medicine

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, ranging from prevention efforts to projects involving people living with HIV. This program will provide seed support for research projects focused on stakeholder-engaged intervention development, clinical outcomes, implementation and dissemination (T3) and outcomes and effectiveness in populations (T4). Letters of intent are due October 25, 2023, and detailed instructions can be found in the RFA document. Please reach out to Dr. Trudi Horton at trudihorton@uabmc.edu if you have questions or would like additional information.

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 development opportunities for underrepresented minority (URM) scientists in nutrition, obesity, diabetes, and related research. LAUNCHED is a highly innovative training program with the long-term goal of increasing the success rate of underrepresented ethnic minority scientists competing for federal research funding in the fields of nutrition, obesity, and diabetes. Located in the Deep South, LAUNCHED is focusing on providing training to scientists in Louisiana and neighboring states. A diverse workforce is important to academic productivity. However, there are several groups of scientists, including racial and ethnic minority groups, who are currently underrepresented in academia. This underrepresentation has a direct effect on scientific research in general, but especially within health disparities research, including studies related to nutrition, obesity, and/or diabetes. The goal of LAUNCHED is to increase the success rate of URM scientists being awarded federal research funding, particularly in areas relevant to the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The LAUNCHED program is funded by the NIDDK and is a collaboration among several institutions, including Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Southern University, Louisiana State University (LSU) A&M, Xavier University of Louisiana, Tulane University, and LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO).

We are looking for early career scientists (post-doctoral fellows and early career faculty) from institutions in Louisiana and neighboring states with an interest in diabetes, nutrition, and/or obesity research from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. Applicants must have a PhD or MD equivalent degree and there is no citizenship requirement. Additional information can also be found on our website at www.launchedprogram.org. Should you have any questions at this time, please feel free to contact us at launched@pbrc.edu. We are very excited to give deserving applicants the opportunities that LAUNCHED has to offer!

Apply here today.

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 caregivers of people with disabilities and chronic diseases. The presentation included sobering feedback from the caregiver community and shed light on the needs of the high-risk population that feels unseen and underrepresented. The summary of Drs. Kempin Reuter and Herman inspired discussion of actionable points, the need for community partner input in research, and advocating for human rights as a motivator for change.

Thank you to our presenters and attendees for the meaningful hour together!

View the recording of the presentation below.

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 non-academic regional partners with funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

The Pilot and Feasibility Scholars Program was established to prepare and mentor investigators to develop innovative health equity research to understand and address contextual factors and social determinants of health that contribute to regional health disparities in cardiometabolic disease. Funding is available for up to 10 pilot awards per year. Designated funding is also available for up to 3 additional pilot awards focused specifically on disparities in cardiometabolic disease in people living with HIV. This program will provide seed support for research projects focused on stakeholder-engaged intervention development, clinical outcomes, implementation and dissemination (T3) and outcomes and effectiveness in populations (T4). Letters of intent are due April 25, 2023, and detailed instructions can be found in the RFA document. Please reach out to Dr. Trudi Horton at trudihorton@uabmc.edu if you have questions or would like additional information.

Click here to see the projects funded in previous cohort(s).

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 Compretta will lead the research enterprise of Mississippi’s only academic medical center, University of Mississippi Medical Center upon the retirement of Dr. Joey Granger on June 30, 2023. Dr. Granger stated in an announcement that “[t]he duo represents a dynamic pairing: Dr. Bidwell’s unique and extensive basic science and translational research experience complements Dr. Compretta’s impressive track record in translational and population health research. Under their leadership, we anticipate continued growth of all aspects of the Medical Center’s research mission.”

In this new role, Dr. Compretta will work to grow the body of community-engaged research at University of Mississippi Medical Center and foster new research collaborations. In addition to her ongoing research and work with Forge AHEAD, Dr. Compretta holds leadership roles in three National Institutes of Health-funded centers.

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 support health equity research.

A total of 185 attended with 60 in-person including 143 from UAB and 35 from external institutions.

The symposium featured four speakers: Dione King, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH (NYU Grossman School of Medicine), Brita Roy, MD, MPH, MHS (NYU Grossman School of Medicine), and Patrick Sullivan, DVM, PhD (Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health). Dr. Ogedegbe, this year’s Meredith Kilgore Endowed Lecturer, presented an inspired talk that chronicled his journey to become a world-renowned physician scientist and leading expert on health disparities research.

Speakers met with attendees for a networking lunch to continue the great discussion generated from each of their talks. As part of this event, Forge AHEAD hosted a dinner with the four speakers, early-stage investigators, and Center members.

Dione King, PhD (UAB)
Incorporating Photovoice into adolescent and young adult (AYA)
social and behavioral health research
View the recorded presentation.

Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH (NYU)
Having Impact Through Research:
You See My Glory But You Don’t Know My Story
View the recorded presentation.

Brita Roy, MD, MPH, MHS (NYU)
Collective Well-being:
A Framework to Improve Population Health
View the recorded presentation..

Patrick Sullivan, DVM, PhD (Emory University)
Metrics for monitoring PrEP uptake:
An equity-based approach
View the recorded presentation.