Events & Announcements – Page 2

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.