The UW–Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) has given nine pilot awards to UW investigators for community-engaged health research. The awards will allow researchers to conduct small-scale studies over the course of 12 to 18 months that may prove fruitful for further, large-scale investigation. Funding for the pilot awards was provided by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health from the Wisconsin Partnership Program, which supports research, education and community engagement with the goal of improving health and advancing health equity among Wisconsinites.
Three UW-Madison postdoctoral fellows received Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEAD) pilot awards, a mechanism for postdoctoral scholars to conduct health equity research. These pilot awards are granted in conjunction with ICTR’s AHEAD mentored career development program and give postdoctoral scholars translational research experience with a focus on future career development.
The 2023-24 AHEAD pilot awardees are:
- Asma Ali, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, for the project “Developing the RAMADAN Instrument: Recognizing Access and Management Associated Diabetes Adversities in Nationwide Muslims in the US (RAMADAN)”
- David Mallinson, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, for the project “Racial and Geographic Disparities of Prenatal Care Coordination in Wisconsin”
- Clayton Marcinak, Department of Surgery, for the project “Identifying Mechanisms Underlying Neighborhood Disadvantage-Associated Disparities in Outcomes After Complex Cancer Surgery”
ICTR provided two Clinical & Community Outcomes Research (CCOR) pilot awards to support community-partnered health research. CCOR-funded projects focus on translating knowledge into improvements in clinical practice, community programs and health policy. These awards may also support the development of interventions that require individual, organizational, or system behavior change.
The 2023-24 CCOR pilot awardees are:
- Michael Koenigs, professor of psychiatry, for the project “Peer-Led Trauma Therapy for Re-entry” in partnership with the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, an organization that offers programs for men re-entering the community after incarceration
- Aurora Pop-Vicas, associate professor of internal medicine, for the project “Cognitive Rehabilitation for Long COVID patients with Brain Fog – the First Step” in partnership with Access Community Health Center–Madison, the UW Health Long COVID outpatient clinic, and the All of Us Research Program
Daniel Grupe, associate scientist at the UW Center for Healthy Minds, received the 2023-24 Collaborative Health Equity Research (CHER) pilot award, which supports a new community-engaged research project by an early-career investigator. While conducting his project, “Community-Engaged Adaptation of a Well-Being Intervention to Support Successful Reentry Following Incarceration” with the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, Grupe will receive mentorship from Dr. Michael Koenings, who will serve as co-investigator.
ICTR provided two Dissemination & Implementation (D&I) pilot awards to support research addressing the effective delivery and implementation of evidence-based strategies, interventions, and programs for policy and in clinical and community health practice settings.
The 2023-24 D&I pilot awardees are:
- Shivani Garg, assistant professor of rheumatology, for the project “Clarifying Misbeliefs About Hydroxychloroquine: Developing an Individualized Decision Aid for Diverse Patients with Lupus”
- Olayinka Shiyanbola, associate professor of pharmacy, for the project “Culturally Tailoring the Delivery of an Evidence-Based Diabetes Self-Management Program for Black Adults to Enhance its Reach, Adoption, and Implementation”
Megan Piper, professor of internal medicine and co-director of research at the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, received the 2023-24 Stakeholder & Patient Engaged Research (SPER) pilot award, which supports activities around stakeholder engagement methodology in service of strengthening a competitive application for external research funding. Piper’s project, “Reducing Racial Disparities in Smoking: The Milwaukee Collaboration,” involves a collaboration with the Wisconsin Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, Jump at the Sun Consultants, and the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation.