A new project at the University of Kentucky will expand new avenues to develop community-engaged health equity research expertise among early-stage investigators. It's called Achieving Success in Community-Engaged research to elimiNate Disparities (UK ASCEND).
UK ASCEND is supported by a nearly $3 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities part of the National Institutes of Health through their Specialized Centers of Excellence initiative (P50).
The project will leverage existing research initiatives including the Research Scholars Program (RSP) and Research Priority Areas (RPAs).
UK ASCEND will be led by three principal investigators with decades of experience in transdisciplinary health equity and community-focused research:
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Nancy Schoenberg, Ph.D., Marion Pearsall Professor of Behavioral Science in the College of Medicine, founding director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET), associate vice president for research/research professional development and RSP co-director;
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Darwin Conwell, M.D., the Jack M. Gill Chair in Internal Medicine and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the College of Medicine; and
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Lovoria Williams, Ph.D., professor in the College of Nursing and the associate director for Cancer Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the UK Markey Cancer Center.
"UK ASCEND will take a comprehensive and inclusive approach to supporting rigorous and innovative research training that enables our talented investigators to address significant health disparities here in the Commonwealth," said Schoenberg. "Our ultimate goal is to advance the health of Kentucky and to accomplish that goal, we intend to support the next generation of scholars to acquire advanced training in community-engaged research approaches. With stellar, evidence-based training and support, these researchers will partner with communities to develop programs and policies that seek to make positive health changes. UK ASCEND will be a pivotal step in reaching that goal."
UK ASCEND will leverage five of UK's RPAs: cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, neuroscience and substance use disorder. Supported by the Office of the Vice President for Research, the RPAs offer a collaborative framework and focus research in areas that are the most pressing for Kentuckians and have the potential to expand UK's reach and impact on health.
"One of the things that excites me about the possibilities at UK are the opportunities to partner with and nurture the scientific questions our junior faculty want to answer," said Conwell. "Together with our partners, we are committed to a diverse cohort of early-stage investigators through mentorship, robust training and immersive research experiences that have the potential to simultaneously make significant impacts in our communities."
UK ASCEND is a two-year professional development program open to research-intensive early career faculty across campus who aim to enhance their community-engaged research skills to address health disparities.
The first year includes the popular Research Scholars Program plus support for community-engaged research training (covering course tuition, workshops and conferences) and the second year includes a mentored and community-guided $50,000 pilot project.
UK ASCEND provides support for scientific mentors, coaches and programming, with extensive and authentic engagement with community stakeholders through forums.
