A new $20 million initiative by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) aims to address health disparities through community-driven solutions. The program will fund research teams from Furman University, Yale University, and UC San Diego to collaborate with community-based organizations in California, New York, and South Carolina. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will serve as a resource hub for community engagement.
Dr. Keith Churchwell emphasized that the initiative targets social determinants of health to improve cardiovascular care access and quality, especially in marginalized communities.
The Health Equity Research Network (HERN) will encourage collaboration between research scientists and local community leaders to directly involve those most impacted by health disparities in finding solutions that can improve overall health and save lives. As Dr. Churchwell noted, the initiative is part of AHA’s broader mission to advance cardiovascular health for all by eliminating barriers to healthcare access, enhancing diversity and inclusion in science, and fostering more equitable research practices.
AHA’s program highlights the importance of addressing the adverse social determinants of health, such as poverty and lack of access to care, while involving communities in shaping their health outcomes. The initiative is expected to serve as a model for future community-driven health research projects aimed at addressing disparities on a national level, particularly in underrepresented populations that face higher rates of chronic conditions, including heart disease and hypertension.
This ambitious collaboration is part of the AHA’s ongoing commitment to transforming health systems and improving outcomes for vulnerable groups through research, innovation, and community engagement.
See “New $20 million initiative focuses on community-driven health research” (August 22, 2024)
