June 2024
The Innovation for Global Impact and Sustainable Health themes are working to foster meaningful connections.
A key component to achieving health equity is engaging and partnering with impacted communities to develop solutions to the challenges they face. In this approach, community members are not merely subjects of research but are actively involved in defining research questions, designing studies, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results and disseminating findings.
“Involving those most greatly impacted in the research process means results are more likely to be applicable and beneficial to the community and, often, leads to more culturally sensitive and contextually relevant research outcomes,” says Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Norman Beauchamp Jr.
MSU is expanding its partnerships to build on the success of people-centered research and to broaden the university’s expertise.
“Improving quality of life for those we serve is our ultimate goal as a land-grant university,” says Vice President for Research and Innovation Doug Gage. “Working collaboratively across campus and engaging with community partners comes naturally to MSU researchers. This approach accelerates our progress toward sustainable health.”
MSU researchers, along with their partners from Henry Ford Health, and members of MSU Extension and MSU Outreach and Engagement are planning a symposium in fall 2024 to accelerate health equity research. The symposium will serve as a platform for researchers to share insights and best practices, develop collaborations on innovative projects and foster meaningful connections — ultimately leading to additional solutions for sustainable health.
Two researchers in the College of Human Medicine, Heatherlun Uphold and Irving Vega, will lead the symposium.
Heatherlun Uphold focuses on reducing the research-to-practice gap through audience-centered methods of communication and message distribution. She oversaw the development of the first Health Equity Report Card — an online tool that helps people understand the overall landscape of community health by comparing 50 health-related indicators from 26 public sources — for Genesee County and the city of Flint.
Irving Vega is investigating why Hispanic individuals present a higher prevalence for Alzheimer’s disease. In partnership with Hispanic communities in West Michigan, Vega’s team is learning more about the social and economic determinants that may lead to increased risk of cognitive impairment and working to develop strategies for risk reduction.