The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Program on Ethnicity, Culture and Health Outcomes continues to explore new and innovative partnership and collaborative opportunities to move forward with its mission to improve the health of North Carolina communities by eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities through multidisciplinary and culturally sensitive research, education and training. It accomplishes this through its Reaseach, Community and Education initiatives.
Since ECHO's inception in 2006, thirty-eight pilot research grants have been awarded to new investigators in health disparities after a scientific review process, totaling $411,116. Pilot grants have been awarded to 13 members of faculty at Historically Black Colleges or Universities and to 25 UNC Chapel Hill faculty members. ECHO pilot grantees represent a variety of departments in- and outside its sponsoring Schools of Medicine and Public Health, including Women's Studies, Pharmacy Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, and the Divinity School. In 2008 five pilot research grants were awarded, totaling $60,000. These research awards are yielding presentations, publications, and preliminary data for inclusion in larger, external grants.
In the community, the UNC Centers for Community Research (CCR) continue to serve as a "meeting place" for researchers and community members. The objectives of the Centers are to: foster the exchange of expertise and skills between minority communities and researchers at UNC Chapel Hill; equip community members and researchers with the resources and knowledge needed to address racial/ethnic health disparities present within a community; and facilitate and support research initiatives that address racial and ethnic health disparities at the community level.
ECHO continues to prepare a cadre of public health professionals in an interdisciplinary environment. ECHO offers an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Health Disparities program is a 10 credit hour curriculum that provides a unique training opportunity for students interested in acquiring knowledge and skills to address racial/ethnic health disparities. Students are engaged in learning about the complexity of racial/ethnic health disparities and will be encouraged to utilize interdisciplinary and innovative approaches in their research or public health practice. To date, nineteen certificates have been awarded.
Interconnecting and liaising ECHO with the variety of outlets across its academic community as well as communities across NC and the US is quickly done through a cache of mediums. People, research, and resources can stay connected for the purpose of addressing racial and ethnic health disparities through ECHO's website, listserv, webcasts, and co-sponsored events.
Additionally, ECHO was instrumental in helping the UNC School of Public Health become one of twelve Schools of Public Health designated as an Engaged Institution by Campus Community Partnerships for Health Inc. with funding from the WK Kellogg's Foundation. ECHO worked with University faculty to leverage a Clinical and Translational Science Award aimed at: reducing the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients; engaging communities in clinical research efforts; and training the next generation of clinical and translational researchers. This initiative will be used to enhance the UNC Centers for Community Research and the Pilot Award Program.
While significant milestones have been reached, there continues to be much work to do to realize ECHO's vision of a North Carolina, and a world, in which health differences are a result of human variation - not ethnic, racial, cultural or socioeconomic disparities.
