Campus and Community Health Disparities Pilot Research Grants

Round 1

Vineet Arora, MD, MA and Mindy Schwartz, MD
Resident Education to Improve Patient Education: The Neighborhood Health Exchange

A curriculum interventionthat teaches medical residents how to provide successful patient education regarding the prevention and management of chronic diseases aims to reduce health disparities by providing patients with hands-on, didactic education in the ambulatory care setting and through community health seminars.

Partners: Department of Medicine; Department of Pediatrics; Office of Community Affairs of the University of Chicago Hospitals; Hyde Park Neighborhood Club

Project Team: Benjamin Freed, MD; Joyce Tang, MD; Timothy Baker, MD; Kimberly Tartaglia, MD and Julie Kleczek, MD

Contact Vineet Arora for more information.

Tamara Nix, MD and Rena Conti, PhD
Psychological and Socioeconomic Determinants of Breastfeeding Initiation and Continuation among Low-Income Minority Women

This project will design and implement quantitative and subsequent qualitative surveys following a literature review of factors associated with breastfeeding initiation and continuance to determine the economic, psychological, and sociological determinants of breastfeeding initiation and continuance among mothers insured by Medicaid to inform future intervention efforts at the local hospital and community levels.

Partners: Department of Medicine; Department of General Pediatrics; Department of Health Studies; Friend Family Health Center

Project Team: John Lantos, MD and Juned Siddique, DrPH

Contact Tamara Nix or Rena Conti for more information.

Blase N. Polite, MD, MPP and Sarah J. Gehlert, PhD
Understanding Racial Disparities in the Receipt of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast, Colon, and Lung Cancer

This project will pilot test a survey questionnaire on 30 patients who have undergone curative surgery for breast, colon, and lung cancer who are eligible for chemotherapy in order to describe the set of beliefs and concerns that African-American and white patients with surgically resected breast, lung, and colon cancer have on the decision to receive chemotherapy and determine whether these beliefs are associated with differences in the receipt of chemotherapy in these subgroups.

Partners: Department of Medicine; School of Social Service Administration

Project Team: Elizabeth A. Jacobs, MD, MPP; Martha Van Haitsma, PhD and David Smith, BA

Contact Blase Polite for more information.

Round 2

Thomas L. Fisher, MD, MPH
Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions in the Emergency Department:  What are the roles of social determinants and the Health Care System in the Production of Racial Disparities?

This project will conduct individual interviews and focus groups with direct health care providers, community opinion leaders, and key administrative decision makers to examine the underlying causes of ambulatory care sensitive condition visits to the emergency department.

Project Team: Monica E. Peek, MD, MPH; Scott C. Cook, PhD; Olivia Roanhorse, MPH; Nicole M. Keesecker, MA and Marshall H. Chin, MD, MPH

Partners: Section of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine; Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civilization, Inc. (MAGIC); ACCESS Community Health Network

Contact Tom Fisher for more information.

Lisa Sánchez-Johnsen, PhD
¡Viva la Salud! Culture-Centered Community Obesity Intervention for Latinas

This pilot study will test the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of a 6-week culturally proficient diet, physical activity, body image, and tobacco intervention in 40 overweight Latinas using a community based participatory framework and compare the reliability/validity of culturally proficient diet, physical activity, body image, and tobacco measures.

Project Team: Deborah Burnet, MD, MA; James Rimmer, PhD; Melissa Lopez and Kathleen Rivero

Partners: Department of Psychiatry; Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine; Hispanic/Latino Health Scientific Advisory Board; Pilsen/Alivio Medical Center; Casa Central; Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness

Contact Lisa Sánchez-Johnsen for more information.

Tamara Vokes, MD
Finding Racial Differences in Vulnerability to Glucocorticoid Induced Osteoporosis

This cross-sectional study of African American and Caucasian patients receiving cardiac transplant at the University of Chicago and glucocorticoids as part of their immunosuppressive regimen will determine whether lower bone turnover or higher patient fragility accounts for the increased vulnerability of African Americans to glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis seen in densitometry patients.  It will also examine whether racial differences in bone outcomes are explained by differences in the allelic frequency in the genes that mediate glucocorticoid metabolism. 

Project Team: Rick A. Kittles, PhD; Nancy J. Cox, PhD and Maryellen J. Giger, PhD

Partners: Section of Endocrinology. Department of Medicine; Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine

Contact Tamara Vokes for more information.

Round 3

Deborah Burnet, MD, MA
COACH: Combating Obesity at Community Health Centers

This QI collaborative intervention with MidWest Clinicians' Network will assess and improve provider effectiveness at recruiting and retaining participants in their obesity programs, as well as their confidence and experience with implementing obesity program improvements. Patient level data (weight, BMI, blood pressure) will also be collected and analyzed to explore possible effects of the COACH intervention on patient outcomes. Expected products from this project include evaluation of the QI collaborative, dissemination of effective and sustainable community-based interventions through an Internet based best practices menu/tool kit, and subsequent development of this pilot program into a full scale randomized controlled trial across multiple health centers.

Project Team: Marshall Chin, MD, MPH; Melinda Drum, PhD; Michael Quinn, PhD; Amanda Campbell (MWCN); Loretta Huer, PhD (MWCN); Priya John, MPH; and Anusha Vable, MPH

Partners: MidWest Clinicians' Network (MWCN)

Contact Deb Burnet for more information.

 

Round 4

Alyna T. Chien, MD MS
Does Pay-for-Performance Improve the Quality of Healthcare for Health Center Patients?

This proposed study examines the P4P intervention already designed and implemented by ACCESS Community Health Network (ACCESS), our country’s largest FQHC. The trends in the quality of diabetes care at ACCESS will be compared to that at 45 non-ACCESS Midwestern FQHCs to examine whether the P4P incentives directed at diabetes care at ACCESS, more effective or less effective than the diabetes-focused quality improvement efforts supported by the Bureau of Primary Health Care’s Health Disparities Collaborative.

Project Team: Marshall Chin, MD, MPH; Melinda Drum, PhD; John Hickner, MD; Lawrence Casalino, MD, PhD; Kathryn Merrell;

Partners: ACCESS Community Health Network, Midwest Clinicians’ Network

Contact Melinda Drum for more information.

Dawnavan S. Davis, PhD, MS
Our Bodies, God’s Temples (OBGT)

This study will conduct focus groups with 20 African American children, 20 parents, and 20 church leaders from one African American church on the South side of Chicago to examine the role of the church and spirituality in health promotion; and current diet, physical activity, and body image knowledge and behaviors.  It will also determine the feasibility of implementing a 12-week faith-based health curriculum to increase knowledge and promote healthy behaviors.

Project Team: Deborah Burnet, MD; Becky Lipton, PhD; Tyrone Crider

Partner: Mount Calvary Baptist Church

Contact Dawnavan Davis for more information