COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Efforts to engage diverse perspectives , experiences , and communities within Alabama have been fundamentally integrated into the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative from its inception in 2017 . In 2021 , along with the launch of the new clinical cohort that seeks to enroll patients associated with family medicine , a new community advisory board ( CAB ) was developed by Lori Bateman , PhD , assistant professor in the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine , with additional leadership provided by Tiffany Osborne , program director in the UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center . Members of the AGHI advisory board represent a cross section of the entire Alabama community , including key stakeholders and leaders from local organizations . The board provides key community insight on all aspects of the project .
The AGHI Community Advisory Board is grounded in community based participatory research ( CBPR ) principles . This helps ensure that community and academic partners share responsibilities and that solutions are implemented as a partnership , rather than placing academicians in decision-making roles for the community .
The AGHI CAB began meeting quarterly in late 2021 through a videoconferencing platform . The goals of the first meeting were to solicit insight from the CAB , better inform the AGHI participant enrollment process and experience , and provide increased study access to underrepresented groups . Such groups include men and minority populations that historically lack genomic data , and their representation may provide better understanding of disease risks and the implications of pharmacogenetics for individualized drug therapies . Future board meetings will continue to focus on participant recruitment , communication , and the return-of-results process and its impact on participants .
AGHI Community Advisory Board
The Community Advisory Board provides an opportunity for AGHI leaders to share information about the project ’ s goals , strategies , and findings with the advisory board through quarterly , virtual meetings . During these meetings , members of the board will participate in active discussions about these topics and provide feedback on behalf of the communities they represent .
Lori Bateman , PhD , RD Assistant Professor UAB Division of Preventive Medicine , Heersink School of Medicine
Kelly East , MS , CGC
Certified Genetic Counselor Clinical Applications Lead HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Grace Okoro , MPH Program Manager II Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center Heersink School of Medicine , Division of Preventive Medicine
Tiffany Osborne
Program Director II Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center UAB Heersink School of Medicine / Division of Preventive Medicine
Whitley Kelley , MS , CGC
Certified Genetic Counselor HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
12 Alabama Genomic Health Initiative Annual Report 2021