ANNUAL REPORT 2021
CDU AXIS Center Receives Supplemental Funding from NIH to Conduct COVID-19 Research Projects in Our Communities
Under the leadership of Dr . Jay Vadgama , CDU secured four COVID-19 research supplements from the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ). These have allowed CDU investigators to partner with local communities in South Los Angeles in testing , tracing , prevention , and treatment opportunities . Each one provided the university opportunities to engage with unique populations and explore different aspects of the pandemic in these communities .
“ Neighborhood Effects on the transmission of COVID-19 ” sought to identify and quantify how local geographic and environmental settings and conditions – social and environmental determinants – have driven disparities in COVID-19 outcomes in large metropolitan areas of the United States . Project Primary Investigator ( PI ) Dr . Paul Robinson successfully obtained and processed data from disparate sources and constructed a model of COVID-19 mortality in local contexts in eight large metropolitan areas . The research team determined a likely early exposure potential to COVID-19 for individuals in specific high proportion African American zip codes and established that severely ill African Americans who died of COVID-19 related pneumonia had poorer spatial accessibility to ICU beds based upon where they lived .
“ The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 among Racial Ethnic Minority Populations and Other Vulnerable Populations in the United States ,” with Dr . Cynthia Davis as PI , seeks to develop and evaluate culturally and linguistically appropriate COVID-19 primary prevention and mitigation interventions targeting high risk and vulnerable populations of sheltered and unsheltered homeless African American and Latinx individuals living in South Los Angeles ’ Service Planning Area 6 ( SPA 6 ) and the Skid Row region of the City of Los Angeles . Both regions have meager income , medically uninsured , at-risk , and vulnerable populations .
“ Multilevel , Multidisciplinary , Faith-Based Participatory Interventions to Reduce COVID-19 Related-Risks among Underserved African Americans ,” with Dr . Mohsen Bazargan as project PI aims to implement and evaluate a telehealth-based , multidisciplinary , culturally sensitive intervention targeting 240 older African American parishioners with 10 church leaders and 30 church health advisors collaborating . The goal is to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on the management of chronic health conditions while reducing healthcare avoidance behaviors . The project successfully recruited and trained 18 churches to develop a COVID-19 surveillance protocol and hosted a series of workshops / seminars to discuss COVID-19 updates for church leaders , staff , and parishioners led by CDU research team members .
“ Community Partnered Intervention to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Low-Income Under-Resourced African Americans and Latinx Public Housing Residents ,” with Dr . Sharon Cobb and Dr . Mohsen Bazargan sharing PI duties , aims to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake and completion among African American and Latinx public housing residents . The innovative program establishes an Academic-Community Team for Improving Vaccine Acceptability and Targeted Engagement ( ACTIVATE ) program , which will develop leadership triads of public housing resident leaders , nurse practitioner students , and public health students to carry out this multilevel intervention .
The four projects together are helping CDU along the path to the university ’ s vision of a world without health disparities . They also further establish the university as a viable and valuable recipient of funds from the NIH , the nation ' s medical research agency , especially for projects with aspects related to health equity , social determinants of health , and underserved communities .
CDU AXIS Center Participates in the 2021 RCMI National Conference
Dr . Jay Vadgama , representing the CDU Accelerating Excellence in Translational Science ( AXIS ) Center , presented at the Research Centers in Minority Institutions ( RMCI ) 2021 National Conference Consortium . Dr . Vadgama provided an overview and highlights to over 200 RCMI members in attendance . In addition , the Center had one full project and five pilot project presentations spread over two oral presentations and four posters . The National Conferences of the RCMI Consortium are forums to present the exciting science of RCMI funded investigators , including early-stage investigators .
Following the conference , Dr . Vadgama received a letter of recognition from National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Leadership . Dr . Michael Sayre , former Director of Division of Integrative Biological and Behavioral Sciences , and Dr . Nadra Tyus , Health Scientist Administrator , were " extremely pleased with the high-quality presentations … and the innovative research you are doing ," they wrote in the letter to Dr . Vadgama .
CDU ’ s AXIS Center is the integrated hub for research conducted at CDU and provides experienced leadership , and a myriad of clinical , translational , and community partnered activities . The center ’ s research will continue to grow and expand its enterprise alongside the University ’ s vision and mission to be a leader in eliminating health disparities by translating scientific discoveries into education , training , clinical care , treatment , and community service in three areas of focus which disproportionately affect Service Planning Area 6 around the CDU community : cancer , cardiometabolic disease ( CMD ), and HIV / AIDS .
CHARLES R . DREW UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND SCIENCE 33