Associations, Partnerships & Projects

ASSOCIATIONS

Healthy People-Healthy Communities (National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges) - Program to bring health promotion to communities through cooperative activities between communities and land grant universities.

Latino Memphis - A multi-issue service and advocacy agency in Memphis, Tennessee founded in response to a growing Hispanic community.  The Center on Health Disparities is represented on the Community Advisory Board by Dr. Alicia McClary

The March of Dimes Tennessee Chapter (Memphis and Jackson Divisions) focuses on prevention of prematurity, birth defects, and low birth weight of all babies.  The Center on Health Disparities works with the local chapter by providing support to the Program Services Committee. 

Memphis and Shelby County Regional Health Council is made up of over 50 representatives from diverse segments of the community including government, faith-based, business, public schools, academia, consumers, and community-based organizations.  The council’s work is divided into six (6) committees whose unifying goal is to develop and implement strategies to address significant health concerns faced by the citizens of Shelby County.  Dr. Robin Womeodu, Executive Director of the Center on Health Disparities serves as chair of this council.

Minority Health Advisory Council of the Office of Minority Health, TN Department of Health The council provides expert advice on relevant health matters that impact ethnic and racial populations in Tennessee. Executive Director of the Center of Health Disparities, Dr. Womeodu, has been appointed to the council for a three year period. 

National Health Service Corps (US Dept. of Health and Human Services) - A program which locates and places health professional students in service opportunities with local and state humanitarian organizations.  Dr. Alicia McClary serves as UTCHS Ambassador and Advisory Committee member. 

No Regrets Magazine - This new publication started by Cassandra Webster targets the African American community and other communities of color.  Drs. Beech and Womeodu from the Center on Health Disparities will be contributing a “Family Health” column that will address specific health behavior changes that can be made at the individual, family, and community level.

SEARCH (Student/Resident Experiences and Rotations in Community Health) - A program of the Tennessee Primary Care Association which assists health professions students (all disciplines) to train on interdisciplinary teams in community settings and develop cultural competence that is responsive to patients, particularly those who are underserved.  Dr. Alicia McClary serves as the UTCHS representative.

Tennessee Commission on National and Community Service - A statewide committee appointed by the governor to advance national community service and volunteerism as a means of community problem solving through the administration grants and formation of coalitions and collaborations.  The CHD is represented by Dr. Alicia McClary as the West Tennessee representative.

UT Cancer Center Advisory Board - The multidiscipline internal advisory board provides advice relative to focus and implementation strategies for a UT Cancer Center of Excellence.  The Center on Health Disparities is represented on this board by Dr. Robin Womeodu.

PARTNERSHIPS

American Heart Association sponsors an Annual Women’s Heart Conference.  The Center on Health Disparities is providing support to the 2003 conference by serving on the planning committee, assisting in the development of a plan to measure the impact of the conference, and presenting a workshop.

Community Institute for Early Childhood, is a research-based planning initiative to create and support a comprehensive approach to early childhood and is funded by a grant from LHS, Inc. to the LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center.  The Center on Health Disparities represents the University of Tennessee on the Board of Directors and Education and Family Support Committee.

The Remote Area Medical Clinic (RAM Clinic) is sponsored by the Memphis and Shelby County Regional Health Council, along with other partners.  This clinic provides health screenings, vision care, dental care, and health information to uninsured citizens.  The Center on Health Disparities supports the clinic by participating on the planning committee, coordinating the health education component and the cardiovascular screenings.

PROJECTS

Eat Right, Move More Committee – The Eat Right, Move More committee is organized under the auspices of the Shelby County Health Department’s Regional Health Council.  The objective of this group is to collaborate with existing local, state, and national campaigns to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables among Memphians to promote health and prevent disease. The Center on Health Disparities provides two members, Drs. Robin Womeodu and Bettina Beech to serve on this committee, with the latter serving as the Chair.  Other committee members include professionals from a variety of community-based and academic organizations. 

Keys to a Healthier Memphis, a newsletter focusing on people and organizations working to reduce health disparities in the Memphis area, will be published and distributed by the Center on Health Disparities six times per year.

Preventive Medicine Conference– is a weekly research conference seminar sponsored by the Department of Preventive Medicine for faculty, staff, and students.  The Center on Health Disparities is responsible for featuring selected speakers on one Wednesday per month.  The Director of Public Health Research is responsible for the identification of health disparities researchers to present at the seminars.

Rice Bowl 2004 – Initiated in 2003, the Rice Bowl is an interdisciplinary student health care competition with team members representing the colleges of medicine, nursing, allied health, dentistry, pharmacy, biomedical sciences, and graduate medical education.  Three teams of seven students each are given a case that they must “solve”, and answer questions for a representative faculty panel of judges before a live audience.  The 2004 case will reflect a “health disparity” issue.  In this regard, Dr. Robin Womeodu (Executive Director of The Center on Health Disparities) has been asked to serve as a member of the 2004 Planning Committee and faculty judges.  Dr. Bettina Beech has served as the Chairperson of this event in 2003 and will continue in this capacity for the 2004 case.

Student and Resident Exchange Program - Program to encourage and promote international exchange opportunities for UTCHS students/resident.  Dr. McClary serves as faculty co-coordinator.

Urgent Matters Program (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) - Program to increase public awareness concerning the contributions of the MED and the Med Emergency Department to community wellbeing through outreach activities of UTCHS as the community partner of the MED.   Dr. Alicia McClary serves as Principal Investigator.

UTCHD/UM /Bluff City Grant – The focus of this project is to develop educational/counseling materials for health professionals and families regarding obesity (with an emphasis on pediatric obesity).  An interactive process will be used in the development of the materials, through the use of pilot testing, key informant interviews, and revisions.  In addition, a web-based, health-professionals training program regarding these materials will be developed, with the potential for earned continued medical education (CME) credits.  This project represents a collaborative effort between the Center on Health Disparities, the University of Memphis (PI: Dr. Bettina M. Beech), the Bluff City Medical Society (Consultant: Dr. Melrose Blackett). 

UTCHS College of Medicine Cultural Competency Curriculum - A program to integrate cultural competency concepts into the graduate and undergraduate curriculum of the medical school. Dr. McClary serves as Faculty Coordinator.

Worksite Smoking Cessation Pilot Intervention Among African American Blue-collar Men –is a partnership that will use formative assessment methods to develop, pilot-test, and evaluate a culturally-relevant worksite smoking cessation intervention for African American men.  It is funded by the National Cancer Institute.  Dr. Bettina Beech from The Center on Health Disparities serves as the Principle Investigator.