Clinical and Translational Science Award

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Project Summary/Abstract Specific Aims. Despite the role that churches play in effective community engagement of African American populations, it is not well known how to identify churches that will be successful in implementation. While a few studies have described readiness to change assessments, particularly among faith-based organizations, the tools have been limited in the type of factors they assess to determine readiness. The proposed project will allow me to investigate the church’s readiness to engage church members in health promotion (Aim 1) and to take a deep dive into leadership support (Aim 2). The short term goal of the project to complete a church readiness assessment and to describe the readiness of the church to participate in health promotion and research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Candidate’s Background. I have a BS in Biology from Oakwood University, a MS in health education from the University of Michigan-Flint, and a PhD in health behavior and health education from the University of Michigan. Career Goals and Objectives. My long-term career objective is to become an independent investigator who specializes in health disparities in cancer and CVD among underserved minorities. Career Development and Training Plan. During the two years of the proposal, I will complete didactic training and mentoring to advance my skills in community engagement, dissemination and implantation, and program evaluation. My training includes: 1) coursework, 2)workshops, 3)professional conferences, and 4)research project focused on community engagement. This will increase my capacity as a researcher to be able to adapt and disseminate effective interventions. Research Strategy. To accomplish my aims, I will use a mixed methods approach, including a survey of church members and key informant interviews with pastors to assess proximal factors such as community and organizational climate; attitudes towards prevention and health promotion programming; commitment to change; and capacity to implement change to understand readiness to implement new health promotion programming and research.