This award is for investigators at all stages of career development and is intended to support pilot studies founded on community-engaged research. A maximum of $25,000 will be awarded for a period of 12 months.
Learn more about the CCTS Community Engagement & Research Core. »
2022 Awardees
Makenzie Barr, PhD, RD
Assistant Professor, Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
UK CCTS - Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) Collaborative Award
Place-based behavioral nudges as an approach for improving post-operative dietary adherence among Black bariatric surgery patients
Aubrey Jones, PhD
Assistant Professor, College of Social Work
Olivia Swedberg Yinger, PhD
Lucille Caudill Little Associate Professor, School of Music, Music Education and Music Therapy, College of Fine Arts
Rachel Farr, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
UK CCTS - Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) Collaborative Award
NICQu Families: Neonatal Intensive Care among Queer families
2019 Awardees
Angela Carman, DrPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Behavior & Society, College of Public Health
Building Cancer Screening Capacity in an Appalachian Kentucky Federally-Qualified Health Center (FQHC): Preparing a Community for Declining Cancer Screening Resources
James Keck, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine
CAP: Diabetes -- Community Assests Preventing Diabetes: A Mixed Methods Study of Community Characteristics and Type 2 Diabetes Prevalence in Appalachia
2018 Awardees
Dawn Brewer, PhD, RD, LD and Valerie Horn, MA
Dawn Brewer: Assistant Professor, Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture Food and Environment
FRESH STEPS: A Community Fruit and Vegetable voucher and Walking Program to Reduce Obesity-related Risk Factors in Appalachia Kentucky
Our community-academic partnership proposes to examine the effectiveness of Fresh Steps, a program designed to encourage community members to increase F/V intake and PA. The 8-month pilot study includes a control (Harlan,KY) and intervention group (Whitesburg,KY). In the first 4 months, participants who walk to the weekly farmer’s market will be provided with a farmer’s market voucher to use for purchase of fruits and vegetables. Following the close of the farmers’ market season, a local community kitchen in Whitesburg will provide nutritious vegetable and/or fruit meals to participants willing to continue walking at least 1 mile weekly for an additional 4 months. The control arm of the study will occur during the same period of time. Control participants will receive monthly nutrition education newsletters. All participants will have anthropometric and biological measures assessed May 2018, October 2018 and January/February 2019. The overall study goal is to examine the effectiveness of the Fresh Steps community program, which combines social support and farmers’ market and community kitchen vouchers to enhance physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption among Appalachian Kentuckians to lower chronic disease risk.
Niraj Chavan, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine
John O’Brien, MD
Chief, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine
Implementation of a Transvaginal Ultrasound Surveillance Program in Women with a History of Previous Preterm Birth: Disseminating Evidence Based Practices for Reducing Preterm Birth in Appalachian Kentucky
2017 Awardees
Keisa Fallin-Bennett, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine
Sharon Rostosky, PhD
Professor, Department of Education, School and Counseling Psychology, College of Education
Happy (and Healthy) Together: Evaluating a Relationship Education Tool to Help Central Appalachian Female Same-sex Couples Manage Stigma-related Stress Related to Mental and Physical Health
2015 Awardees
Claire Snell-Rood, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine
Cultural adaptation of collaborative care for depressed Appalachian women: a community health worker model
2014 Awardees
Melinda J. Ickes, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology & Health Promotion, College of Education
Feasibility of a Stage-specific, Tailored Policy Development Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Policies in Appalachian Kentucky
2013 Awardees
Christina Studts, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Behavioral Science, College of Medicine
Preventing Conduct Disorder: Valuing Parent & Provider Perspectives in Appalachia
In this community engagement pilot project, Dr. Studts is partnering with Dr. Fran Feltner and others at the UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health to conduct formative research on intervening with early childhood behavior problems in rural Appalachia. Aims of the project include: (1) developing a new Community Advisory Board of local stakeholders in Perry and Breathitt Counties focused on early identification and prevention of child behavior disorders; (2) obtaining in-depth parent perspectives on potential implementation strategies to improve access to evidence-based behavioral interventions; and (3) assessing preferences and barriers regarding delivery of evidence-based behavioral interventions among child service providers, representing primary care, early childhood education, mental health, and others. This study will comprise the first phase of a community-based research agenda focused on the prevention of conduct disorder and related outcomes in children in rural Appalachia.
