Community Engagement Core

The Meharry Community Engagement Core connects community members and organizations with Meharry researchers to conduct research and share results that will improve health for communities that experience the poorest health outcomes.

Vision

To eradicate health and healthcare disparities through long-term, collaborative, mutually beneficial community/academic research partnership.

Mission

The mission of the Meharry Community Engagement Core is to “combine the passion, knowledge, and skills of community partners and academic researchers to carry out research, share research results, and put into practice research findings that advance health equity and improve health for communities that experience the poorest health outcomes.”

Apart from efforts to increase community capacity to engage in research and partner with them in advancing their own health-related priorities, the Community Engagement Core provides direct support to Meharry researchers, including:

  1. providing community-engaged research training;
  2. identifying and facilitating collaborators with various community members, such as community-based organizations;
  3. identifying potential research study participants; and;
  4. providing assistance for sharing research study results beyond traditional academic venues.

A Community Advisory Board, including representatives form health advocacy, health equity, and faith-based organizations, provides guidance to the Community Engagement Core and serves as one avenue for researchers to get community feedback about their research and explore potential community-academic research partnerships.

Resources

  • Consultations for researcher and community members/organizations
  • Partnerships with more than 100 community members and organizations
  • Community Advisory Board
  • Training modules for researchers and community member
  • Research Volunteer Database
  • Community Engagement Studios
  • Community/Academic partnership development support
  • Lay Research Dissemination Procedures and Methods

For any inquires contact, Community Engagement Core Director, Stephania Miller-Hughes PhD MS, smiller@mmc.edu or Co-Director, Leah Alexander PhD MPH, lalexander@mmc.edu or Program Manager, Mariah Chambers MHA, mchambers@mmc.edu

Partnership Opportunities

To learn more about the Community Engagement Core, visit their website below.

Community Engagement Core Publications

Sex-specific mitochondrial DNA changes in neuron-derived extracellular vesicles of African American adults: impact of HIV infection and smoking.
Vladimir Berthaud, Tarik Smith, Venkateswara R Amara, Derek Wilus, Franklin J Nouvet, Waldemar Popik

Sialic Acid Identity Modulates Host Tropism of Sialoglycan-binding Viridans Group Streptococci.
KeAndreya M Morrison, Rupesh Agarwal, Haley E Stubbs, Hai Yu, Stefan Ruhl, Xi Chen, Paul M Sullam, Barbara A Bensing, Jeremy C Smith, T M Iverson

Sialic Acid Identity Modulates Host Tropism of Sialoglycan-binding Viridans Group Streptococci.
KeAndreya M Morrison, Rupesh Agarwal, Haley E Stubbs, Hai Yu, Stefan Ruhl, Xi Chen, Paul M Sullam, Barbara A Bensing, Jeremy C Smith, T M Iverson

Preparing Wearable Data for AI-Powered Mood and Compliance Prediction in HCT Patients and Caregivers.
Charles B Ziegenbein, Bengie L Ortiz, Vibhuti Gupta, Sung Won Choi

From Data to Care: Development of a recommendation engine to university student mental health support aligned with stepped care.
Pedro Velmovitsky, Charles Keown-Stoneman, Kaylen Pfisterer, Julia Hews-Girard, Joseph Saliba, Shumit Saha, Scott Patten, Nathan King, Anne Duffy, Quynh Pham

Insights from the trial innovation network's initial consultation process.
Paul A Harris, Nan Kennedy, Consuelo H Wilkins, Karen Lane, Gordon R Bernard, Jonathan D Casey, Daniel E Ford, Salina P Waddy, Ken L Wiley, Terri L Edwards, Nichol McBee, Dixie D Thompson, Mary Stroud, Emily S Serdoz, Sarah J Nelson, Michelle Jones, Lindsay M Eyzaguirre, Leslie R Boone, Jessica Baird, Colleen E Lawrence, Elizabeth Holthouse, Sarah K Cook, Maeve Tischbein, Natalya Amrine, Tiffany Chen, Jodie Cohen, LaShondra Deyampert, Natalie A Dilts, Delicia Burts, Amna Baig, Joseph G Christodoulou, Mariela Rodriguez, Edgar R Miller, James F Casella, W Andrew Mould, J Michael Dean, Daniel K Benjamin, Harry P Selker, Marisha E Palm, Lori Poole, Jeri S Burr, Sara Hassani, Angeline Nanni, Meghan Hildreth, Daniel F Hanley