Healthy African-American Families (HAAF) is a community-based organization that advocates for the health promotion and disease prevention needs of African-American residents living in South Central Los Angeles. The organization's CEO, Loretta Jones, works closely with a federally funded UCLA project (Mangione, PI) to recruit elderly African-Americans and Latinos for a study of diabetes and serves on UCLA's Institutional Review Board.

Population Served: South Central Los Angeles is a residential and commercial area south of downtown. The population is half a million people and is predominantly Latino and African-American.

King-Drew Medical Center: HAAF also works closely with the King-Drew Medical Center, the main hospital and medical facility for South Central Los Angeles. Dr. Eric Bing, a prominent substance abuse researcher and Dr. Keith Norris, Drew Associate Dean for Research, are both actively engaged in research with UCLA faculty. Dr. Norris holds an appointment at both Drew University and UCLA and works closely with HAAF as well. HAAF serves community members of all ages. The organization has a strong interest in reducing infant mortality.

Scholar Opportunities: Current priorities include development of programs to improve diabetes management, and collaboration in the development of a community coalition to support improved mental health care.