Project EXPORT

OBJECTIVE(S): The Specific Aims of the Drew/UCLA Export Center are to:

1) Promote the conduct of methodologically rigorous research aimed at reducing disparities in diabetes and depression that are related to the health of low-income African Americans and Latinos;

2) Build our research capacity and provide formal training in academic and community based settings for researchers at Drew University/ UCLA/RAND;

3) Increase the participation of medically underserved minorities in evidence based health promotion and disease research;

4) Disseminate results of relevant efficacy studies and health information in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner to this target population, community based health care providers, the broader academic community and health policy makers.

METHODS: The Project EXPORT Center utilizes a series of seminars, independent meetings, announcements (e.g. research pilot projects applications) and related mechanisms to enhance the visibility of EXPORT on each campus. The Drew/UCLA EXPORT center has developed and scheduled a grant writing seminar that will focus on providing junior faculty and community based organizations many of the basic foundations for success. EXPORT will remain as an ongoing community resource to assist each with the identification and submission of appropriate grants. This is viewed as a critical component of developing the community based and future academic infrastructure toward reducing health disparities. The Research and Community cores meet weekly with community partners in developing their extensive backbone for future projects including performing the initial phases of the research project and designing collaborative programs.

FINDINGS / RESULTS: Export Center highlights include: 1) tremendous leveraging to increase health disparities funding and enhance our infrastructure; 2) the creation of an effective academic based participatory process for community research that evaluates not only the project outcomes but the project processes to maximize the portability of highly effective programs; 3) the establishment of two methodology cores that provide state-of the-art methods for developing and evaluating health-related survey instruments intended for research in minority population, the use of geographic information systems to address community health issues, classic biostatistical methods for creating appropriate research design and performing rigorous evaluations of results, and innovative modeling to integrate these into public health strategies; 4) the training of promising minority junior faculty dedicated to academic careers with a passion and mission for addressing health disparities.

STATUS: The successful development of the first phase of an innovative cost effective, culturally appropriate and self empowering research project that addresses patients at-risk for diabetes at a community level for both Hispanics and African Americans.

IMPACT: The Drew/UCLA/RAND Project Export brings important strengths to the field of health disparities research. The center is established in Los Angeles County, one of the most culturally diverse counties in the United States, and one with major concentrations of disadvantaged minority groups. Los Angeles is characterized by a diversity of low socioeconomic communities of Latinos and African Americans who suffer from alarmingly high rates of morbidity and mortality. The area of south central Los Angeles, where Drew is located, and other surrounding areas is characterized by some of the lowest educational attainment, family income and insurance coverage rates in the entire country. Reports from the Los Angeles County Health Department have demonstrated the need for Project Export to address the dramatic health/education disparities among the Latino and African American communities in comparison to the rest of the county.