Translating Science into Better Health for All
University of Alabama at Birmingham Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center
Strategically located in the heart of the South, the UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center provides a critical connection between investigators and vulnerable populations. Nowhere are such health gaps more evident than in the Mid-South, home to some of America’s poorest communities. These communities lack resources as basic as a clean environment, access to grocery stores, and safe streets. Their residents are exposed to multiple daily stressors and bear the heavy burden of chronic diseases.
But the MHRC brings hope to these vulnerable populations. Using an interdisciplinary and collaborative research approach, we work to understand and address the root causes of health differences at national, regional and local levels.
Leading this effort is the Mid-South Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center. This consortium of academic institutions in six states, led by UAB MHRC, works to lift the chronic disease burden borne by African Americans through innovative research, evidence-based interventions, and community partnerships.
Closer to home is a project called Birmingham REACH for Better Health, with local agencies offering better food choices and fitness opportunities for Birmingham’s most vulnerable communities. Through REACH, thousands of our neighbors are joining us on the path to better health.
Navigating health care systems is challenging, especially for patients who might not understanding chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, or heart disease and how to manage them. For the women in Alabama’s rural Black Belt counties fighting breast cancer,
UAB’s Patient Navigators help them overcome the challenges. These community health workers know the culture and challenges of the communities they serve and are uniquely suited to build bridges between patients and health care professionals.
http://uab.edu/medicine/mhrc
