Current Projects / Research Studies
CATALYST – Community Activation to TrAnsform Local sYSTems
In partnership with community-based organizations in Orange County, this qualitative research project focuses on understanding the roles of Community Health Workers (CHWs), promotores, and health navigators in supporting low-income and minority communities, specifically Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and African, Black, Caribbean communities during COVID-19. Employing a community-based participatory research approach, the project has three distinct aims:
- Aim 1 – To examine from the perspective of community health workers and community members the facilitators, barriers, and processes of change of delivering COVID-19 response and chronic disease management education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Aim 2 – To assess the systemic factors that enhance inequities in COVID-19 transmission, testing, cases, morbidity, mortality, and social and economic outcomes in Orange County areas with the highest social vulnerability to COVID-19.
- Aim 3 – To analyze how advocacy efforts implemented by CHWs and community-based organizations shape changes in the COVID-19 response.
For more information, please view the CATALYST Study Information Sheet video in either English or Español.
Read our protocol here!
CPR3: CATALYST – Mental Health
- Funded by UC San Francisco’s Collaborative for Pandemic Recovery and Preparedness Research (CPR3), this project, titled “Promoting Mental Health Equity in Orange County, CA,” conducts a secondary analysis of CATALYST data to explore mental health issues. It follows up with visioning workshops with CHWs to delve deeper into the mental health effects of COVID-19, guided by insights from the CATALYST analysis.
CHILD SCREEN & CARE – Childhood Lead Exposure and Developmental Support for SCREENing CommunicAtion, and ResourcE Navigation from Provider and Caregiver Perspectives
- This project centers on examining clinical interactions within families regarding lead exposure, encompassing discussions, testing procedures, result communication, and subsequent strategic actions. It aims to comprehensively understand the processes involved in addressing lead exposure, including health promotion initiatives and mitigation strategies. By focusing on these aspects, the project seeks to improve interventions aimed at reducing lead exposure and its associated health risks.
I-CLEAN – Inequities in Childhood Lead Exposures and Academic and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
The Inequities in Childhood Life-Course Lead Exposure and Academic and Neurobehavioral Outcomes (I-CLEAN) Study was developed by public health researchers at UC Irvine, Getting Residents Engaged in Exercise and Nutrition – Madison Park Neighborhood Association (GREEN-MPNA), and Orange County Environmental Justice (OCEJ) to understand the impact of low-level lead exposure on children’s academic performance and neurobehavioral outcomes in the city of Santa Ana in response to resident concerns about lead in the soil.
For more information, please view the I-CLEAN website.
Student Projects: Click here to browse student presentations.