Investigator Development – Forge AHEAD Center

Mugavero named lead of Forge AHEAD Center Investigator Development Core

Michael Mugavero, M.D., MHSc, professor in the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases, has been named lead of the Forge AHEAD Center (FAC) Investigator Development Core, which became effective Dec. 1, 2023.

The FAC Investigator Development Core is dedicated to preparing and mentoring investigators as they develop innovative health equity research with a precision public health approach, such as translational community and clinical programs.

Mugavero brings a wide range of research-related leadership experiences to the role, such as currently serving as director for the Center for Outcomes Effectiveness Research and Education (COERE) at UAB Heersink School of Medicine, co-director of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Center for AIDS Research, associate director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, and PI of an AHRQ T32 training grant in health services and outcomes research.

“I am excited to join a dynamic team of deeply committed faculty and staff from across our partner institutions in the Investigator Development Core, and to engage with current and future Forge AHEAD Scholars to support their pilot projects, professional development, and successful advancement on the next steps of their career journeys,” Mugavero says.

“Our first cohort of Scholars will wrap up their pilot projects in Summer 2024 – an early priority for me will be to learn more about them and their projects and how we can continue to support them after their pilot grant funding ends,” Mugavero says. He explains that FAC is committed to and invested in Scholars for the long-term, not just while they are funded.

Early this year, the Investigator Development Core will gear up to onboard the next cohort of FAC Scholars.

“Simultaneously, we’ll be onboarding the next cohort of Scholars in January 2024 as they begin their pilot projects, while contemporaneously completing our review of applications for an HIV-focused supplement. So, my initial focus will be navigating transitions of Scholars in and out of the program, leaning heavily on the IDC team and their many successes and lessons learned over the years.”

When asked what it means for him personally to be part of Forge AHEAD Center’s work, he says, “The opportunity to join the Forge AHEAD Center Investigator Development Core aligns with my core values and priorities professionally. To be able to engage with early career scholars who are deeply committed to addressing intersectional health inequities in our region and play a small role in supporting their professional development and advancement, is deeply humbling, inspiring, and rewarding. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with such an incredible team.”

Forge AHEAD HIV-Focused Pilot RFA

The Forge AHEAD (Advancing Health Equity Across the Deep South) Center is pleased to announce a new HIV-focused request for applications for its Pilot and Feasibility Scholars Program. Funding for this special emphasis round is available for up to 3 pilot awards (up to $50,000 each for 1 year) focused specifically on health equity issues related to HIV and cardiometabolic disease, ranging from prevention efforts to projects involving people living with HIV. This program will provide seed support for research projects focused on stakeholder-engaged intervention development, clinical outcomes, implementation and dissemination (T3) and outcomes and effectiveness in populations (T4). Letters of intent are due October 25, 2023, and detailed instructions can be found in the RFA document. Please reach out to Dr. Trudi Horton at trudihorton@uabmc.edu if you have questions or would like additional information.

LAUNCHED is Recruiting Underrepresented Minority Scientists

Now Recruiting Underrepresented Minority Scientists: LAUNCHED

(The Louisiana Center for Advancing Underrepresented Scientists Careers in Health, Nutrition, Obesity, and Disparities Research)

The Louisiana Center for Advancing Underrepresented Scientists Careers in Health, Nutrition, Obesity, and Disparities Research (LAUNCHED) is a comprehensive program designed to provide mentorship, training, and career development opportunities for underrepresented minority (URM) scientists in nutrition, obesity, diabetes, and related research. LAUNCHED is a highly innovative training program with the long-term goal of increasing the success rate of underrepresented ethnic minority scientists competing for federal research funding in the fields of nutrition, obesity, and diabetes. Located in the Deep South, LAUNCHED is focusing on providing training to scientists in Louisiana and neighboring states. A diverse workforce is important to academic productivity. However, there are several groups of scientists, including racial and ethnic minority groups, who are currently underrepresented in academia. This underrepresentation has a direct effect on scientific research in general, but especially within health disparities research, including studies related to nutrition, obesity, and/or diabetes. The goal of LAUNCHED is to increase the success rate of URM scientists being awarded federal research funding, particularly in areas relevant to the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The LAUNCHED program is funded by the NIDDK and is a collaboration among several institutions, including Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Southern University, Louisiana State University (LSU) A&M, Xavier University of Louisiana, Tulane University, and LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO).

We are looking for early career scientists (post-doctoral fellows and early career faculty) from institutions in Louisiana and neighboring states with an interest in diabetes, nutrition, and/or obesity research from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. Applicants must have a PhD or MD equivalent degree and there is no citizenship requirement. Additional information can also be found on our website at www.launchedprogram.org. Should you have any questions at this time, please feel free to contact us at launched@pbrc.edu. We are very excited to give deserving applicants the opportunities that LAUNCHED has to offer!

Apply here today.

Forge AHEAD Center Requests Applications – 2023

Forge AHEAD (Advancing Health Equity Across the Deep South) Center is pleased to announce a new request for applications for its Pilot and Feasibility Scholars Program.

The Center is a collaboration between the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tuskegee University, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and non-academic regional partners with funding from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

The Pilot and Feasibility Scholars Program was established to prepare and mentor investigators to develop innovative health equity research to understand and address contextual factors and social determinants of health that contribute to regional health disparities in cardiometabolic disease. Funding is available for up to 10 pilot awards per year. Designated funding is also available for up to 3 additional pilot awards focused specifically on disparities in cardiometabolic disease in people living with HIV. This program will provide seed support for research projects focused on stakeholder-engaged intervention development, clinical outcomes, implementation and dissemination (T3) and outcomes and effectiveness in populations (T4). Letters of intent are due April 25, 2023, and detailed instructions can be found in the RFA document. Please reach out to Dr. Trudi Horton at trudihorton@uabmc.edu if you have questions or would like additional information.

Click here to see the projects funded in previous cohort(s).

2023 Methods Symposium

2023 Methods Symposium: Scientific Methods to Support Health Equity Research

Forge AHEAD partnered with UAB COERE to host the 2023 Methods Symposium on “Scientific Methods To Support Health Equity Research” on Thursday, January 19, 2023.

The hybrid, half-day symposium was designed to provide local and national attendees with an overview of recent developments and current projects related to scientific methods that support health equity research.

A total of 185 attended with 60 in-person including 143 from UAB and 35 from external institutions.

The symposium featured four speakers: Dione King, PhD (University of Alabama at Birmingham), Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH (NYU Grossman School of Medicine), Brita Roy, MD, MPH, MHS (NYU Grossman School of Medicine), and Patrick Sullivan, DVM, PhD (Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health). Dr. Ogedegbe, this year’s Meredith Kilgore Endowed Lecturer, presented an inspired talk that chronicled his journey to become a world-renowned physician scientist and leading expert on health disparities research.

Speakers met with attendees for a networking lunch to continue the great discussion generated from each of their talks. As part of this event, Forge AHEAD hosted a dinner with the four speakers, early-stage investigators, and Center members.

Dione King, PhD (UAB)
Incorporating Photovoice into adolescent and young adult (AYA)
social and behavioral health research
View the recorded presentation.