Part I
The University of Minnesota’s Program in Health Disparities Research (PHDR) is dedicated to eliminating health inequities through research, education and community engagement. Led by Dr. Kola Okuyemi, the trans-disciplinary team drives the vision to develop, implement, and evaluate cutting-edge solutions by investing in authentic partnerships that deliver innovative, meaningful solutions.
"We are pleased with the success of our programs,” says Dr. Okuyemi, who is also the Director of the Minnesota Center for Cancer Collaborations (MC3). “We have the opportunity to be involved with programs that eliminate health inequities using the best practices of community-engaged research.”
Empowering Community Through Health Equity Driven Research
Growing up in Nigeria, Dr. Olamide Ojo-Fati became interested in global health disparities in underserved communities. As a a post-doctoral researcher with the Program in Health Disparities Research (PHDR), he’s had an opportunity to deepen his engagement on a grassroots level addressing heath priorities within under-resourced communities.
Dr. Ojo-Fati and Dr. Kola Okuyemi are working on two impactful community collaborations. The first, is a collaboration with Turning Point, Inc., a North Minneapolis-based chemical dependency treatment center to develop a best practices report on culturally-competent programming for Black men facing poverty, homelessness and mental health concerns.
The second project is a smoking-cessation program, The Power to Quit II, with a focus on heart and blood diseases caused by smoking. Both projects, funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) uncover some of the behavioral, cultural and systemic barriers to health, laying the groundwork to improve health outcomes in our communities.
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