Featured Projects
The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased housing insecurity among marginalized and low-income communities. Dr. Qingfang Wang and team are working to define the relationship between housing insecurity and mental health and evaluate the impact of the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) programs on renters’ mental health during the pandemic. Using national databases, this project will include over 70% of California’s population. Dr. Wang’s team hopes to identify the varying impacts of place-based policy implementation and community vulnerability.
Acknowledging the connection between the rise in economic inequality and maternal and infant health disparities during the pandemic, Dr. Anu Manchikanti Gomez’s team is collaborating with the Abundant Birth Project (ABP) California (CA) to advance maternal and infant health equity for Black communities by addressing economic inequality during pregnancy and across the life course. The ABP CA provides unconditional, monthly income to pregnant and postpartum people across the state and is expanding to counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Gomez and team will use a rigorous, community-driven approach to evaluate the implementation and impact of the ABP CA Expansion on improving financial and food security, and mental wellness among Black people.
Understanding changes in vaccine hesitancy and uptake in California Black and Latinx communities
Though some studies look at the historical reasons for medical mistrust among African American populations and other barriers to accessing the vaccine, Dr. Denise Herd's study focuses on the rapid increase in acceptance of vaccines seen in Black and Latinx populations since 2020. Dr. Herd and her team are exploring the role of local leaders and organizations in responding to the crisis in Black and Latinx communities and how they communicated about COVID-19 to create model approaches for improving vaccine acceptance and future public health campaigns.
Read more about this project at Berkeley Public Health: Professor Denise Herd secures $100,000 grant to study vaccine hesitancy in Black and Latinx communities
To investigate innovative communication strategies and help promote resilience among communities, Dr. Dean Schillinger of UCSF is partnering with Youth Speaks, a community-based youth arts and empowerment organization in his CPR3-funded research. Dr. Schillinger’s project will assess the use of arts-based programs as a tool for equitable pandemic recovery and preparedness among youth of color. This project aims to enhance California’s ability to connect with marginalized communities.
One of CPR3’s funded projects that exemplifies community engagement and inclusion is Dr. Alana LeBrón’s study out of UC Irvine investigating community-based mental health promotion strategies. During the proposal evaluation process, reviewers highlighted not only the project’s technical rigor but also the clear commitment to centering communities as major strengths of Dr. LeBrón’s research plan. From offering interviews in English and Spanish, to providing childcare to participants during data collection and dissemination events, to giving community health workers a leading role in the work and financially compensating community partners, Dr. LeBron’s project is grounded in and tailored to community needs.