Hampton University News October 16, 2020 Dr. Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson, in Partnership with EVMS, Awarded $1.18 Million NIH Grant The National Institutes of Health's Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative has awarded a $1.18 million grant to Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson, DNP, Associate Professor with Hampton University's School of Nursing; and Andrew Plunk, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and social scientist in the Community Health and Research division of EVMS Pediatrics. The grant will fund "Addressing Low-Income Housing Resident Mistrust In COVID-19 Guidance," a study for which Dr. Plunk and Dr. McQueen-Gibson are Co-Principal Investigators. "Congratulations to Dr. Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson and Dr. Andrew Plunk for receiving this grant from the National Institutes of Health. The research being conducted will contribute greatly to innovation, and help underrepresented communities during these times when it is important for all of us to come together and support one another," said Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey. Hampton University is one of 32 institutions that received an NIH award through the RADx-UP program to support projects designed to rapidly implement COVID-19 testing strategies in populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Dr. McQueen-Gibson is excited to be part of this partnership. "I am honored and excited to be part of this exciting opportunity to address the impact of COVID-19 in underserved and vulnerable communities," Dr. McQueen-Gibson said. "Hampton University stands as one of the oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities supporting research and preparing students to become researchers to address issues impacting health disparities in communities of color. We are proud to join forces with our colleagues at EVMS in this effort to engage the community in this research." Groups disproportionately affected by the pandemic include African Americans, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Latinos/Latinas, Native Hawaiians, older adults, pregnant women and those who are homeless or incarcerated. "Our study is an expansion of the work that we're already doing with area low-income housing residents," Dr. Plunk says. "We've still been engaging with folks throughout the pandemic using tools like Zoom. Mistrust in the information they were receiving about COVID-19 emerged as an important concern and we're going to use community feedback to address that." A part of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx)<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nih.gov/research-training/medical-research-initiatives/radx__;!!Aeua5Q!FLZeSBxQvA1EA4Hjt0oy4r3LV0Nayzqb5j1w2D2ShZC1tIiQ3ma5_JnpvQ5KUkO1$> initiative, the RADx Underserved Populations (RADx-UP)<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.nih.gov/research-training/medical-research-initiatives/radx/radx-programs*radx-up__;Iw!!Aeua5Q!FLZeSBxQvA1EA4Hjt0oy4r3LV0Nayzqb5j1w2D2ShZC1tIiQ3ma5_Jnpvexezt_c$> program will support research that aims to better understand COVID-19 testing patterns among underserved and vulnerable populations; strengthen the data on disparities in infection rates, disease progression and outcomes; and develop strategies to reduce the disparities in COVID-19 testing. "It is critical that all Americans have access to rapid, accurate diagnostics for COVID-19, especially underserved and vulnerable populations who are bearing the brunt of this disease," said NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD. "The RADx-UP program will help us better understand and alleviate the barriers to testing for those most vulnerable and reduce the burden of this disease." Dr. Plunk explains that due to the COVID-19 limitations placed on research right now, technology will facilitate virtual engagement with study participants, such as using videoconferencing platforms to hold focus groups. "This project is going to be a big expansion of the virtual community engagement that we've been doing for the past several months," he says. "We'll provide devices with webcams and Internet access to people who we engage with. And since we'll already be creating new opportunities for folks to use technology, we're also going to study how telehealth can play a role in promoting increased trust in the pandemic response." SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Building Capacity for Humanities Special Collections at HBCUs - Become an ally and partner with us to protect, preserve and share a more authentic record of American history. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/humanities-2019.html for more information. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/ and click on the Donate Now button to invest in this project. Your support is appreciated. 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