Tuskegee University News October 31, 2016 Tuskegee University receives $300,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has awarded Tuskegee University a $300,000 grant for the examination of ethical and other considerations for a Culture of Health in the Deep South of the United States. Historically, the health status in the Deep South has been measurably poorer compared to other parts of the country. The Deep South is a descriptive category of the geographic sub-region in the United States and is also referred to as the Lower South or Cotton states where Black slaves made cotton King. An ethical consideration is needed because of the historical unethical behavior in research and health care delivery especially in the Deep South. In particular, the African American population in the Deep South has been impacted by non-nutritive meals and harsh physical socio-economic environments dating back to slavery in the United States. Brian Johnson, PhD, president of Tuskegee University expressed his gratitude for this research opportunity, "I am thankful for the generosity of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the support in considering Tuskegee University an essential partner in improving health and well-being for everyone living in the southern part of the United States. We are especially grateful that the foundation has become a part of a growing list of renewed foundation support the University has received in the past two years," Johnson said. RWJF is committed to helping everyone in the U.S. have an equal opportunity to live the healthiest life possible. "If we're going to build help communities and individuals thrive, we have to understand the ways history still affects us all today," said Dwayne Proctor, senior adviser to the president and director, of RWJF's Health Equity Portfolio. "With this grant, we hope to learn more about what it will take to build a Culture of Health in the Deep South and beyond." This grant will fund the work of the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Healthcare in its examination, writing and hosting of a national conference and exploration around the issues of culture, ethics, and health. Out of the conference, it is expected that new thought, new research, new education, community engagement and a Plan of Action will evolve. The National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care at Tuskegee University is the only U.S. Presidential mandated Bioethics Center in the United States. "Thanks to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care at Tuskegee University has an extraordinary opportunity to examine how health is perceived and actualized by different cultural groups in the Deep South and how these perceptions have created public health ethics challenges for underserved populations and those entitles responsible for maintaining the health and health care for all the people living in Deep South states. Using the RWJF Culture of Health Vision, we will examine opportunities to achieve health equity, well-being and optimal health for all people living in an increasingly diverse southern portion of the United States", said Rueben C. Warren, DDS, MPH, DrPH, MDiv, professor and director of the National Center Bioethics in Research and Health. 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/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/