About Us
Chronic diseases and health disparities have impacted nearly every community in the United States. However, specific groups—especially African Americans, Hispanics/Latino(a)s, Native Americans, and immigrants—have faced these challenges more intensely. The Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against Health Disparities is a national network that includes community-engaged researchers, community-based organizations, government officials, and public health experts, and it is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Originally established to address the COVID-19 pandemic, CEAL teams now focus on tackling a broader range of health disparities in the communities most affected.
Georgia CEAL RESTORES
Georgia CEAL RESTORES is designed to prevent chronic disease development, address mental health, and advance social determinants of health (SDOH) in communities through community-based participatory research (CBPR). This approach will adapt, tailor, and implement the nationally recognized and evidence-based Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).
CEAL: Community Engagement Alliance promotes health neutrality, improves health outcomes, and strengthens community partnerships by conducting community-engaged research.
RESTORES: Reimagined Environments and Systems Together for Outcomes through Research and Evaluation for Sustainability
Our Mission
The mission of Georgia CEAL RESTORES is to lead the creation and advancement of health equity to achieve health justice, which aligns with the objectives of this project. A key component of MSM’s community engagement efforts is the Community Research Center (PRC), funded by the CDC. This center serves as MSM’s designated hub for community-based participatory research (CBPR) and community-engaged (CE) research. It is guided by community expertise to address the various factors that contribute to health inequities.
Our Goals
- Reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among parents and children.
- Support mental health in communities through Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training.
- Advancing community-level social determinants of diabetes prevention and other health issues through training, capacity building, and mobilization.
Powered By Our People
The Georgia CEAL RESTORES team, led by Tabia Henry Akintobi, PhD, MPH (Morehouse School of Medicine), includes collaborators Rakale C. Quarells, PhD (Morehouse School of Medicine), Sedessie Spivey (DeKalb Public Health), Mary Beth Weber, PhD (Emory University), and Dr. Katrina Brantley, DrPH, MPH(Morehouse School of Medicine). Their work, backed by a Community Coalition Board, focuses on relevant research and outreach for local communities.
Georgia CEAL and NIH
The Georgia CEAL initiative capitalizes on established relationships between NIH-funded researchers and local community leaders. This collaboration aims to reach underserved communities that may not be near COVID-19 clinical research or vaccination recruitment sites.