On September 12, 2024, C3EN held its third annual meeting at the Study at the University of Chicago, convening researchers and community-based organizations for a day of talks, posters, and networking. The day began with gatherings for C3EN Pilot and Joyce Chapman Community Grant Awardees and the Community Stakeholder Advisory Council. Melissa Sherwin, Director of Provost Communications at the University of Chicago, gave a presentation emphasizing the need for investigators to develop plans to disseminate their research to the public. Examples of brand-specific videos were shared.
A breakout session for the CSAC included networking and a game led by C3EN Community-Based Research Network Program Manager Christie Edwards to develop relationships among C3EN’s partners.
A lively poster session sparked dialogues between early stage investigators and community-based organizations on research topics including advanced care planning, violence prevention, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, back pain, syphilis, and more. CSAC members selected Rachel Boutté and Dan Schober to receive Community Choice Awards for their posters. Also praised for their culturally tailored projects were posters by Teresa Moro, Chuka Emezue, and Amanda Mathew.
After lunch, C3EN codirector Elbert Huang began his State of the Center presentation by reiterating the life expectancy gap between Black and white residents of Chicago, as well as the geographic distribution of health disparities. Using a graphic illustrating potential trajectories of aging, he discussed C3EN’s current research projects VIDA, which addresses diabetes, ARCH and PORTAL-PTSD, which focus on mental health, and KIM and EngAGE, which aim to improve physical function in older adults. Each project has been developed in partnership with at least one community-based organization, and all are actively recruiting participants.
To nurture Chicago-area early stage investigators of health equity, C3EN has awarded 25 Pilot Awards and 10 Joyce Chapman Community Grants. 84% of Pilot projects address themes identified at C3EN town halls: chronic disease, immigrant access, and violence prevention. Pilot Awardees Kirsten Dickins, Elizabeth Tung and Anna Volerman, and Li-Ting Longcoy have now received their first NIH grants, and Chuka Emezue was a 2024 NIMHD Scholar.
Goals for the next year include providing research support and expertise to facilitate chronic condition health disparities research, attracting and supporting early stage investigators of health disparities, and funding 6-7 new Pilot projects.
An update on community engagement cited the second round of seven Town Halls, including three virtual, attended by 287 people. During these town halls, C3EN reported on the priorities identified during the first round of town halls, and experts, including Pilot Awardees, presented on subjects including mental health, gun violence, and access to healthcare for immigrants. A convening in June brought researchers and community-based organizations into dialogue on mental health. View the slides from the presentation HERE.
Misty Drake, Executive Director of Wellness West, gave the presentation, “Wellness West: Addressing Health Disparities on Chicago’s West Side,” on the history of the organization, a coalition of healthcare and social service providers on Chicago’s west side with a mission of creating continuity of care among hospitals, outpatient care, the social service network, and community residents begun after Illinois policymakers launched an initiative to transform health equity in 2020. One of fifteen partnerships throughout the state, Wellness West specifically addresses the gap in life expectancy within the city of Chicago, where a person born in the Loop lives to 82, whereas one born on the west side lives only to 70. “These disparities reinforce that where you live, work, and play can influence how long you live,” she noted. Serving an area that includes about 200,000 residents, Wellness West screens for social determinants of health, refers to primary care, and integrates care across health systems–all of which has created many jobs within the community. Care coordination is embedded in primary care, and all parts of the system work under a framework committed to values of equity, advocacy, and partnership. The outcomes of these partnerships demonstrate significant gains in the control of hypertension, diabetes, and mental health, as well as improvements in SDOH. View the slides from Drake’s presentation HERE. 
Tiffany Ford, Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences at UIC, then gave a rousing presentation, “One Bite at a Time: Intervening to Improve Well-Being in Chicagoland,” in which she compared the transformation of health equity in Chicago to “eating an elephant,” advising that a task that may seem insurmountable must be done slowly and steadily by a committed team, per the quotation, “There’s only one way to eat an elephant: one bite at a time.” 
A panel discussion, “Co-Conspirators for Health Equity,” featured a discussion by Steve Epting, Pastor of Hope Community Church and co-director of Alive Faith Network, Cecile DeMello, Executive Director of Teamwork Englewood, and Carlos Nelson, CEO of Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation, moderated by C3EN co-directors Huang and Elizabeth Lynch.
In a survey following the meeting, one attendee commented, “The whole meeting was EXCELLENT! I found every component necessary and informative. The atmosphere was welcoming and every part, every participant was validated with presentation representation. I felt true community in the work of advancing health equity. One of the standout pieces for me was a handout describing all pending research projects.The meeting presented a lot of valuable information, so the handouts of the annual report, the pilot projects are most helpful as takeaways. Also, THANK YOU FOR EMPHASIZING THE COMMUNITY LENS. I felt the presentations and language used throughout was friendly for the layperson. Thank you. I am grateful to be a part of this Network.”
Read the C3EN 2023-24 Annual Report here.
Photos by LaMorris Hampton
