This is a list of the current and past awardees from the REACH Equity Career Development Awards program. If you are interested in applying for the program, please visit this page to learn more about this opportunity, the application requirements, and more. The Career Development Awards are intended to provide career development support to early-stage investigators proposing rigorous research to develop or test interventions which address the Duke Center for Research to Advance Healthcare Equity Theme.
This program is led by REACH Equity’s Investigator Development Core (IDC), please visit their page here for more information about IDC.
Cohort 2: 2019-2021
- Larry Jackson II, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine, Adult Cardiac Electrophysiology
Project Title: Decision Support Tools in Reducing Racial Disparities in Oral Anticoagulation use in Atrial Fibrillation
Dr. Jackson’s overall research aim is to apply the principles of shared decision-making to enhance patient-centered care and ultimately reduce disparities in the treatment of atrial fibrillation in racial and ethnic minorities. His REACH Equity Center project will determine patient (African American and white) and provider factors associated with acceptance or refusal of oral anticoagulants (OAC) for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and develop an evidence-based decision support tool to reduce racial disparities in OAC use.
- Melissa Kay, PhD, Research Scholar (as of 7/1/19), Duke Global Health Institute
Project Title: Feasibility of Delivering a Digital Intervention to Increase Diet Quality among WIC Recipients
Dr. Kay’s overall research aim is to reduce disparities in obesity by implementing obesity prevention interventions in vulnerable populations using digital technology. Her REACH Equity project will test a digital intervention to improve maternal diet quality to ultimately influence child diet and decrease early life obesity risk.
- Tolu Oyesanya, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Project Title: Reducing Disparities in the Transition from Hospital to Home for Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Their Families
Dr. Oyesanya’s overall research aim is to improve functional status, health, and well-being of patients with TBI discharged home from acute care and their family members for optimal recovery. Her REACH Equity project will develop and refine a TBI transitional care intervention that addresses racial/ethnic needs and preferences for Black, Latino, and White patients.
- Tiarney Ritchwood, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
Project Title: A Clinic-Based, Digital Health Intervention to Retain Adolescents in HIV care
Dr. Ritchwood’s overall research aim is to develop scalable and sustainable socio-structural interventions that improve outcomes among adolescents living with HIV (ALWH). Her REACH Equity project will develop a network-based, social support intervention to increase ALWH retention in HIV care and improve treatment adherence, and design a platform connecting ALWH with each other, providers, and social services.
Cohort 1: 2018-2020
- Isaretta Riley, MD, Medical Instructor, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Riley’s overall research goal is to develop clinical interventions to improve the health outcomes of adult African-Americans with asthma. Her REACH Equity project will refine and study a novel, patient-centered approach to remediate barriers to adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS).
Project Title: AdheRence to Inhaled Corticosteroids in Asthma (ARICA)
- Kai Sun, MD, Medical Instructor, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology & Immunology. Dr. Sun’s overall research aim is to understand and address key barriers to medication non-adherence in minorities with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Her REACH Equity study will develop and pilot-test a multi-level intervention directed at lupus providers, clinic staff, and patients to improve patient-provider communication and patient self-efficacy.
Project Title: Reducing Disparities in Medication Adherence of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Sarahn Wheeler, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Dr. Wheeler’s overall research aim is to eliminate racial disparities in preterm birth delivery (PTB), the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity resulting in life-long medical complications such as blindness, chronic lung disease and intellectual disabilities. Her REACH Equity project will develop and test a clinic-based intervention to operationalize patient-perceptions and insights into a delivery intervention that promotes uptake and adherence to an individualized prematurity prevention program (IP3) by non-Hispanic Black women who are at the highest risk for PTB.
Project Title: IMPaCT IP3: IMProving the Clinical encounter To reduce disparities: Individualized Prematurity Prevention Plan (IP3)
- Charles Wood, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Wood’s overall research aim is to address racial and ethnic disparities in childhood obesity. His REACH Equity project will develop and pilot-test a feeding intervention in early infancy to prevent rapid weight gain in Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black babies.
Project Title: Preventing Disparities in Obesity through Early Infancy Risk