The Social Aspects of Health Initiative, or SAHI, was designed explicitly to identify and address health inequities in urban regions. Building upon a strong and growing cadre of health researchers across the university, and especially in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the College of Health and Human Services, SAHI focuses on social, institutional and environmental contexts, as well as policies and practices that contribute to equitable health care provision, health outcomes, and quality of life.
I served as SAHI’s Director August, 2019 through June, 2022. The initiative’s primary objectives included:
•Connect scholars with shared interests, ideas, and values
•Facilitate interdisciplinary research
•Utilize university expertise and resources to address community issues
•Support community partnerships and initiatives
•Secure external funding for research
•Disseminate research findings
•Guide action, including practice and policy change
Selected SAHI projects included:
•Examining needs, assessing capacity, and laying groundwork to increase Latino access to early care and education in Mecklenburg County (Gambrell Fellowship, PI: Stephanie Potochnick)
•The impact of place-based initiatives on social and economic mobility: A project of the Social Aspects of Health Initiative (SAHI) interdisciplinary team (Ignite team planning grant, PI: Ryan Kilmer)
•Landscape Study: Services and Supports in Mecklenburg County, Prenatal through Age 3: A project of the Social Aspects of Health Initiative (Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, PIs: Laura M. Armstrong and Joseph Kangmennaang)
