Congratulations to the 2010-2011 Cal PREPARE Pilot Projects Awarded for Public Health Systems & Services Research
Cal PREPARE is pleased to announce the 2010-2011 Pilot Projects Awards for Public Health Systems & Services Research. The purpose of the pilot projec program is to establish a resource for new investigators, established investigators and doctoral students to embark on a new area of research. The program provides an opportunity to build capacity, develop competency, and collaboration in different public health networks.
Emergency Preparedness Communication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Investigator: Alina Engleman, MPH, DrPH(c)
Email: alina.engelman@gmail.com
Executive Summary
Despite advocacy on a grassroots level, there is a paucity of research on preparedness and emergency communications in, for and by the deaf community. The goal of this research project is to improve the ability of first responders to work effectively with this population, with the aim of improving the capacity of deaf and ha rd-of-hearing (Deaf/HH) people and their ability to prepare for and respond to not only large-scale public health disasters but smaller-scale emergencies on an individual level. This research is situated in light of HRA's current research on CBO capacity to deal with emergencies as well as the content analysis of state EOPs (Emergency Operations Plan) along with KI interviews of state officials for all fifty states and the territories to determine capacity on an institutional and governmental level to respond to the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing people during emergencies.
Learn more about the Emergency Preparedness Communication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Project.
Classifying Local Health Department Functions during Emergency Responses and Urgent Events
Investigator: Jennifer Hunter, MPH, DrPH(c)
Email: jhunter@berkeley.edu
Executive Summary
As part of their central mission, Local Health Departments (LHDs) regularly attend to a wide variety of disease and health threats, including those that require routine, urgent, or emergency responses. The proposed research aims to leverage the experiences of LHDs around the nation in an effort to begin describing the frequency of non-routine public health responses in recent history, the characteristics of the precipitating events, and the activities performed by LHDs during the response. Additionally, this research seeks to classify these non-routine events based on common response characteristics, including: (1) the activities performed and the functions filled by the LHD, (2) the role of the LHD in the overall response (i.e. central vs. supporting role), and (3) the composition of other responding agencies and organizations.
Translating Research into Action: Promoting a Culture of Preparedness and Response through Interorganizational Relationships and Effective Communication with Community-based Organizations Serving the Homeless in Alameda County
Investigator: Donata Nilsen, MPH, DrPH (c)
Email: dnilsen@berkeley.edu
Executive Summary
Research translation is a critical component and extension of research that is often not emphasized in the research process. With multiple models to draw from, this project examines various steps and stages of the research translation continuum to apply to new knowledge and research results from the pilot project Building, Enhancing and Leveraging Interorganizational Relationships for Disaster Preparedness and Response: A study of Community-based Organizations Serving Vulnerable Populations; a Focus on the Homeless. Translation of knowledge into desired outcomes beneficial to the target population is a multi-step process with several important components of research translation that need to be employed; primarily acceptance of research results and later adoption of appropriate next steps in the target population. Confronting translation issues early on in the research process is imperative, particularly when engaging community organizations; a broad range of stakeholders need to be engaged. Guidance of studies on research translation, and barriers related to translation will be considered and incorporated as applicable. The project aims support the translation of knowledge on the translational continuum to include transfer, uptake, exchange and translation of research knowledge.
For more information about the individual Pilot Projects, click here for the executive summaies and specific aims.