● Design Justice Talk - Dr. Sasha Costanza-Chock - 08.05.21

● NUCATS Pilot Program - Four Funding Opportunities: ExtendedDeadline: 08.13.21

● ARCC Resource

● July Resources and Opportunities

● Request CCH

The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study has received new funding from the National Hearth, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) to expand the cohort’s diversity and continue investigating cardiovascular disease disparities in South Asian Americans. These grants will be used to better characterize differences in cardiovascular health between Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani Americans and to better understand heart failure in the cohort.

The MASALA Study, co-led by Center for Community Health (CCH) Co-Director Namratha Kandula, MD, is the first longitudinal cohort study in South Asians. The original study found that South Asians have significantly higher prevalence of diabetes and metabolic abnormalities at lower body mass indexes compared to other race/ethnic groups. South Asians were also found to have higher fat deposits around vital organs and in the muscles, which may also contribute to increased cardiovascular risk.

Click here to read more about the MASALA Study.

A project led by Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC) Partnership Development Seed Grantees Dinee Simpson, MD and Melvin Thompson of ⁦‪Endeleo Institute‬⁩ aims to mitigate food deserts as well as improve outcomes for patients with kidney disease in predominantly Black communities in Chicago.

The project is a partnership between Northwestern Medicine’s African American Transplant Access Program (AATAP), NUGoKidney, and the Endeleo Institute, a non-profit member organization of the Trinity United Church of Christ focused on creating a culture of health in Chicago’s South Side neighborhood of Washington Heights.

The project will expand on the Endeleo Institute’s recent establishment of a food pantry in Washington Heights by adding healthy food access and nutrition programming, support groups and educational resources to help guide community members in making better food choices that can help improve disease, with a specific focus on kidney disease. The team will also develop an action plan for food justice advocacy in the neighborhood.

Read more about the project here.

Announcing the One Book One Northwestern 2021-2022 Selection: “The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change And Where to Go From Here” by Hope Jahren.

Learn more here. ARCC Co-Director Jen Brown serves on the One Book Steering Committee.

Climate change and climate justice have a huge impact on the health of communities most impacted by inequities in Chicagoland and globally. ARCC, CCH, and One Book One Northwestern are looking forward to collaborating with community partners to support events, discussions, and impact on this crucial health and equity issue. Please reach out to CCH@northwestern.edu if you have ideas or interest in collaboration.