Dear RADx-UP partners,

Several RADx-UP projects and teams are presenting and receiving awards at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo taking place in Boston Nov. 6–9.

Find a list of presenters on RADx-UP.org and thanks in advance to these individuals and groups for sharing their research and representing the mission of RADx-UP.

A special shout out to Dr. Flavio Marsiglia of Arizona State University. He will receive the Helen Rodriguez-Trias Social Justice Award, which is given to a person who has worked toward social justice for underserved and disadvantaged populations. Dr. Marsiglia is the principal investigator of the RADx-UP project Eliminating COVID-19 Disparities in Partnership with Underserved/Vulnerable Transnational Communities of Arizona and founder of the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center. His work addresses health disparities and youth substance use prevention in Arizona communities and across the Southwest.

Please let your EIT know if we’re missing anything on our APHA list, and please do share any other public presentations that you may be giving in the weeks and months ahead.

The next Community Connections meeting for community partners will be Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. ET and will feature Florence Siman, director of programs at El Pueblo (a RADx-UP Community Collaboration Grant project). She will talk about lessons learned working with community health workers, or promotoras, throughout the pandemic. To receive the meeting invitation, please email Alex James at alexandria.james@duke.edu.

Complete the Tracking & Evaluation Project Feedback Survey

The RADx-UP CDCC Tracking and Evaluation team requests that project teams and community and academic partners complete the Project Feedback Survey (PFS) by Nov. 21. This survey assesses your use of and satisfaction with the CDCC’s support services. Your feedback is integral to the continuous improvement of the CDCC. Your responses will be confidential, de-identified, and aggregated by project roles and phases within evaluation reports. The survey will take 25 minutes maximum to complete. Find the survey here. (Contact Adriana Parker at adriana_parker@med.unc.edu with any questions about the survey.)

Your feedback needed: Equity Evidence Academy

The CDCC is seeking volunteers to participate in qualitative interviews regarding this year's Equity Evidence Academy (EA3) that took place in September. We invite you to share more about your experiences during EA3 by participating in a one-hour virtual interview. The interview will take place within the next two months and participants will be compensated $50 for your time. If you are interested, please schedule a time that is convenient for you.

The recordings of all meetings in the Partnering for Impact Workshop Series are available on the Meeting Materials page of myRADx-UPhome as well as on Warpwire. View these videos for information and advice on the publications process from the first concept to final review, and use these videos to help in your submission process.

Seeking volunteers for Publications & Dissemination Committee

The CDCC is seeking volunteers to serve on the RADx-UP Publications & Dissemination Committee, which is responsible for overseeing RADx-UP cross-consortial research dissemination via presentations and publications in a process that stresses collaboration while respecting the preferences and requirements of the communities served by the program.

The expected time commitment for this committee is approximately three hours per month (one hour to attend a monthly meeting and two hours for materials review). Members will be compensated up to $1,000 per year for their participation. Academic partners, investigators (principal investigators, co-investigators), and community partners are all eligible and encouraged to volunteer. If you are interested in serving, please complete this online form by end of day Nov. 23.

Health Equity Framework for Community-Based COVID-19 Testing levers and foundational components video compilation

The RADx-UP policy framework for community-based COVID-19 testing addresses common barriers to equitable COVID-19 testing. A policy lever is a tool or approach which focuses on a certain category of policies or practices and is the starting point for analyzing proposed policy changes or interventions.

View and share this video featuring the five policy levers: access, resource allocation, data, communications & messaging, and payment, as well as the foundational components of community engagement, cross-sector partnerships, and regulatory guidance. Visit the Health Equity webpage to access videos by topic.

Five new RADx-UP articles shared on American Journal of Public Health First Look

The American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) posts the uncorrected second proofs of certain articles to the First Look section so that research is made available as soon as possible. AJPH shared five new RADx-UP articles about COVID-19 testing in underserved groups. Check them out!

RADx-UP Research Brief 

Experiences of Black and Latinx health care workers in support roles during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study



The findings of this study highlight the critical need for employers to provide targeted programs that provide support, promote healing, reduce burnout, and enhance retention. Health systems need to improve work conditions for those in health care support roles, ensure their well-being, and support their critical roles in communities during this pandemic and future public health emergencies. View the Research Brief in English and Spanish.

Exploring RADx-UP publications data

The Tracking & Evaluation Team will be hosting a workshop to demonstrate the recently expanded RADx-UP Publications Dashboard and will explain how projects can use publications data. Any/all project staff and community partners, as well as the CDCC are invited. The workshop will take place on Nov. 10 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. Register here.

K-12 COVID-19 Response Symposium: Partnering at the Intersection of Equity, Education, and Health

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is hosting a two-day symposium on COVID-19 response in K-12 schools in Chicago Nov. 15 and 16. The symposium will also be streamed live for those who can’t attend in person. The event will connect state, local, tribal, and territorial public health and education leaders, researchers, and federal government partners with colleagues from across the country to reflect on our pandemic response successes, lessons learned, and what we can do to prepare for future public health crises. Register here.

NIH ComPASS funding opportunities for community partners

See – and share – the NIH program Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) upcoming funding opportunities for community organizations, projects, and institutions studying health disparities and promoting health equity. 

NIH is soliciting applications specifically from community organizations in support of the goals of the ComPASS Program’s Community-Led, Health Equity Structural Interventions (CHESIs) Initiative under OTA-22-007. Letters of intent from community leaders/projects are due Nov. 18.

New resources added to RADx-UP.org  

New resources for RADx-UP projects and community partners have been posted to the RADx-UP.org Resource Library. Check them out!

• Mary Cariola Radio Center Show: Principal investigator, Dr. John Foxe, and study coordinator, Emily Wagner, were featured on The Mary Cariola Center Radio Show (WYSL Radio 1040 AM, 92.1 FM) on April 21.

2022 Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Natural History Museum in London recently announced the winners of its annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The Adult Grand Title Winner is “The big buzz” by Karine Aigner (shown below). Submissions to the competition from 2022 and previous years can be found here. Explore the gallery to see more breathtaking wildlife photos and the stories behind them!