Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program

This interdisciplinary team intends to develop collaborative research activities related to novel methods used in social determinants of health research, with an aim to develop a proposal for external funding. With the adoption of Health in All Policies and the release of the National Prevention Strategy in 2011, social determinants of health has become an important field of research and policy considerations. Social determinants of health involves a multitude of disciplines including public health, economics, quantitative science, computer science, policy analysis, and geography. Methods of social determinants of health research include qualitative methods, multilevel modeling, agent-based modeling, machine learning, and simulation modeling. We intend to convene expertise in those fields at the University of Georgia to facilitate exchanges and collaboration across the different disciplines.

Specific goals include creating a social determinants of health listserv, developing a review on the interdisciplinary methods related to social determinants of health, establishing a journal club to facilitate exchanges and to engage faculty and students, as well as interacting with external researchers on related topics. This team pre-seed proposal seeks funding to invite a distinguished scholar (e.g., Dr. Bill Foege (former CDC director); Dr. David Satcher, Morehouse School of Medicine; Dr. David O. Meltzer, University of Chicago; Dr. Ichiro Kawachi, Harvard University; or Dr. Richard Wilkinson, University of Nottingham (retired)) to present to and network with the team, and to support team-building activities (e.g., group website development and part-time student support). The team will aim to develop grant proposals for external funding, including calls from the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and private foundations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Team Lead

Zhuo Chen
College of Public Health
zchen1@uga.edu

Team Members

Grace Bagwell-Adams
College of Public Health

Donglan Zhang
College of Public Health

Janani Thapa
College of Public Health

Lan Mu
Department of Geography

Sheng Li
Department of Computer Science

M. Mahmud Khan
College of Public Health

Jose Cordero
College of Public Health

Pamela Orpinas
College of Public Health