{"id":2910,"date":"2026-01-27T17:33:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T17:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/team-research\/?post_type=projects&p=2910"},"modified":"2026-01-28T15:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:36:58","slug":"citizen-science-for-holistic-health-in-georgia","status":"publish","type":"projects","link":"https:\/\/research.uga.edu\/team-research\/projects\/citizen-science-for-holistic-health-in-georgia\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizen Science for Holistic Health in Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row disable_element=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1596458870957{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1579011887505{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1579011932922{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research Pre-Seed Program<\/a><\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row bg_type=”bg_color” css=”.vc_custom_1642004953070{margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}” bg_color_value=”#004e60″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1578671862861{background-color: #004e60 !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1763405451749{margin-left: 10px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Citizen Science for Holistic Health in Georgia
\n<\/span><\/h3>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1642018498769{margin-right: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”2911″ img_size=”406×271″ alignment=”right” css=”.vc_custom_1769536792798{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-right-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;background-color: #004e60 !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1595855041843{margin-top: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text css=””]Currently, many rural residents of Georgia are struggling to meet the health and financial needs of their families. They often travel long distances for basic medical services, and many counties lack hospitals or specialty providers, making preventive care and treatment harder to obtain. People in rural communities, especially in the Southeast and in Georgia, also face increased risk of chronic illness, mental health stressors, insurance gaps, and weak economic infrastructures,\u00a0ultimately negatively\u00a0affecting quality of life, leading to premature mortality. Our interdisciplinary team\u00a0comprises\u00a07 faculty members from 6 academic\u00a0units\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0University\u00a0of\u00a0Georgia:\u00a0Human\u00a0Development\u00a0and\u00a0Family\u00a0Science,\u00a0Epidemiology\u00a0and Biostatistics,\u00a0Anthropology, Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, Communication Studies, and the Ralston Institute for Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Together, we bring a diverse and complementary set of\u00a0expertise\u00a0in mixed-method approaches, community-based participatory research, and preventative and intervention science. This collective strength positions us to address complex challenges through rigorous, inclusive, and contextually grounded inquiry. We are\u00a0deeply committed to reciprocal learning with families and community leaders, recognizing them as experts in the lived realities of their environments. Our research approach centers on familial and community contexts, with a particular emphasis on elevating voices that are often marginalized or excluded. To achieve this, we will engage women, who are often the primary health navigators for their families, and implement a\u00a0<\/span>citizen science\u00a0<\/span><\/i>framework that empowers community members to actively participate\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0research\u00a0process\u2014ensuring\u00a0that\u00a0our\u00a0work\u00a0remains\u00a0responsive\u00a0to\u00a0local\u00a0knowledge, needs, and reflective of community priorities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If awarded the Teaming (TIR) Pre-Seed Program\u00a0Award, we will\u00a0utilize\u00a0the funding to support the following\u00a0foundational\u00a0activities:\u00a01)\u00a0<\/span>Strategic\u00a0Collaboration<\/span>:\u00a0Further\u00a0identify\u00a0and\u00a0align\u00a0our\u00a0individual\u00a0and collective scholarly strengths, fostering interdisciplinary work and innovation. 2)\u00a0<\/span>Framework<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Development<\/span>: Design a theoretical and methodological foundation that integrates academic rigor with community attunement, guiding our program of research; 3)\u00a0<\/span>Technology Training<\/span>: Pursue training in emerging technologies to support mobile health interventions, enhancing our capacity to serve rural populations effectively; 4)\u00a0<\/span>Targeted Engagement<\/span>: Partner with the UGA\u00a0Ralston Institute for Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities, Extension agents, and\u00a0Archway Partnership to identify rural communities as pilot sites, ensuring our efforts are grounded in local knowledge and are culturally responsive;\u00a0and\u00a05)\u00a0<\/span>Sustainable\u00a0Growth<\/span>:\u00a0Submit\u00a0a\u00a0proposal\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0Presidential\u00a0Interdisciplinary\u00a0Seed\u00a0Grant Program to scale our initiative and secure external funding for long-term sustainability.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research\u00a0Aims:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Our\u00a0specific\u00a0research\u00a0aims\u00a0to\u00a0do\u00a0the\u00a0following:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n