Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion

CHERP’s primary research focus is improving the quality and equity of health and health care for Veteran populations with observed health disparities, including at-risk populations of Veterans defined by age, sex, race, ethnicity, rurality, sexual orientation, gender identify, disability, mental health conditions, homelessness, food insecurity, and other health-related social risks. Understanding and addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)—i.e., the economic, social, and structural factors outside the healthcare system that contribute to health inequities in the United States – is an important priority for CHERP and VA HSR&D. SDOH include access to safe housing and healthy food, reliable transportation, air and water quality, employment, and job security. SDOH also includes exposure to environmental stressors, including violence, racism, discrimination, incarceration, and social disconnectedness. CHERP is particularly interested in understanding how evolving models of care (e.g., expanded VA Community Care) impact Veteran populations at risk for poor outcomes, as well as the association of workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion with quality and equity of care for Veterans.

CHERP COMPETITIVE PILOT PROGRAM RENAMED TO HONOR Dr. EUGENE MARSH

In FY 2023, CHERP’s pilot program is being renamed in honor of Eugene Marsh, EdD, a member of CHERP’s Veterans Community Advisory Board in Philadelphia and the VA Central Institutional Review Board (CIRB), who died from complications of COVID-19 in January 2021. At the time of this death, he was a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at Rider University, who posthumously awarded Marsh his doctorate.

Brief Biography: Dr. Marsh’s life was characterized by overcoming multiple negative social determinants of health. Born in South Carolina (SC) in 1949 and raised by an illiterate foster mother, Dr. Marsh, the oldest of 13 foster children, grew up in an era of discrimination and segregation. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, he endured racism, the Ku Klux Klan, and discrimination for the color of his skin. In 1965, he became the first Black student to integrate an all-white high school in Lancaster, SC. With this experience. Dr. Marsh joined the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement for racial equality and the overturning of the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine in the South. In 1967, he enlisted in the US Army and served a tour in Vietnam as a combat soldier for which he received three distinguished medals, including the Bronze Star for valor. After returning home from Vietnam, Marsh faced serious difficulties, experiencing homelessness and multiple mental health challenges. Obtaining care at the VA for PTSD would later influence future educational and professional decisions.

With the help of a mentor, Marsh turned the corner on his downward spiral, taking a job in construction, a field he would pursue for the next 30 years. In 1998, Marsh established Construction Project Management Services, Inc., what became the largest black-owned construction management company in the US. In 2011, he spoke at the Department of Commerce in Washington DC on federal disparities in contracting for women and minority-owned business. In 2012, his firm was selected by the Department of the Interior and the Small Business Administration as the first African American-owned company to provide construction services for the “Upgrade and Renovation” of the Statue of Liberty. Meanwhile, Marsh would fulfill his lifelong dream of getting a college degree: obtaining an AS in Architectural Design in 2010, a BA in History in 2014 and an MA in Clinical Mental Health in 2014, specializing in Veteran mental health. In 2018, Marsh was awarded the prestigious H.O.N.O.R Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from Johnson and Johnson Corporation for his work as a leader and motivational speaker. Despite enduring personal hardships after his service and confronting racism throughout his life, Marsh discovered a passion in finding solutions for issues affecting Veteran communities of color. Learn more about his life and legacy in this short video titled Seasons of Life: The Biography of Dr. Eugene Marsh: https://vimeo.com/580849513
 

Information about the Dr. Eugene Marsh CHERP Pilot Program applications

The Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), a VA Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) Center of Innovation, invites VA researchers in VISN4 to apply for up to $50,000 in pilot project support during VA fiscal year 2023. The intent of this program is to support preliminary projects that will inform future, larger HSR&D applications and other Veteran-centric research or quality improvement initiatives. Support for this program is provided by VISN4 and VA HSR&D. Proposed projects must be of a reasonable size and scope to be completed within the 1-year time frame (October 1, 2022-September 30, 2023). The deadline for submission of completed applications is June 15, 2022. Funding decisions will be announced in August 2022.

FOCUSED AREAS OF INTEREST

Competitive pilot applications will align with CHERP’s primary or secondary foci, as described below. CHERP welcomes projects that address these foci within the context of COVID-19.

CHERP’s primary research focus is improving the quality and equity of health and health care for Veteran populations with observed health disparities, including at-risk populations of Veterans defined by age, sex, race, ethnicity, rurality, sexual orientation, gender identify, disability, mental health conditions, homelessness, food insecurity, and other health-related social risks. Understanding and addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)—i.e., the economic, social, and structural factors outside the healthcare system that contribute to health inequities in the United States—is an important priority for CHERP and VA HSR&D.[1] SDOH include access to safe housing and healthy food, reliable transportation, air and water quality, employment, and job security. SDOH also includes exposure to environmental stressors, including violence, racism, discrimination, incarceration, and social disconnectedness.[2] CHERP is particularly interested in understanding how evolving models of care (e.g., expanded VA Community Care) impact Veteran populations at risk for poor outcomes, as well as the association of workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion with quality and equity of care for Veterans.

CHERP’s secondary research focus is improving the quality, equity, safety, and value of clinical therapeutics, targeting the appropriate use of medications, devices, and procedures to promote optimal diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illness. CHERP embraces projects that address therapeutic adherence; de-prescribing of inappropriate therapies; use of genomics and other data to personalize therapeutics; and appropriate and equitable use of medications, devices, imaging, and procedures. CHERP is also interested in understanding the effects of receiving care outside VA through other forms of health insurance (e.g., Medicare) or VA Community Care on the use and outcomes of clinical therapeutics received by enrolled Veterans.

Questions regarding the application process, funding priorities, investigator eligibility, and collaboration with CHERP investigators, may be directed to Woodrow “Shawn” Fletcher (woodrow.fletcher@va.gov) in Philadelphia or Kelly Burkitt, PhD (kelly.burkitt@va.gov) in Pittsburgh.

[1] World Health Organization. Social Determinants of Health. https://www.who.int/social_determinants/sdh_definition/en/. Accessed 5/4/2020.

[2] Health Services Research & Development. HSR&D Targeted Solicitation for Service Directed Research on Social Determinants of Health (HX-0-023) Request for Applications. http://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/docs/HX-20-023-social-determinants.pdf. Accessed 5/4/2020.

 



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