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Community Outreach & Engagement Cores

Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers

Program Lead

Liam R. O'Fallon
Liam R. O'Fallon, M.A. (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/dert/sphb/staff/ofallon/index.cfm)
Program Analyst
Tel (919) 541-7733
Fax (919) 316-4606
ofallon@niehs.nih.gov
P.O. Box 12233
Mail Drop MD K3-12
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709
Delivery Instructions

 

Program Description

As part of the EHS Core Center Program the NIEHS has fostered community-university partnerships through the integrated Community Outreach & Engagement Cores (COEC). Each EHS Core Center has the option to establish a Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC) to build and sustain a bi-directional bridge between the EHS Core Center and its defined community. COECs communicate environmental health research findings and concepts to their partners and convey the voice of the community to researchers within the Core Center. In so doing, COEC increases community awareness of environmental health and provides researchers with the understanding of what environmental health issues are of importance or concern to the community.

 

The COECs are at the forefront of developing communication approaches between researchers and community groups, policy makers, and healthcare professionals. Activities include creation of interactive websites, educational videos, and public service announcements among a variety of print materials. COECs implement innovative and culturally appropriate outreach efforts, including community theater productions, environmental health outreach at local community markets, and model healthy homes. Educational outreach through schools has been a primary approach for many COECs. They have developed and implemented innovative curricular materials that are being used in classrooms across the United States. Many of these materials are available on the NIEHS Health and Education page. Another major strength of COECs is their ability to bring people together to address common environmental health issues. Several COECs from across the country mobilized rapidly in response to hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike that affected much of the Gulf Coast region.

 

COEC Goals and Expected Outcomes

The goals of the Community Outreach and Engagement Cores are to:

  • Develop partnerships with stakeholders to translate and disseminate EHS Core Center science.
  • Work with community-based organizations, disease advocacy groups and other local, state, or regional partners to enhance the dialogue on environmental health issues in their regions.
  • Develop and implement appropriate outreach and educational programs to increase awareness and understanding of environmental health research being conducted at the EHS Core Centers.
  • Evaluate outreach models, disseminate results at local and national levels, and promote models for national implementation.

 

COEC Target Audiences

  • Community
  • Policy-makers
  • Public Health and/or Health Care Professionals

 

COEC Cores

Those EHS Core Centers that support a COEC are listed below with links to their COEC web pages. From their COEC pages you can learn more about the focus of their work and their on-going projects.

 

InstitutionCOEC Web AddressGrant Number
Columbia University Health Scienceshttp://www.mailman.columbia.edu/academic-departments/centers/niehs/community-outreach  P30ES09089
Harvard Universityhttp://www.hsph.harvard.edu/research/niehs/community-outreach-and-education-program/  P30ES00002
Johns Hopkins Universityhttp://www.jhsph.edu/dept/ehs/research_centers/Urban_Environmental_Health/COEC.html  P30ES03819
Massachusetts Institute of Technologyhttp://cehs.mit.edu/COEC/outreachprograms.html  P30ES002109
New York University School of Medicinehttp://environmental-medicine.med.nyu.edu/niehs-center/outreach-and-education  P30ES000260
Oregon State Universityhttp://ehsc.science.oregonstate.edu/outreach  P30ES00210
University of Arizonahttp://swehsc.pharmacy.arizona.edu/outreach/  P30ES06694
University of Cincinnatihttp://www.eh.uc.edu/ceg/coep.asp  P30ES006096
University of Iowahttp://cph.uiowa.edu/ehsrc/outreach/community-outreach.html  P30ES005605
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jerseyhttp://eohsi.rutgers.edu/ceed/community_outreach_education_core  P30ES05022
University of Michigan at Ann Arborhttp://www.sph.umich.edu/niehs/outreach.html  P30ES017885
University of North Carolina Chapel Hillhttp://www.sph.unc.edu/cehs/community_outreach_and_engagement_core_16552_12651.html   P30ES10126
University of Pennsylvaniahttp://www.med.upenn.edu/ceet/community_outreach/mission_faculty.shtml  P30ES013508
University of Rochesterhttp://www2.envmed.rochester.edu/envmed/ehsc/outreach/coec/  P30ES01247
University of Southern Californiahttp://hydra.usc.edu/scehsc/index.html   P30ES07048
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centerhttp://cred.mdanderson.org/community   P30ES07784
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galvestonhttp://www.utmb.edu/cet/outreach/default.asp  P30ES006676
University of Washingtonhttp://depts.washington.edu/ceeh/community_ceeh.html  P30ES07033
University of Wisconsin Milwaukeehttp://www4.uwm.edu/cehsc/community/   P30ES04184
Vanderbilt Universityhttps://my.vanderbilt.edu/toxicology/coec/about-the-coec/  P30ES000267

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