Chronic Diseases

• Evaluate the impact of a selected local, state, tribal, federal, or organizational policy aimed at reducing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.
• Use of GIS mapping and public health data to examine the correlation between neighborhood-level social determinants of health (e.g., housing quality, income) and the prevalence of chronic conditions such as childhood asthma, informing community-based prevention strategies.
• Testing a community health worker led blood pressure control program that combines coaching, home BP monitoring, and SMS reminders among uninsured adults to evaluate feasibility, adherence, and improvements in hypertension control.

AI-Driven Health Applications

• Developing and testing an AI-based risk assessment tool to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s disease
• Applying AI-driven image recognition to analyze household food environments via participant-submitted photos to predict dietary quality and identify household food insecurity risk.
• Using machine learning to analyze data from wearable devices (e.g., heart rate, sleep patterns, activity levels) to predict the onset or exacerbation of conditions such as asthma or COPD.

Replication and Reproducibility

• Replicating behavioral intervention studies targeting lifestyle modification for diabetes or hypertension prevention to test consistency in effectiveness across new clinical or community settings.
• Reproducing AI-based diagnostic algorithms for detecting chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease) using open-source or national datasets to evaluate reproducibility of model accuracy.
• Reproducing studies on social isolation and cognitive health to assess consistency of findings using alternate data sources or measurement tools.

Environmental Risk and Resilience

• Studies that provide evidence-based recommendations for policies and regulations that mitigate the adverse effects of environmental stressors such as heat, crowding, and air quality in lower resource communities.
• A study correlating satellite data on urban heat intensity with emergency room visits for respiratory distress, particularly in vulnerable populations, to inform city-level climate adaptation strategies.
• An analysis of local water utility data and chronic disease registry information to identify potential links between specific chemical contaminants and the development of chronic illnesses such as diabetes.
• Evaluating the impact of a heat-safety toolkit—including cooling kits, structured breaks, and text-based alerts—on outdoor workers in South Florida to determine reductions in heat strain and feasibility of adoption by employers.

Solution-Focused Health Disparities

• Implement community-led structural interventions addressing food insecurity and ultimately assess the impact of these interventions on health outcomes. Interventions include assisting eligible patients in applying for state and federal programs, linkages to food insecurity resources such as food banks/pantries located proximal to areas of greatest need (including within the FQHCs) and developing systems to address transportation barriers.
• Testing the effectiveness of bilingual digital health literacy workshops for older adults in reducing disparities in patient portal use and improving chronic disease self-management

Health Economics

• An economic evaluation comparing the healthcare costs and patient outcomes of traditional in-person care versus telehealth-based interventions for the management of chronic conditions such as diabetes or obesity.
• Comparing the healthcare costs and quality of life outcomes of patients with chronic pain who receive integrative treatments (e.g., acupuncture, yoga) versus standard care.
• Estimating the economic burden of delayed cancer screening due to lack of insurance among underserved populations using linked claims and health outcome data.
• Quantifying the return on investment of a community-based nutrition education and healthy food access program by modeling its effects on healthcare utilization and costs related to chronic disease.

Health Over the Life-Course

• Examine the multifaceted relationship between education and health outcomes throughout the various stages of life.
• Community level screening of cognitive decline in lower resourced communities and populations historically underrepresented in research.
• Using survey data and biological markers to investigate the relationship between social support networks and quality of life in older adults with one or more chronic conditions.
• Implementing a neighborhood-based diabetes prevention program led by community health workers to assess feasibility, acceptability, and impact on lifestyle behaviors in high-risk communities.