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Dozens of community members and EVMS faculty and staff, along with speakers and partners from other universities and federal agencies came together Tuesday, Jan. 30, for the ENRICHe+ Community-Engaged Research and Networking Meeting.

The purpose of the meeting: to deepen existing partnerships, leverage new opportunities and focus on some of the key drivers behind core community health issues, all with the goal of moving Hampton Roads toward greater health equity.

“Here at EVMS, we believe that addressing and correcting health disparities and improving health outcomes for all are among the most important challenges of our time,” said Alfred Abuhamad, MD, President, Provost and Dean of the School of Medicine, in his opening remarks.

“These are challenges that span research, education, patient care and access,” he added. “We also believe — strongly — that we cannot approach these challenges alone. We must work together with our partners and our communities.”

That idea of collaboration is “foundational to EVMS and ENRICHe+,” noted Dr. Abuhamad, also the Mason C. Andrews Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Launched in January 2023, ENRICHe+ is a collaboration among the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Institute of Nursing Research, along with partners at Norfolk State University, Hampton University and ���ϲ�����.

“The partnership seeks to increase team science related to health equity and health disparities research, diversify the biomedical research workforce and advance community-engaged research,” says Mekbib Gemeda, EdD, EVMS’ Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion.

ENRICHe+ activities include:

• Scientific networking and community engagement opportunities.
• Pilot studies to support collaborative inter-institution and community-engaged research.
• Internship opportunities for trainees at EVMS, NSU, ���ϲ����� and HU, to cultivate the region’s current and future health equity research workforce.

The Jan. 30 event was significant because it gathered key stakeholders together for a day of networking, learning and sharing, says Dr. Gemeda. The meeting included remarks from Monica Webb Hooper, PhD, Deputy Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and Courtney Ferrell Aklin, PhD, Acting Associate Deputy Director of National Institutes of Health.

The agenda included presentations on topics related to health equity, along with panel discussions and input from members of the Hampton Roads Community Collaborative, a community-led group that offers direct input on EVMS initiatives.

The day’s keynote — “An Economist’s Case for Health Equity” — was presented by Darrell Gaskins, PhD, Director of The Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, pictured above.

During his remarks, Dr. Gaskins outlined some of the challenges to achieving health equity — and urged attendees to keep working together, for the health, social and economic benefit of the communities they serve.

“We sometimes hear people say that the interventions necessary to achieve health equity are too expensive,” Dr. Gaskins said in his remarks, after discussing the burden of chronic and preventable diseases. “I would argue it’s more expensive not to try.”

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