NIH
& HRSA Programs
In
addition to the core projects supported by CREEDD, there are other NIH
and HRSA programs that work in coordination with CREEDD. Of particular
note is an NIH program to supplement research for underrepresented minorities
described below. A grant from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation has also been awarded to increase enrollment
of minority and low-income students into dental schools, increase the
number of dental schools with community-based practice sites, and expand
access to oral health care for vulnerable populations through dental
school and community partnerships.
Minority
Supplement Awards
The
CREEDD grant has been awarded three research supplements for underrepresented
minorities program. The first minority supplement is for project
#1 “Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents”.
Wanda Wright, RN, DDS, MS is the first recipient. The purpose of her
project is to develop a measure of oral health-related quality of life
for use with adolescents. It was awarded on July 16, 2003 and the award
dates are 8/1/03 – 7/31/04.
The
second supplement was awarded to Ms. Kristal Raymond, BS and MPH
candidate at Boston University School of Public Health, and is specifically
for project #2 “Decreasing Rates of Early Childhood Caries through
a Health Care Provider Intervention”. Ms. Raymond will serve as
the project’s research assistant under the tutelage of Dr. Nancy
Kressin, project #2 PI with two years of support provided. Ms. Raymond
will dedicate her time to learning research methods and assisting with
the parent research project which is based on understanding how improving
patient-doctor communication may lead to improvement in children’s
oral health. Ms. Raymond will also work with the Center PI, Dr. Garcia,
and Dr. Kressin in developing a conceptual framework for understanding
how racism impacts the oral health of America.
The
third minority supplement was awarded to Ms. Jalaima Graham, BA,
MPH, for Project #3 “The Effect of Severe Early Childhood Caries and
Comprehensive Dental Intervention on Weight of Children”. Ms.
Graham (the recipient) will be the research assistant for the project
working directly under the mentorship of Dr. Man Wai Ng, the project
PI. Ms. Graham is actively pursuing entry into a dental school in the
Fall of 2005. The research training experience will provide an ideal
opportunity for Ms. Graham’s eventual development as a productive
investigator in oral health disparities research.
