Community Outreach and Translation Core

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY The Center for Research on Early Childhood Exposure and Development in Puerto Rico (CRECE) will study the impact of a mixture of environmental exposures and modifying factors on fetal and early childhood health and development in this under-served, highly-exposed population. CRECE will leverage an ongoing NIH-funded ?PROTECT? pregnancy cohort study in Puerto Rico (P42ES017198) that is tracking 1800 pregnant women on the island?s heavily contaminated northern coast. Building on this rich dataset, the CRECE interdisciplinary research team from Northeastern University, University of Michigan, and the University of Puerto Rico will analyze the early life exposure and child development for a cohort of 600 children whose prenatal exposures were documented in the PROTECT study, extending their study through age four. CRECE includes three research projects, a Human Subjects service Core, a Community Outreach and Translation Core and the Administrative Core. The Community Outreach and Translation Core (COTC) will be the public interface for CRECE. The COTC will: 1) Ensure high quality report-back of individual data to participants, and aggregate data to communities, in collaboration with the Human Subjects Core and the project investigators. 2) Develop environmental health outreach and education programs for Puerto Rico and advocate for children?s environmental health through partnerships with state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations; this will be done in collaboration with the Administrative Core and Project Investigators. 3) Establish and expand relationships with medical and public health communities, facilitate inter-university partnerships, advocate for public health initiatives, and coordinate learning opportunities aimed at building capacity among healthcare professionals and public health staff for environmental public health activities; this will be done in collaboration with the Health Specialist. 4) Involve the Career Development Faculty, also a member of the COTC, in outreach and research translation activities.