(Story courtesy Augusta University)
A program created through a partnership between the HUB for Community Innovation Augusta and the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University has won a national competition to identify new and promising strategies that leverage community engagement to build trust within communities that experience health disparities.
An expert panel selected the HUB and MCG’s program called Community Outreach through Athletics in Colleges and High Schools (COACHS) as a winner of the National Institutes of Health Build UP Trust Challenge. The competition selected five winners across the nation that are focused on strengthening trust, engagement and equitable partnerships between communities and research and health care institutions.
A key part of the program was the Teen Leadership Council, a model of community engagement with teenagers. The HUB for Community Innovation convened a group of 12 high school students, representing eight schools from Richmond and McDuffie counties with two local teachers serving as leaders and two medical students acting as near-peer mentors. Together, the council participated in activities such as a community panel on leadership and an emergency cooking skills class.
The HUB for Community Innovation received the $200,000 award in acknowledgement of its work on a program that serves high school students and their families to help meet their physical and social needs.
“The HUB was created to meet the needs of Harrisburg and Laney Walker communities with the goal of ensuring the community’s voice is not an afterthought, but a driving force,” said Britney Pooser, president and CEO of the HUB Augusta Collaborative. “We bring together community partners to facilitate the holistic care of the people in our communities. This national recognition affirms the strength of our collaboration with Augusta University and our shared commitment to research that is grounded in trust, accountability and lived experience.”
This honor reinforces Augusta’s growing presence on the national stage as a leader in community-engaged research and innovation. The NIH Build UP Challenge honored innovative, community-driven approaches that elevate trustworthiness in research, particularly among historically underrepresented and underserved populations. It is part of a broader effort to reimagine how research institutions and communities work together to advance health equity, improve outcomes and ensure research reflects the lived experiences of the populations it serves.
“This award is proof that NIH values community-led partnerships and recognizes our partnership between the HUB for Community Innovation and the Medical College of Georgia as a national exemplar,” said Christy Ledford, PhD, professor and vice chair of Research in MCG’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.
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