Growing and sustaining a diverse workforce that reflects the community | | |
|
|
As Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) advances its mission of improving patient care and the health of our community through research and education, adding more professionals of color to its staff and boosting diversity in research will benefit all communities, reduce biases and disparities, improve patient care and build trust.
HHRI VP for Equity in Research Warren McKinney, PhD, said diversity in research expands representation in communities of color. “When you have more diverse research teams, you’re able to reach more patients for a downstream effect that supports diversity.”
Additionally, having a more diverse research workforce will inspire more people of color to join HHRI teams, building a strong diversity movement.
Here’s a look at some of the ways HHRI is building and supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.
| | |
HHRI researchers are here, there, and everywhere. Let's take a lookback at some of HHRI's 2024 highlights and noteworthy moments. | |
Dr. Kate Diaz Vickery named VP of Engagement | HHRI is pleased to announce that Dr. Kate Diaz Vickery has been selected to serve as HHRI’s first Vice President of Engagement. Dr. Vickery is a previous Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) research scholar and is an HHRI investigator and Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. She is the co-founder/director of the HHRI’s Health, Homelessness, & Criminal Justice Lab and Medical Director of Hennepin County Health Care for the Homeless. | |
CDRG re-awarded United States Renal Data System (USRDS) federal contract | |
In March 2024, the Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG) of the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) was selected to continue administering the United States Renal Data System (USRDS)
federal contract. The USRDS is a national registry that collects, analyzes, and distributes information about chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States.
| |
Dr. Jenell Stewart speaks about event-based PrEP for women at CROI 2024 | At the 31st annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver, Colo., March 3-6, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) Investigator Jenell Stewart, DO, MPH, spoke about event-based PrEP for women and was interviewed by UK-based organization Aidsmap, who disseminates independent information on HIV and AIDS. | |
Dr. David Darrow talks about the future of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) research
| A study that makes you smarter? That is what HHRI Investigator David Darrow, MD, MPH, is working towards in the StiMulating After Recovery from Traumatic brain injury (SMART) study. The SMART study, which aims to develop noninvasive therapies to improve cognitive abilities and decision-making after mild to moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), is one of many TBI topics that pain and functional neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, Dr. Darrow discussed at his presentation entitled, “The Future of TBI: The Intersection of Neuromodulation and Cognitive Neuroscience for Restoring Function” at Hennepin Healthcare during Brain Injury Awareness Month on March 28, 2024. | |
Dr. Casey Dorr speaks about pharmacogenomics in Indigenous communities | |
After nearly three years of collaboration and enduring five rounds of peer review from the first submission, Casey Dorr, PhD, has achieved a monumental milestone. His name now graces a coveted co-author credit in the prestigious scholarly journal, Nature Communications. This achievement, a testament to his perseverance and dedication, resulted from a fruitful collaboration with fellow pharmacogenomics researchers, Dr. Katrina Claw at the University of Colorado and Dr. Erica Wooddahl at the University of Montana. Their collaborative article, “Implementing community-engaged pharmacogenomics in Indigenous communities,”
stands as a beacon of their collective efforts and the transformative power of collaboration in scientific research.
| |
HHRI 2024 Research Symposium | On March 6, HHRI held its 2024 Research Symposium and Poster Session. The forum included leadership updates from Kirsten Johansen, MD, HHRI President, and Meghan Walsh, MD, MPH, Hennepin Healthcare System Chief Academic and Research Officer, followed by presentations by HHRI researchers. | HHRI researchers are here, there, and everywhere | HHRI investigators and staff connected with the community and shared their expertise at events and as guests on radio programs and podcasts throughout 2024. Here’s a compilation of some of those activities and interviews. | |
-
SRTR patient-friendly website preview is live – In May 2024, the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients (SRTR) launched a preview of the SRTR patient-friendly website, a platform tailored to patients and their caregivers. This patient-centered focus is meant to provide education and resources in plain language for the patients’ journeys, including information for patients’ decision-making, resources for providers to counsel patients, and information to allow patients to be active participants in their unique transplant experiences.
-
New R01s in 2024 – Kristina Burrack, PhD, received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 award to study Enhancing T and B cell responses to Plasmodium infection and vaccination via IL-15; Allyson Hart, MD, MS, received an NIH R01 award to develop a clinical decision support tool for transplant programs to guide decisions about listing kidney transplant candidates with a history of cancer; Rachel Nygaard, PhD, received a Department of Defense (DoD) award for the Frostbite Multicenter ObServational Trial (FROST) study; Anne Frosch, MD, MPH, received an NIH R01 award to study vaccine immunity and inflammation in the aging person living with HIV.
-
HHRI Board – In 2024, the HHRI Board of Directors welcomed new board members Gopal Khanna, MBA, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Medical Industry Leadership Institute Executive in Residence, and Eric Ling, MD, MBA, MA, Chief Medical Officer of Hennepin Healthcare. Connie Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, Dean of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, was appointed HHRI Board Chair.
| | |
|
Featured Spotlight: Dr. Sandra Japuntich, Director of Training & Mentoring
In October 2023, tobacco dependence researcher Sandra Japuntich, PhD, LP, was appointed to the newly created role of Director of Training and Mentoring at HHRI. Throughout her career, she’s been both a mentor and mentee and wanted to use this knowledge to help junior faculty (MD and PhD) and mid-career investigators navigate the early days of their academic careers. You can read more about it here.
| | | |
|
Jon Synder, PhD, MS, receives Donate Life America's 2024 Quiet Giant Award
Congratulations to Jon Snyder, PhD, recipient of Donate Life America’s Quiet Giant award! This honor is given to individuals “looking for opportunities to serve, not for praise,” who have made a significant contribution to increasing organ, eye and tissue donation in the United States. The awardees lead through service and commitment to help increase donation and transplantation, often behind the scenes without public recognition. Dr. Snyder is the Director of Transplant Epidemiology at HHRI’s Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG) and is the Director of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).
| | | |
|
Casey Dorr, PhD, MS, FDA Interview
Federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Associate Commissioner for Minority Health and Director for the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) Cheryl Anne Boyce, PhD, interviewed Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) Investigator Casey Dorr, PhD, MS, for the FDA’s OMHHE Health Equity Lecture Series for National Native American Month on November 13, 2024. They discussed Dr. Dorr’s research in pharmacogenomics and his ongoing work to improve representation among researchers. Read all about it here.
| | | |
|
Gopal Khanna – HHRI Board Member featured in Hennepin Healthcare Foundation's Humans of Hennepin Healthcare
"Researchers interact with and learn from patients about their healthcare experience, whether from a purely clinical perspective or considering the social determinants of health and rethinking how best to serve them. That's valuable for our whole community — continuously improving to make our care more efficient, effective, and patient-centered. Exceptional care is possible only when there is an ongoing effort to improve, and HHRI is uniquely positioned to do that in a diverse community." Read more here.
*Photo of Gopal Khanna, credit Hennepin Healthcare Foundation
| | | |
|
|
Behavioral Health Conditions in General Internal Medicine
Roberto Lopez Cervara, PhD, a medical student from the University of Minnesota, and HHRI Investigators Tyler Winkelman, MD, MSc, and Becky Ford, PhD, published in article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine on the prevalence of behavioral health conditions among patients in a safety-net general internal medicine practice in Minneapolis, MN. The study found that nearly 40% of our patients have a behavioral health condition, including 64% of patients who identify as Native American. 56% of our patients with a chronic physical health condition had a behavioral health condition. The study highlights the importance of integrated behavioral health primary care for our patients. Read the journal article here.
| | | |
|
Lung Cancer Awareness: One Woman's Story of Advocacy and Hope
In the United States, 20,000 to 40,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed with lung cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) employee Renee Marrero’s journey with lung cancer has transformed her from a concerned family member to a passionate advocate working to raise awareness, particularly during November’s Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Her story began when her sister, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in 2016, followed by their father’s own diagnosis. Read more.
| | |
Did a colleague forward you this email? Subscribe to the HHRI Research Highlights email list and get our monthly newsletter sent directly to your inbox. | |
You are receiving this message because you have been identified as a key stakeholder of Hennepin Healthcare. |
| | | |
