Feb. 2025 | Issue 4

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Celebrating Black History

Each February, as part of Black History Month, we come together in recognition of the achievements and contributions made by African Americans. Originally launched as Negro History Week by Carter G. Woodson in 1926, this month provides an opportunity to reflect on the struggles and triumphs that have paved the way for progress in the fields of science and technology, the arts, and civil society. As we reflect on the past, we renew our commitment to fostering an inclusive future where diversity is celebrated, and equity is pursued daily. Let's use this month as an opportunity to grow, connect, and inspire one another. 

WAYS YOU CAN CELEBRATE

1. Minnesota Historical Society "Black History, Black Voices"
2. Minneapolis Institute of Art "The Art of Remembering: Black Lives in Painting"
3. Science Museum of Minnesota "Race: Are we so different?" 
4. National Museum of African American History and Culture "Searchable Museum"

HIGHLIGHTS

1. The Mississippi Health Project II: AKA Revisits Its Model for Community Health Care
2. Homer G. Philips Hospital and School of Nursing

Raising Awareness About Heart Health

February is American Heart Month, the time to raise awareness about the leading cause of death across all genders, races, and ethnicities – heart disease.

Learn about some of the cardiac-related research being done at HHRI. 

• Since 1982, Fred Apple, PhD, an internationally renowned expert in clinical toxicology and chemistry, and his staff have carried out more than 450 clinical studies, trials, and analytical evaluations focused on cardiac biomarkers.

• Berman Center Medical Director, Anne Murray, MD, MSc, is Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on the Healthy Aging in the Senior Years (HATS) study that will measure cardiovascular and other risk factors for dementia in older Black adults in the Twin Cities.

• Hennepin Healthcare Division Director for HIV Medicine and Infectious Diseases Jason Baker, MD, MS, leads the Program for Cardiometabolic Complications in HHRI’s Center for Infectious Disease Research (CeIDeR). The program’s goal is to “expand our understanding of cardiovascular injury and clinical risk associated with viral infection, with an emphasis on HIV and COVID-19.”

Dr. Kate Diaz Vickery receives NIH R01 award to study how to improve diabetes and wellbeing among adults who have experienced homelessness

Among the millions of Americans who experience homelessness each year, thousands die prematurely from diabetes at a rate of 3 to 6 times higher than the general population. Principal Investigator and Co-Director of HHRI’s Health, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice (HHCJ) Lab, Kate Diaz Vickery, MD, MSc, has received a five-year Research Project Grant Program (R01) award of $2,886,001 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), to study the effectiveness of the Diabetes Homeless Medication Support (D-HOMES) coaching program to improve blood sugar control and psychological well-being among adults living with type 2 diabetes who have experienced homelessness.

Dr. Vickery and the community-engaged research team Quorum developed and pilot-tested the D-HOMES program. Quorum, comprised of internal research staff and external community stakeholders including those with lived experience, has identified key individual and structural barriers to glycemic control for people experiencing homelessness. These barriers include access to medication, medication compliance, psychological distress, and competing demands such as shelter, safety, and food.

The Quorum for Community-Driven Wellness Research: Guiding research that promotes health equity for people experiencing homelessness and living with chronic illnesses

The Health, Homelessness, & Criminal Justice (HHCJ) Lab is embedded within the Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI), the research arm of the Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS). The HHCJ Lab conducts research that focuses on the complex drivers of health for people experiencing homelessness and/or criminal justice involvement. Within this context, the lab studies physical health, mental health, and substance use conditions and the overlapping systemic barriers to health, often driven by structural racism.

Further within the HHCJ Lab, is The Quorum for Community-Driven Wellness Research, Quorum for short. “Quorum is a community-engaged research team made up of various knowledge-holders: community partners, research staff, housing partners, and community health workers.” This framework ensures “having the right people at the table to make meaningful decisions.” It functions to bridge the gap between community and institutional knowledge surrounding wellness research for community members experiencing homelessness.

Publications, Events & Media Highlights

• The Minnesota Electronic Health Records (MN EHR) Consortium Viral Illness Dashboard is now live! — The MN EHR Consortium, a partnership between Minnesota health systems and public health agencies, provides information about health equity indicators related to COVID-19 substance use disorders and other chronic conditions. The consortium recently launched its Viral Illness Testing Dashboard, which captures COVID-19, influenza (flu) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity in Minnesota. You can view the dashboard here.

• “During the Pandemic, Drug Overdoses Became the Third Leading Cause of Death for Adolescents" — Internist, pediatrician, primary care physician at the Hennepin County Jail, and Co-Director of HHRI’s Health, Homeless, and Criminal Justice (HHCJ) Lab, Tyler Winkelman, MD, MSc, co-authored an article published by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) that looks at adolescent drug overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how fatal overdoses involving fentanyl grew nearly 300% among adolescents. Read the article here.

• "Avoiding Hypertension: the Silent Killer" — Cardiologist Woubeshet Ayenew, MD, was recently interviewed on the Healthy Matters podcast with Dr. David Hilden. Dive into what causes high blood pressure, or hypertension, and why it is so damaging to our bodies on Season 4, Episode 9. Tune in here.

• Turning Advocacy Into Action — Multimedia journalist and producer Lindsay Guentzel is being treated for a rare and incurable autoimmune disease, dermatomyositis, by her healthcare team at Hennepin Healthcare, including rheumatologist Dr. Linh Ngo. Lindsay is using her skills to raise awareness about dermatomyositis and the challenges of living with a rare disease. She has been invited to speak at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rare Disease Day event in Bethesda, Maryland. Read Lindsay’s story here.

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