FAC

Exterior shot of UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama

Forge AHEAD Center

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Logo for the Forge AHEAD Center

The mission of the Forge AHEAD Center is to promote health equity and reduce the burden of cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, among Black Americans and low-income populations in our tri-state region (i.e., Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana). The Center represents a partnership between the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Tuskegee University, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, along with regional non-academic partners to translate and sustain cardiometabolic research in real-world community and clinical settings. The Forge AHEAD Center is focused on expanding and diversifying the region’s research workforce, promoting equitable collaborations between researchers and non-academic partners, and advancing scientific discovery through synergistic research projects focused on multi-level, multi-domain interventions for the prevention, treatment, and management of cardiometabolic diseases in the Deep South.

Partner Institutions

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University of Alabama at Birmingham

1717 11th Ave.
South Birmingham, AL 35205
United States

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Pennington Biomedical Research Center

6400 Perkins Rd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
United States

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Logo for Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University

1200 W. Montgomery Rd.
Tuskegee, AL 36088
United States

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Logo for The University of Mississippi Medical Center

University of Mississippi Medical Center

2500 North State St.
Jackson, MS 39216
United States

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Logo for Ochsner Health System

Ochsner Medical Center

1514 Jefferson Hwy
New Orleans, LA 70121
United States

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Louisiana State University (LSU) Logo

Louisiana State University

Projects

African American women at a community event
Stepping Into Lifestyle Changes (SILC)
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Logo for the University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of Alabama at Birmingham

1717 11th Ave.
South Birmingham, AL 35205
United States

FAC: #1
Woman exercising on a treadmill
Promoting Successful Weight Loss in Primary Care in Louisiana Using Information Technology (PROPEL-IT)
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Logo for the University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of Alabama at Birmingham

1717 11th Ave.
South Birmingham, AL 35205
United States

FAC: #2
Photo of two black women using laptops
Food Delivery, Remote Monitoring, and Coaching-Enhanced Education for Optimized Diabetes Management (FREEDOM)
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Logo for the University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of Alabama at Birmingham

1717 11th Ave.
South Birmingham, AL 35205
United States

FAC: #3

Team

Leadership

Andrea Cherrington, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator (MPI)
Gareth Dutton, PhD
Principal Investigator (MPI)
Orlando Gutierrez, MD
Principal Investigator (MPI)
Peter Katzmarzyk, FTOS, PhD
Site Principal Investigator
Clayton Yates, PhD
Site Principal Investigator
April Carson, MSPH, PhD
Co-Site Principal Investigator
Caroline Compretta, PhD
Co-Site Principal Investigator

Projects

Monica Baskin, PhD
Principal Investigator
Norma Dawkins, CFS, PhD
Subcontract Principal Investigator
Angela Duck, PhD, RN
Subcontract Principal Investigator
Jaimie Richards, BA, BS, PhD
Project Coordinator
Peter Katzmarzyk, FTOS, PhD
Principal Investigator
Jewel Harden-Barrios
Project Coordinator
Kara Denstel, BS, MPH, PhD
Project Coordinator
Eboni Price-Haywood, FACP, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator (MPI)
Michael Hall, MD
Principal Investigator (MPI)
Tapan Mehta, PhD
Principal Investigator (MPI)
Tejossy John, BS, MPH
Project Coordinator

Cores

Andrea Cherrington, MD, MPH
Director
Gareth Dutton, PhD
Co-Director
Amy Dobelstein, PhD
Program Manager (Communications)
April Agne, MPH
Program Director
Orlando Gutierrez, MD
Co-Director
Clayton Yates, PhD
Co-Director
Trudi Horton, PhD
Project Director
Caroline Compretta, PhD
Co-Director

Working Groups

Paul Muntner, PhD
Vivian Carter, PhD
Caroline Compretta, PhD
D’Andra Odom, MPA
Adrianne Marbury, MPA
Robert Newton Jr., PhD
Michael Welsch, PhD
Orlando Gutierrez, MD
Clayton Yates, PhD
Kara Denstel, BS, MPH, PhD
Jaimie Richards, BA, BS, PhD
Charlotte Love, MSM

Partner Institutions

Andrea Cherrington, MD, MPH
Monica Baskin, PhD
Gareth Dutton, PhD
Orlando Gutierrez, MD
Tapan Mehta, PhD
Tejossy John, BS, MPH
Trudi Horton, PhD
Paul Muntner, PhD
Amy Dobelstein, PhD
April Agne, MPH
Jaimie Richards, BA, BS, PhD
Adrianne Marbury, MPA
Sharonda Hardy
Robert Newton Jr., PhD
Kara Denstel, BS, MPH, PhD
Peter Katzmarzyk, FTOS, PhD
D’Andra Odom, MPA
Clayton Yates, PhD
Norma Dawkins, CFS, PhD
Vivian Carter, PhD
Michael Hall, MD
Michael Welsch, PhD
Caroline Compretta, PhD
Angela Duck, PhD, RN
Charlotte Love, MSM
Jewel Harden-Barrios
Eboni Price-Haywood, FACP, MD, MPH
Peter Katzmarzyk, FTOS, PhD