Four Fayetteville State University School of Social Work faculty were awarded $236,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via the Minority Research Grant Program to address HIV/AIDS health disparities among LGBTQI+, Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and rural communities in Cumberland County.

Erica Campbell, Ph.D., an associate professor of social work at FSU, is serving as the primary investigator for the project. Social work faculty Terri Moore-Brown, Ph.D., professor, Dennis Corbin, Ph.D., associate professor and Michelle Bates, Ph.D., assistant professor, are working with Campbell to achieve the initiative’s goals.

“I am truly excited for this opportunity to empower future health professionals to advocate for health disparities that disproportionately impact LGBTQI+, Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and rural communities,” Campbell said in a press release. “Our initiative goes beyond the individual and focuses on systemic inequities, setting the stage for a new generation of future leaders in health advocacy,” she added.

The funding will support the development of a new initiative, the HIV/AIDS Virtual Summer Research Institute for Helping Professionals. The two-week summer institute will provide an interdisciplinary approach to increase the awareness and education relating to knowledge, perceptions, prevention and services associated with HIV/AIDS.

Unlike existing initiatives that primarily focus on providing supportive services to individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, this project will fill a crucial gap by implementing a targeted educational program tailored for college-enrolled students at a Historically Black College and University. By targeting students from diverse social science backgrounds, the project recognizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing complex health issues.

The Office of Minority Health operates under the CMS and administers the Minority Research Grant Program. The grant’s purpose is to support researchers at minority-serving institutions through funding to explore and address health care disparities affecting people from all minority populations. To learn more about the grant and see a full list of awardees, visit the CMS’s website.