The Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF), in collaboration with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (DST) and the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), is conducting a national health initiative entitled “Research Matters: Creating Possibilities to Achieve Health and Wellness for All of Us.” The initiative is made possible by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program.
The program will launch in Nashville on Sunday, May 27 at 1 p.m. at the Kroger Supermarket on Clarksville Highway. The Nashville Alumnae Chapter will host the group during their visit to Nashville.
DREF was selected as one of the four initial community partners to support NIH in educating diverse communities on the critical need to participate in biomedical research. DREF, and its collaborative partners, is charged with educating and encouraging African Americans to be a part of the solution for achieving increased health and wellness for their families. The ultimate objective is to enroll African Americans in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) national registry, creating a database that significantly includes their engagement as potential participants for clinical trials. DREF’s community engagement plan will include outreach at events and communications through mass media, social media and direct solicitation to promote the need for inclusive research to reduce health disparities affecting African Americans.
NIH has identified the geographic areas of focus, thus the Research Matters Community Engagement Plan will be conducted in Nashville and Memphis and the following designated cities:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, Birmingham, Alabama, Columbia, South Carolina, Durham, North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, Houston, Texas, New Orleans, Louisiana, Portland, Oregon and Sacramento, California.
Nashville Alumnae will help facilitate the Research Matters outreach and educational campaign by identifying volunteer /event coordinators responsible for facilitating the implementation of local outreach activities and major community events. The sorority will also help identify local organizations to serve as local community partners for this initiative.