Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program

Academic mentors: Karen Tabb Dina

Community partner(s): Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Promise Healthcare-Frances Nelson, and Carle Hospital

Project description: 
The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program is a research program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that aims to enroll 50,000 mother-child pairs from across the United States and Puerto Rico, with the goal of understanding the impact of environmental factors on child health outcomes from infancy through adolescence. The mission of ECHO is to enhance the health of children for generations to come by conducting impactful research that informs both public health policy and clinical practice.

A key goal of the team’s recruiting efforts is to increase the racial/ethnic and income diversity of the cohort through new recruiting partnerships with community agencies – the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) and Promise Health Care (our local federally qualified health center) – that serve a primarily low-income, racially and ethnically diverse population of pregnant women. They will seek input from an established Community Advisory Board.

Role of the Community-Academic Scholar:
The Community-Academic Scholar will assist with recruiting in the clinics, hosting community events, and helping to facilitate the community advisory board.