EMPOWERing Health: Integrating a Digital Dietary Program into Community Healthcare

Academic Mentor | Mani Nakamura
Community Partner | Avicenna Community Health Center

Project Description
Dietary weight loss is one of the most effective strategies for preventing non-communicable chronic diseases. The EMPOWER dietary weight loss program, developed by the project team, is a three-month online program that includes interactive educational materials, a web application for developing food selection skills, and virtual coaching by a dietitian. Integrating the EMPOWER program into the services offered by Avicenna Community Health Center has the potential to significantly improve the health outcomes of its patients.

This project has two primary objectives: (1) Assess the needs of Avicenna patients regarding weight loss and (2) Develop a sustainable plan to integrate the EMPOWER program into the clinic’s preventive health measures. The project will analyze deidentified patient data from Avicenna to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and related comorbidities such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and sleep disorders. Based on these findings, the team will create a targeted implementation plan to integrate the EMPOWER program sustainably into Avicenna’s offerings.

Role of the Community-Academic Scholar
The scholar will:

• Use REDCap to extract and analyze deidentified patient data from Avicenna’s records
• Help develop an implementation plan for integrating the EMPOWER dietary weight loss program, including determining the necessary resources, volunteers, and funding
• Work closely with the Lifestyle Medicine group at Avicenna, collaborating on resource allocation and long-term planning
• Learn REDCap procedures to ensure the project complies with ethical guidelines