Summer 2025 Community-Academic Scholars Projects

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Special Education Prof. Emily Tarconish and Illinois Extension to develop trainings and resources about accessibility and neurodiversity for staff at non-profit community organizations who are affiliated with Illinois Extension.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Social Work Prof. Tuyet Mai Hoang and Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justice (UCRJ) to interview doulas and midwives to document their experiences, needs, and visions for the future of perinatal care. The findings will be used to create a centralized resource list and improve communication and support systems for birth workers.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Graphic Design Prof. Catalina Alzate and Urbana Acupuncture to document how engaging in a shared community clinic space contributes to patients’ healing experiences. Through participatory sessions supported by storytelling and visual exercises, patients will collaboratively depict their journeys, resulting in graphic materials that will be displayed in the clinic and other relevant venues, showcasing the power of community and holistic medicine.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Carolyn Randolph-Kato, Director of Engaged Research of the College of Fine & Applied Arts, and City of Urbana Arts and Culture Program. The scholar will use digital storytelling to document the social impact of the CU BIPOC Artist Collective and explore how the Collective fosters belonging, social cohesion, and economic vibrancy in Urbana-Champaign. These stories aim to communicate the transformative role of the Collective in creating a more inclusive and equitable arts and culture ecosystem, which supports community and economic development efforts.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Food Science & Human Nutrition Prof. Mani Nakamura and Avicenna Community Health Center to 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 to create a targeted implementation plan to sustainably integrate the EMPOWER program into Avicenna’s offerings.

The Community-Academic Scholar with work with Illinois Extension Assistant Dean for Health Disparities Programs Margarita Teran-Garcia and Avicenna Community Health Center to evaluate the existing modules of the HEALER© training program (Humility, Empathy, Awareness, Leverage, Empower, Reflect). The goal is to improve the cultural competence of healthcare providers and volunteers by developing new training materials and implementing the program in diverse settings.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Graphic Design Prof. Catalina Alzate and GREAT Start Home Visiting Program. The project will entail conducting creative body mapping sessions among home visitors and doulas in Champaign-Urbana to explore the impacts of their work on their physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being. By documenting and analyzing these collective experiences, the project aims to celebrate the essential contributions of these professionals while fostering a deeper understanding of their roles in supporting community health.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Health and Kinesiology Prof. Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo and Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department to assess the feasibility and acceptability of self-guided mindfulness-based interventions to reduce postpartum pain and postpartum depression for disproportionately affected Latina mothers who have undergone a Cesarean delivery.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Special Education Prof. Emerita Johnell Bentz and Jubilee Café to develop a survey to gather feedback from guests and volunteers, collecting data over several weeks, and analyzing the results to identify common themes. The findings will help the café improve its outreach efforts and create a more sustainable system for recruiting and organizing volunteers. 

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Health and Kinesiology Prof. Wendy Rogers and ClarkLindsey Life Plan Community to address the needs of older adults with MCI/early AD, and/or mobility impairments with a focus cognitive and physical tasks and evaluate the Stretch and SoRoSH assistive robots’ potential for supporting residents and staff.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Kinesiology and Community Health Prof. Minakshi (Mina) Raj and ClarkLindsey Village to conduct an educational workshop with health professionals across Illinois and to increase awareness, knowledge, and use of culturally diverse spices and herbs in healthcare settings. This project will support ClarkLindsey Village with organizing an inaugural research symposium to promote lifelong learning among its residents.

The Community-Academic Scholar will work with Health and Kinesiology Prof. Minakshi (Mina) Raj and Sola Gratia Farm to provide Healthy Champaign County (HCC) with information directly from older adults in Champaign County to better understand their food-related challenges, needs, and preferences, seeking perspectives through surveys and interviews with older adults to conduct a needs assessment. In addition to a final report and presentation to HCC, the undergraduate scholar will have the opportunity to compile a food-related community resource for older adults who participate in the study.

The Community Academic Scholar will work with Linguistics Prof. Anna Mendoza and Champaign-Urbana Refugee Center to investigate the out-of-class English language and literacy learning processes of 10 Afghan women from veteran families relocated to Urbana-Champaign to provide a richer understanding of how these women engage with English and navigate learning outside of formal classroom settings.