Community & Academic Partnership Pilot (CAPP) Program

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Community & Academic Partnership Pilot (CAPP) Program

Community-initiated translational research pilot projects that focus on community-identified health-related needs and involve collaborations between community organizations and researchers. It is expected that the research supported by each of these pilot awards will result in one or more publications and/or presentations, and will collect data that will be used to apply for funding from NIH or other funders to expand and continue the projects. The project should include a collaboration between the following:

  1. Leader(s) of a community organization located in Utah
  2. Researcher(s) affiliated with a Utah CTSI organization – University of Utah, Utah Department of Health, Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System, or Intermountain Healthcare

For additional information, please contact Breanne Johnson.

CAPP Slide Deck

Past Recipients

  • PI Name, Dept Title Pilot Title Comm PI & Org TS Barrier Project Abstract TS Impact Statement
    Shinduk Lee, College of Nursing Assistant Professor Community-academic partnership to co-develop strategies to promote equitable and sustainable delivery of chronic disease self-management education Nichole Shepard; UDHHS Creation of a tool to improve chronic disease self-management education delivery in rural and racial/ethnic minority groups Chronic disease self-management education (CDSME) programs support individuals in managing chronic disease symptoms. Despite their benefits, there is a recurring demand for improving guidance on CDSME delivery. The project brings community and academic partners together to identify key barriers and to co-create implementation strategies to enhance delivery of proven effective chronic disease self-management programs in rural Hispanic/Latinx communities. This multi-method study involves: (1) co-creation of implementation strategies to improve CDSME delivery in the target community; (2) focus group with rural Hispanic/Latinx older adults; and (3) cross-sectional partner survey about CDSME delivery and potential implementation strategies. Our preliminary data confirmed limited CDSME delivery in rural Hispanic/Latinx communities in Utah. The identified barriers were limited community buy-in and limited adaptability of CDSME, which were linked to poor recruitment and retention of program participants and volunteers to lead the program. The low intervention flexibility was suggested to limit its cultural competence. The implementation strategies should address these key concerns. According to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), translational science has been defined as the field that generates innovations that overcome longstanding challenges along the translational research pipeline. Although empirical research strongly supports the efficacy and effectiveness of CDSME programs, challenges arise when translating these proven-effective programs from controlled research settings to real-world (i.e., non-research) environments. This represents a significant translation roadblock at the clinical implementation stage of the Translational Science Spectrum,11 significantly limiting the potential public health impact of CDSME programs. A dissemination study of CDSME programs in multiple Kaiser Permanente regions showed challenges with CDSME delivery related to differential program adoption across regions, difficulty recruiting participants, and insufficient infrastructure to support CDSME delivery. These challenges are further exacerbated in underresourced areas or hard-to-reach populations leading to significant inequities in access to, and benefit from, CDSME programs. In 2023, 20 years after the Kaiser study, we collected cross-sectional surveys from the CDSME program providers in Utah (n = 15) about their roles in CDSME delivery, service area and population, and barriers in CDSME delivery. Our preliminary data indicated perceived challenges related to reaching under-represented populations (80% reporting this challenge), improving racial/ethnic diversity of CDSME reach (73%), and retention of CDSME participants (80%). This was also consistent with the community voice we heard during the Living Well Coalition meetings conducted in 2023 July and August. These challenges may be the result of insufficient support or guidance for CDSME delivery in real-world environments.27 For example, the implementation protocols used during an efficacy or effectiveness trial may not be relevant or feasible in the contextual reality of non-research settings.28 That is, the research development system is not designed to create tools to support implementation of research-tested interventions in typical community or clinical settings. Further, systems that may be ideal to deliver CDSME typically do not have the time or capacity to comb through research journals to identify interventions that can have impact in their communities. Similarly, the efficacy and effectiveness measures examined during clinical research may not be pragmatic to be used in community practice for evaluation and quality improvement.29 These translation barriers are tied to equitable reach, scalability, and sustainability of proven-effective programs, a priority area for dissemination and implementation research.28 These barriers likely cannot be addressed without system support that provides linkages between the research development system and intervention delivery system. Translational Science Solution. The translation of scientific findings into tangible impacts within a population occurs across various levels, encompassing individuals, organizations, communities, and policies. It is essential to examine barriers across these diverse levels in CDSME delivery to enhance the effectiveness of the translating process and outcomes. In this proposal, we will use the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF)12 to examine the process of translation from research synthesis to delivery of a CDSME program in community settings and identify any barriers in the process. Unlike traditional models of research-to-practice process, ISF depicts three core functions essential in the translational process. The core functions are described as distinct, yet, interconnected systems: (1) synthesis and translational system (synthesize and communicate research evidence); (2) support system (offer technical support, training, and capacity-building); and (3) delivery system (implement and maintain CDSME programs in practice).12 Using ISF, we will map different layers of the translational process for a proven-effective CDSME program (i.e., CDSMP) delivery, identifying system-level barriers in and exploring their interrelations. By working closely with the community, we will co-devise implementation strategies to address the system-level barriers and provide a tool to support equitable CDSMP delivery. Engaging the community can add valuable inputs related to the local contexts and perspectives from under-resourced and underserved populations.30 The co-development of implementation strategies will be guided by the Implementation Research Logic Model (IRLM), which is an organizing tool to specify the conceptual linkages between the core elements of implementation projects.31 Use of the IRLM will enable documentation of determinants, strategies, mechanisms, and expected outcomes and enhance transparency and reproducibility of the complex process of implementing CDSMP.31 Advantages. The project will lead to a better understanding of system-level barriers and development of implementation strategies that can facilitate CDSMP delivery with potential to be adopted for other disease prevention and health promotion programs (e.g., fall prevention, physical activity, nutrition, mental health). The proposed project will serve as a case study of intervention translational research, and the developed tool (i.e., implementation strategies) can be applied in other intervention studies to enhance its translational process.
    Nasser Sharareh, Population Health Sciences Research Assistant Professor A real-time surveillance system for detecting local food insecurity spikes and informing timely interventions Gloria Castaneda; United Way SLC n/a Every year, more than 10% of US households experience food insecurity (FI). Public health implications of FI are significant: FI is associated with adverse health conditions such as depression, diabetes, and hypertension; FI also costs the US healthcare system $53 billion annually. While some people experience FI chronically (i.e., almost every month), many people (~70%) experience FI intermittently. Federal nutrition assistance programs, while necessary and impactful, are not structured to provide immediate assistance. Emergency food providers (e.g., food banks/pantries, soup kitchens) complement federal programs by providing immediate assistance to those experiencing FI. However, it is difficult to deploy or scale up these emergency resources quickly enough to respond to sudden spikes in FI and heightened food demand because we do not have appropriate, near real-time spatiotemporal monitoring tools. This leaves many people with unmet food needs to experience the health consequences of FI. Therefore, we need a local, real-time understanding of FI to inform and optimize the allocation of resources to emergency food providers to meet food demands in real time. Without addressing this gap, FI will continue to contribute to health disparities and inequity. One potential early warning metric for local surges of FI is the 2-1-1 network. 2-1-1 is a nationwide, free public referral system. Community specialists at 2-1-1 direct callers to community resources that can address unmet social needs such as food and housing. In our preliminary analysis, we found that transcripts of food-related calls contain evidence of FI (i.e., lack of money to buy food), indicating that food-related calls can serve as a prospective real-time surveillance system to signal local spikes of FI. Such systems could inform the timely allocation of resources to local emergency food providers and the deployment of other interventions to impacted areas to address FI and prevent its adverse health outcomes. In this project, we will explore whether and how 2-1-1 food-related calls could be used to inform timely interventions. n/a
    Michelle Debbink, OBGYN Assistant Professor Wahine Koa: Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander mothers reclaiming culturally-responsive perinatal mental healthcare Leilani Taholo - Child & Family Empowerment Services; Timaima Clawson - Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition  Develop and demonstrate a tool for the process of rapid cultural adaptation of evidence-based programs, particularly for marginalized communities The aims of the Wāhine Kōa (warrior women) project are to: 1) Evaluate inequities in current perinatal mental health care (PMHC) access for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander pregnant and postpartum people (NHPI mothers) at the University of Utah using both quantitative and qualitative approaches; 2) Engage community stakeholders to evaluate and identify perinatal mental health care approaches amenable to adaptation; and 3) Assess the feasibility and acceptability of a human-centered design rapid prototyping model for developing culturally specific perinatal mental health care. We have identified significant inequities in perinatal mental health markers among NHPI mothers. An interview guide was co-developed with community stakeholders to help understand NHPI mothers' experiences with perinatal mental health screening and treatment. The community stakeholders identified the concept of a "cultural consultant" as a possible adaptation to perinatal mental health programs for NHPI mothers. Stakeholders felt that, in the absence of culturally concordant therapists or mental health providers, a trained cultural consultant could help to bridge gaps in understanding, trust, and treatment between NHPI mothers and perinatal mental health providers. Stakeholders identified that video simulation could be a useful tool for rapid prototyping, which was an acceptable and feasible approach The translational science impact of Wāhine Koa: Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Mothers Claiming Culturally Integrated Perinatal Mental Health Care derives from several characteristics of the proposed pilot. At its core, Wāhine Koa seeks to overcome barriers to community engaged research by partnering with community stakeholders from the outset of project development, and seeking their wisdom, feedback, and input on the processes of engagement themselves. Community engagement is a critical step in the process of translating evidence-based care into successful programs because broad uptake and success are only possible when a program addresses community-identified needs and barriers. Traditionally, community engaged research has faced barriers of time-intensiveness; historical and contemporary mistrust created by the actions of academic institutions, impeding partnership building; and lack of processes that can be used to rapidly integrate community feedback. To address these barriers, our proposal will both Develop and Demonstrate a tool for the process of rapid cultural adaptation of evidence-based programs. Our development process involves innovatively combining the empirically validated ADAPT-ITT (Assessment, Decision, Administration, Production, Topical Experts, Integration, Training, and Testing) model for cultural adaptation with human centered or user-centered design principles. Rather than completing the entire time intensive ADAPT-ITT process only to find the adaptation is not quite correct in the final Test phase, we hypothesize that combining this process with human centered/user-centered design principles will both improve the end product and decrease the time intensity. Human centered design approaches start with the input of the target audience (i.e. end user) regarding adaptations and barriers such as unnecessary complexity, appropriate language, ease of use, culturally appropriate approach, etc. After a few rapid, incremental adjustments are made to a proposed program, the designers come back to the users for feedback. Each of these incremental adjustments would essentially combine the Administration, Production, Topical Experts, and Integration steps of the ADAPT-ITT process over multiple iterations with regular community feedback. This unique approach allows for essentially multiple micro-cycles of the ADAPT-ITT process to arrive at the best possible design prior to training and testing, the most expensive and time-intensive portions of the cultural adaptation process. Successful completion of the integration of these two methods into a new tool offers an innovative solution to a longstanding gap in the translation of evidence based care into successful programs for marginalized, historically excluded, and minoritized populations and communities. We will also demonstrate that the combination of ADAPT-ITT and human-centered design is an acceptable approach for cultural adaptation of perinatal mental health care programs for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) community stakeholders, including NHPI mothers with lived experience with perinatal mental health concerns. We will use an innovative video simulation of an un-adapted perinatal mental health care intervention, and then using the feedback from the community stakeholder group, recreate the video simulation and show the brief/incremental adaptation to our community stakeholder group. Using validated survey measures of acceptability, as well as qualitative content analysis, we will elucidate the community stakeholders' perceptions of the combined ADAPT-ITT/human centered design approach as well as their perceptions of video simulation as a tool for evaluating an adaptation of an intervention. Successful completion of this proposal will fill a critical gap in the process of translating evidence-based programs into regular clinical practice, particularly for marginalized and historically excluded communities.
    Kevin Shaw, Cardiovascular Assistant Professor Characterizing and Improving Cardiovascular Health among South Asians in Utah Balaji Sudabattula; India Cultural Center of Utah n/a South Asians comprise 25% of the world's population, are a rapidly growing portion of the diversifying population in Utah and have a high burden of premature and aggressive cardiovascular disease. Our team performed a needs-assessment survey and formed a Community Advisory Board of local South Asians which informed us there is local interest to develop a targeted heart disease program. Our proposal is a partnership with the Wellness Bus and India Cultural Center to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk in the South Asian community through two health screening events with the opportunity for at-risk individuals for cardiovascular disease to participate in a 9-month coaching and lifestyle intervention program with the goal of reducing their cardiovascular risk and improving their knowledge of heart disease.  n/a
  • Year of Award Investigators Investigator Departments Project Titles
    2021 Anne Kirchhoff, PhD, MPH & Matt Slonaker, JD Pediatrics Improving Health Insurance Literacy among Utah’s Hispanic Community
    2020 Anu Asnaani, PhD & Ana Sanchez-Birkhead, PhD, WHNP-BC, APRN Psychology Investigation of Community-Level Definitions of Mental Health, Mental Health Priority Areas, and Barriers to Care Across Diverse Communities: Development of a Framework for Culturally-Responsive, Evidence-Based Mental Health Interventions
    2020 Anne Thackeray, PhD, PT, MPH & Sally Aerts Physical Therapy & Athletic Training Leveraging 911 Non-transport Falls Data