Tulane receives $4.7 million grant to continue national health equity research collaborative

The Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine has been awarded $4.76 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to continue Partners for Advancing Health Equity (P4HE Collaborative), a national research learning collaborative that aims to inform and synchronize research to advance solutions toward health equity.

With nearly 700 members nationwide and globally, the P4HE Collaborative brings together public health scholars, philanthropic foundations, federal research funders, community-based organizations and private sector representatives to better understand the latest issues related to attaining health equity. The collaborative, which was established in 2021 with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funding, creates consistency, processes, guidance and priorities to address obstacles to ensure everyone has a fair and just opportunity to reach their optimal health and wellbeing, regardless of race, ethnicity or class.

This new funding expands Tulane’s role to incorporate the management of Health Equity Scholars for Action (HES4A), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that supports the career development and academic advancement of researchers from historically underrepresented backgrounds who conduct health equity research. Through funding, mentorship, coaching and access to a broad community of people who understand their lived experiences, scholars will create actionable evidence that mitigates the root causes of health inequities in the United States.

"The field of health equity research is stronger, more accurate, actionable and equitable when people with varied perspectives and lived experiences are behind it."

Sheldon Watts, program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

“The success of the P4HE Collaborative and the interest we have seen with members participating in our various activities, further demonstrate the need to bring all sectors together to engage academia, researchers, philanthropy, government, business and civil society in the conversation. We are excited to continue our work across these sectors to further understand issues and identify potential community-led solutions that will move us to action in improving health equity,” said Thomas LaVeist, dean of the Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity, and principal investigator for Partners for Advancing Health Equity.

“The field of health equity research is stronger, more accurate, actionable and equitable when people with varied perspectives and lived experiences are behind it,” said Sheldon Watts, program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “That's why we believe in increasing representation in research and promoting greater equity and inclusion in the field. Tulane’s leadership of the P4HE Collaborative and the HES4A program will ensure that we are deeply embedding equity in how we create evidence and share knowledge — and expanding opportunities for those who participate in the process.”

Addressing health equity requires removing barriers to optimal health and continues to be a national imperative requiring sustained application of evidence-based interventions within a collaborative, multi-sector approach to learning and implementing change. Partners for Advancing Health Equity was established to address this problem by creating a hub for evidence-based research, participatory and actionable programming, and a gathering space for the members of the multi-sector collaborative to connect and coalesce around topics of shared interest informed by their input and participation.

This grant marks a critical step toward achieving health equity for all. For more information and updates on how this initiative is driving change, visit Partners for Advancing Health Equity or email partners4he@tulane.edu.