Pilot Projects

The Center will regularly fund pilot projects. The pilot projects have several objectives:

1. to support the early work of young investigators interested in initiating a research career in the area of minority health and health disparities;
2. to promote innovative, cutting-edge work in need of preliminary data before it is ready for submission as a grant proposal through usual NIH approaches;
3. to extend work to race/ethnic groups other than those included in the Research Projects; and
4. to extend our multilevel, socio-biological integrated model to conditions other than heart disease.

A request for applications for the pilot program will be posted each year in the spring. Approved projects are funded for one year, with the funding beginning on September 1 of the current year. For information contact Amanda Dudley, Project Coordinator, at (734) 763-5974, or email aidudley@umich.edu.

2011 Funded Pilots

Pilot 1. Socioeconomic patterning of cardiovascular disease risk factors among Asian Indians: a cross cultural comparison of the United States and India
Malavika Subramanyam, MD, MPH, DSc

Pilot 2. Associating renal sinus fat (RSF) with hypertension, anti-hypertensive medication burden, and chronic kidney disease in African Americans in the GENOA study
Andrew Smith, MD, PhD

Pilot 3. Sleep habits and environments, and intervention to improve them, for preschool children in low socioeconomic settings
Katherine Wilson, MD

Pilot 4. The associations between perceived discrimination, coping styles, social support and cumulative biological risk among African American men and women
Alethea Hill, PhD, MSN, RN, ANP-BC

2010 Funded Pilots

Pilot 1. Examining the association of psychosocial stress and obesity in African American Men and Women: The Jackson Heart Study
Brenda W. Jenkins, MPH, PhD

Pilot 2. Pathogen Burden and Its Social, Psychological, and Behavioral Correlates in Detroit
Erin M. Rees Clayton, PhD

Pilot 3. Implications of the Urban Built Environment for Neighborly Social Interaction
Katherine King, MA, PhD-Candidate

2009 Funded Pilots

Pilot 1. Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to and Outcome from Liver Transplantation
Amit Mathur, MD, MS
(1-year pilot)

Pilot 2. Neighborhood Change, Inflammation, and Coronary Artery Calcification in an African American Cohort
Lawrence Bielak, DDS, MPH
(1-year pilot)

Pilot 3. Relationships between Skin Pigmentation, Vitamin D and Blood Pressure
Flojuane Griffin, PhD-C
(1-year pilot)

Pilot 4. Stereotype Threat and Health Care Decisions in African Americans
Cleopatra Abdou, PhD, RWJ Health & Society Scholar
(1-year pilot)

2008 Funded Pilots

Pilot 1. Measuring characteristics of the neighborhood context in the Jackson MSA
(DeMarc Hickson, PhD (JSU))
(2-year pilot)

Pilot 2. The influence of work-related and financial stressors, workplace discrimination and retirement on blood pressure in older adults: a focus on the effects of race and age-cohort
(Briana Mezuk, PhD (UM)
(1-year pilot)

Pilot 3. Examining the role of sociodemographic characteristics in diabetic experience and outcomes
(Emily Nicklett, MSW PHD-C (UM))
(1-year pilot)

Pilot 4. A comparative study of the prevalence and predictors of hypertension in Chinese living in China vs. living in the US
(Yan Sun, PhD (UM))
(1-year pilot)

Pilot 5. Disparities in access to higher quality health care: access to and choice of an initial renal dialysis provider
(Marc Turenne, PhD (UM))
(1-year pilot)

2007 Funded Pilots

Pilot 1. Neighborhood cultural isolation and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease among Latinos
(A. Aiello PI)
(2-year pilot)

Pilot 2. Characterizing the Distribution and Social Correlates of Metabolic Syndrome in a Tri-ethnic Urban Sample
(A. Schulz PhD PI, C. Lachance PhD co-PI)
(2-year pilot)

Pilot 3. Genetics Equity: Education, Research, and Policy Outreach Pilot Project
(T Citrin JD PI, S. Kardia PhD Co-PI)
(2-year pilot)