Centers for Disease Control Funds School of Public Health COVID-19 Research

Project will help identify barriers and motivators to vaccinations for high-risk populations

The University of Memphis School of Public Health has been awarded two-year funding totaling $927,479 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify barriers and motivators to COVID-19 immunization among vulnerable populations in Shelby County at high risk for poor health outcomes due to low vaccination rates.

The School of Public Health research team is partnering with the Shelby County Health Department, Leadership Memphis, and LeMoyne- Owen College as part of the CDC’s National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities. Researchers will measure the short-term impact of strategies to improve vaccine uptake among vulnerable populations in nine (9) zip codes of highest transmission and lowest vaccine uptake compared to other Memphis MSA zip codes. A mixed methods approach incorporates community leader interviews and interviewer-administered surveys to assess the impact of a culturally tailored, multi-channel messaging campaign addressing vaccine hesitancy. 

Dr. Marian Levy, Interim Dean of the School of Public Health, is Principal Investigator. Co-investigators are Drs. Vikki Nolan, Fawaz Mzayek, and Latrice Pichon. Project Coordinator is Rebecca Kronenberg. Clarion Harris and Chauncey Stewart serve as Graduate Assistants.

For further information on this award, contact Levy at mlevy@memphis.edu.