The Interdisciplinary Health Equity Research Center
IHER: The Interdisciplinary Health Equity Research Center
The Interdisciplinary Health Equity Research (IHER) Center is Delaware State University’s latest research center within the Delaware Institute for Science and Technology (DIST) which specializes in and is committed to biomedical and health disparities research.
Researching Health Disparities to Advance Health Equity
The IHER Center seeks to investigate the biological, behavioral, and social determinants of health – factors which are understood as the largest contributors to differences in health and life expectancy among individuals and groups. Alongside the development of innovative interventions in addressing health disparities, strong partnerships between researchers and communities are central to ensuring the impact and sustainability of research center initiatives.
The IHER Center was established in 2022 as part of a five-year research grant awarded from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program. In identifying Delaware as a socio-demographic microcosm of the U.S., DSU is ideally positioned to pursue high-impact social, behavioral, and biomedical research in the realm of health equity.
Delaware’s academic institutions, health care groups, community-based organizations, and the Division of Public Health are aligned in collaborating with DSU on IHER Center initiatives targeted at improving the health of Delawareans. Moreover, the IHER Center builds upon a growing portfolio of NIH-funded research and recently developed clinical facilities and programs.
IHER Core Centers
As a Historically Black University with a strength in biomedical and behavioral research, IHER will accelerate development of behavioral research capacity, deepen partnerships with other research centers in Delaware, and strengthen ties to the community. The Center’s Cores will fulfill these specific roles in making DSU the center of health disparities-related research in the state.
Research Capacity Core
This Core will strengthen DSU’s research infrastructure for biomedical, social and behavioral research related to health disparities and health equity.
Dr. Derald Wentzien, Director
Investigator Development Core
The main focus of the investigator development core is to implement a program of pilot project grants that will support junior faculty as they establish research programs related to health disparities and collect preliminary data that can support future grant proposals.
Dr. Brian McNaughtan, Director
Community Engagement & Dissemination (CED) Core
The overall goal of the CED Core is to embed a Community First in All Research (CFiAR) approach as a norm across the IHER Center to make research more impactful and responsive to community needs and priorities.
Community Engagement & Dissemination Core
Dr. Dorothy Dillard, Director
Recruitment Core
The Recruitment Core seeks to hire outstanding faculty members at the Associate or Full Professor level to contribute to developing excellence in DSU’s health equity research program. New faculty members will have active research programs supported by NIH or other external funding related to minority health and health disparities.
Dr. Gwendolyn Scott-Jones, Director
IHER Leadership
Dr. Melissa Harrington
Principal Investigator (M-PI)
mharrington [at] desu.edu
Dr. Sangeeta Gupta
Principal Investigator (M-PI)
sgupta [at] desu.edu
IHER News