WCWH expands the reach and impact of its longitudinal study by bringing in new research perspectives on housing, health and water safety
Whole Communities–Whole Health continues to ask new questions and spark new perspectives as part of its mission to better understand how social, environmental and biological factors affect health.
Following WCWH’s annual flash-funding competition, two interdisciplinary research teams were selected to receive support for their projects, which address critical health and environmental challenges in Central Texas.
The two teams are now part of the WCWH network and exemplify WCWH’s mission to advance community-focused research.
Drs. Akram Al-Turk and Elisa Borah, from the Moritz Center for Societal Impact at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, will lead a study titled Assessing the Housing and Neighborhood Factors Associated with Better Health Outcomes in East Austin. Their team aims to examine how housing conditions and neighborhood amenities impact physical and mental health outcomes in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. “Our research seeks to provide evidence-based insights that can inform local housing and land-use policies,” Al-Turk and Borah said. “With this funding, we can engage directly with communities and policymakers to better understand the connections between housing and health.”
Dr. Sanchita Bhadra, a research assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at the College of Natural Sciences, will lead a project on the Community-Based Implementation of a Low-Cost Water Microbial Quality Testing Platform. Her team’s work will focus on developing and deploying an affordable and easy-to-use water quality testing system for local communities. “Access to safe drinking water is fundamental to public health,” Bhadra noted. “This funding allows us to refine our testing platform and collaborate with community partners to ensure its real-world effectiveness.”
Building on the success of last year’s debut, WCWH leaders kicked off its annual symposium on Feb. 7 with a flash-funding competition — a fast-paced grant initiative designed to foster interdisciplinary research collaborations. Participants have just three hours to develop and submit a funding proposal by lunchtime, with winners announced at the end of the day. This year’s competition attracted a wide range of proposals, reflecting the broad scope of WCWH’s research interests and their mission to advance community-focused research.
“The quality of submissions this year was outstanding,” said WCWH chair Mike Mackert, professor in the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations and Department of Population Health and director of UT's Center for Health Communication. “Both winning teams exemplify the kind of innovative, community-driven research that WCWH aims to support. These projects have the potential to make a meaningful impact on public health in our region, and I'm excited for new investigators to get involved with WCWH.”
Both teams will integrate into WCWH’s existing research infrastructure and collaborate with local communities to ensure their work translates into actionable insights.