# Community Engagement Core

> **NIH NIH P42** · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $118,214

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Established in 2010, the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) Superfund
Research Center (SRC) uses a holistic system of research, training and stakeholder engagement to study the
fate, transport, exposure, health impact and remediation of contaminant mixtures, aimed at reducing preterm
birth (PTB) and other adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). Rates of PTB and infant mortality in Puerto Rico
(PR) are among the highest among all U.S. states and territories. After reaching 20% in 2008, the PTB rate in
PR has decreased to 11.4% in 2017, yet continues to be among the highest globally Evidence exists that
exposure to Superfund chemicals contributes to APOs. Contamination is extensive in PR: there are 18
Superfund sites, and evidence of contamination of the drinking water is extensive. There are also extreme
events (hurricanes, flooding) that may result in elevated exposures to environmental pollution. The Community
Engagement Core (CEC), working closely with the Human Subjects and Sampling Core (HSSC), the Research
Translation Coordinator, and the research projects, is the main vehicle for interaction with community
stakeholders in PR. PROTECT’s approach emphasizes bidirectional engagement with two groups of
stakeholders: 1) women participating in the PROTECT study cohort (1,457 participants with 1280 completed
pregnancies as of October 2018 with the goal of adding another 1000); and 2) the broader group of residents
in the areas where PROTECT’s groundwater study is being conducted, including collaborators at the
Community Health Centers (CHCs) and clinics that serve as study sites. The CEC’s continual connection with
the HSSC has produced strong relationships with study participants, staff and clinicians at CHCs and private
clinics, health educators, social work and nursing staff, and community groups. Building on this foundation, the
CEC will continue its strong bidirectional communication strategy, which includes meetings and focus groups
with participants and clinical staff, distribution of extensive educational materials on reproductive and child
health, and report-back of research findings to stakeholders, informed by stakeholder priorities, needs, and
concerns. Inspired by participant feedback, we will continue to implement a new interactive cell phone-based
app that allows individualized report-back to participants. This innovation will: more fully include participants in
the research process, improve study recruitment/retention, provide individual exposure reduction information,
and lay the groundwork for community-based participatory research projects. We will work extensively on
exposure reduction by providing detailed suggested actions in the app, and by working with Project 4
(Remediation) to test project-developed water filters. The CEC’s central role in providing water filters and
emergency supplies post-hurricane has made PROTECT even more trusted, and we will continue to provide
emergency pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10128461
- **Project number:** 5P42ES017198-11
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Philip M. Brown
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $118,214
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2010-04-12 → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10128461

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10128461, Community Engagement Core (5P42ES017198-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10128461. Licensed CC0.

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