# UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center - COVID 19 Supplement

> **NIH ALLCDC U48** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2022 · $1,359,999

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
We seek continued support for the UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center (PRC), located at the
University of Massachusetts Worcester. The UMass Worcester PRC serves as 1) The hub of applied public
health research at UMass Worcester; 2) An integral part of the fabric of Greater Worcester's collaborative
public health system; 3) A research partner that addresses real-world challenges across Worcester, MA, the
Commonwealth and beyond; and 4) A national leader in applied prevention research and translation activities
conducted in collaboration with public health, community and health care sectors. Under the guidance of a
multi-sector, highly engaged community advisory board, we seek to grow and enhance a comprehensive
center infrastructure and research portfolio that is responsive to local, state and Healthy People 2020
priorities. These include promoting healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco cessation and management of
common conditions such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, asthma and certain cancers. Our interventions
and tools are intended to be implementable in real world settings that serve diverse populations, including: 1)
interventions that build clinical capacity for implementing prevention programs, 2) interventions that build
clinical-community linkages, 3) community-based (e.g., home, schools, community organizations)
interventions, and 4) evaluations of policy, systems and built environmental approaches and approaches to
improve their adoption. Guided by an expanded version of the CDC's Knowledge to Action Framework, we will
amplify our research portfolio and establish the business case for prevention interventions through innovative
activities that support dissemination, translation, stakeholder training and communication. We also will continue
to inform local and state public health practice, train the next generation of public health researchers, and
contribute to the national PRC network. The applied research project is an implementation study of the
evidence-based Approach for Lowering blood pressure through Medication Adherence (ALMA) intervention,
which was developed by members of our team. ALMA is a systems-based intervention that alerts medical
assistants to identify patients with uncontrolled hypertension and facilitates referrals to a community health
worker-delivered coaching intervention that promotes medication adherence. Implementation will be facilitated
by leadership support and CHC-based medical and operations champions. Using a quasi-experimental design,
we will conduct the study in partnership with federally-qualified community health centers (CHCs) that are
members of an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in Massachusetts. The intervention sites will be the
Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center and Family Health Center of Worcester, long-standing partners
of our PRC. Five CHCs with similar patient profiles will serve as a comparison condition. Outcomes will include
return on investment and c...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10438128
- **Project number:** 5U48DP006381-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephenie C. Lemon
- **Activity code:** U48 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,359,999
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2024-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10438128

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10438128, UMass Worcester Prevention Research Center - COVID 19 Supplement (5U48DP006381-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10438128. Licensed CC0.

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