# Community Engagement Core: Seafood risks and benefits - Science, literacy and engagement

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2024 · $78,071

## Abstract

CEC – Project Summary
While significant scientific progress is being made in understanding interactions between ocean contaminants
and seafood, the links to human health have been less clear and information for many contaminants is lacking
or unclear. This dilemma can leave people uncertain of what to recommend or eat, potentially to the detriment
of good health. Needed is best science and direct engagement with the multiple stakeholder communities
surrounding seafood production and consumption, communities broadly defined as public health and marine
resource agencies, scientists, seafood harvesters and markets, and consumers (including public health
professionals, community based non-profits, schools, chefs, and the public). The goal of the Community
Engagement Core (CEC) for the Scripps Center for Oceans and Human Health (SCOHH) is therefore to
develop, implement, and evaluate a community based, multi-directional environmental health literacy
education and engagement program. The ultimate goal of this project is to protect the public by limiting their
exposure to marine contaminants and pollutants while highlighting the health benefits of consuming fish. This
will be achieved through increased environmental health literacy, including increasing our understanding of the
needs and barriers to accessing and using information about seafood, dialogue and participation with decision
makers and stakeholder groups, and ultimately helping people to make healthier informed choices around
eating fish. To help with this, the science will be translated in culturally-appropriate ways within the broader
context of seafood sustainability and safety, and disseminated widely for stakeholder use using an innovative
mix of communication tools, techniques and storytellers. The CECs specific aims are to: (1) Build capacity for
multi-directional dialogue and participation, including assembly of a Community Engagement Advisory
Team (CEAT) of representatives from seafood safety stakeholder groups (one member joint with SCOHH
External Advisory Committee (EAC)), listening sessions and development of engagement strategies; (2)
Implement strategic engagement programming including workshops focused on the science–public
needs–policy continuum for each SCOHH project, directed stakeholder engagement, seafood
contaminant/nutrition culinary education; and (3) Strengthen environmental health literacy by integrating the
results of the SCOHH’s and other relevant scientific research into existing and new targeted communications
materials, convening and participating in public facing events, and strategically increasing participation by
SCOHH in stakeholder and public facting events. The CEC’s outcomes will include lasting partnerships with
the CEC, SCOHH project scientists, and seafood stakeholder communities that will promote bi-directional
knowledge exchange, collaborative identification of research and outreach needs and priorities, and
co-development of tractable options for im...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10733142
- **Project number:** 1P01ES035541-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Theresa Sinicrope Talley
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $78,071
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-03-10 → 2029-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10733142

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10733142, Community Engagement Core: Seafood risks and benefits - Science, literacy and engagement (1P01ES035541-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10733142. Licensed CC0.

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