# UK ASCEND (Achieving Success in Community-Engaged research to elimiNate Disparities)

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2024 · $141,941

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY– ADMINISTRATIVE CORE
The Administrative Core of University of Kentucky (UK) ASCEND (Achieving Success in Community-Engaged
research to elimiNate Disparities) provides strategic leadership for program oversight, management, and
evaluation of the proposed activities. The Core also provides governance, cross-core collaboration and
communication, fiscal management, and institutional coordination to achieve our objective of advancing health
equity by promoting community-engaged research (CER) success among ESIs from diverse backgrounds
through the ASCEND Scholars Program (ASP) which consist of two transformative and linked opportunities:
(1) the CER Training Program and (2) the CER Pilot Program with bi-directional engagement with community
stakeholders through a Community Advisory Board (CAB). Motivated by the disproportionate health disparities
experienced by underserved rural (particularly Appalachian) Black, Hispanic, and socioeconomically
disadvantaged populations living in Kentucky - a state ranked among the worst in overall health- the UK
ASCEND Administrative Core will provide the scientific and strategic direction for our proposed NIMHD Center
of Excellence. This Core is led by two Co-Directors who are also multiple principal investigators who have
successfully collaborated on grant applications, leadership initiatives, and a recent health equity cluster hires of
underrepresented minority ESIs. Housed in the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) and in
collaboration with the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTS) and other institutional
strengths, we will embed diverse ESIs within the rich research environments of institutionally-designated
Research Priority Areas (RPAs). These RPAs address the most significant health disparities (cancer,
neurological disorders, substance use disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes/obesity), with a sixth RPA
addressing diversity and inclusion. The Administrative Core aims to: (1) Provide scientific leadership and
governance, fiscal and regulatory management, effective communication strategies, and cross-sector
collaboration for all programmatic activities, consistent with NIH protocols and equitable and sustainable
community partnerships and (2) Continuously examine UK ASCEND's performance and progress through the
systematic deployment of formative and summative evaluation approaches using optimal measures, evaluation
science standards, and community engagement principles. Our three primary outcomes include: ESI CER
career development, community engagement, and ESI research success. The Administrative Core will serve
as the nexus for all UK ASCEND communication, meetings, financial management, regulatory activities,
interactions with the NIH, and evaluation activities, ever mindful of our key objective-- to advance health equity
by attaining success in community-engaged health equity research among diverse early-stage investigators.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10899957
- **Project number:** 1P50MD019476-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Nancy E. Schoenberg
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $141,941
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-13 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10899957

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10899957, UK ASCEND (Achieving Success in Community-Engaged research to elimiNate Disparities) (1P50MD019476-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10899957. Licensed CC0.

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