Nola Reporter

Xavier University of Louisiana is among the country’s top 10  historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in terms of  National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Xavier professors Dr.  LaKeisha Williams and Dr. Sara Al-Dahir are among Xavier’s faculty  members aiming to strengthen communities and improve health equity by  working alongside federally qualified healthcare clinics, neighborhood  associations, independent pharmacies, and faith-based organizations in  New Orleans and worldwide.

Xavier’s NIH grants— Research Centers for Minority Institutions  (RCMI), Louisiana Community Engagement Alliance (LA-CEAL), Tomosynthesis  Mammographic Image, Screen and Trial (TMIST), and Rapid Acceleration of  Diagnostics for Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) support vulnerable  and minority communities across Louisiana. These grants address COVID-19  vaccination and testing, education, and minority inclusion in clinical  trials. The contributions of Xavier’s faculty and alums in support of  communal health reinforce the university’s mission to create a more  just, humane society.

Dr. Gene D’Amour, Xavier’s Special Assistant to President and  Provost, is part of RCMI. RCMI, awarded to Xavier yearly from the NIH’s  National Institute for Minority and Health Disparities, funds university  research, surveys, and focus groups. Dr. D’Amour shares the significant  work Xavier is conducting to engage communities nationwide.

“There’s a lot going on at Xavier when it comes to developing  research with underprivileged communities, and it’s all beautifully  consistent with Xavier’s mission. We’re conducting analysis, data, and  working with communication experts to help encourage vaccination and  helping communities know where to get vaccinated,” said Dr. D’Amour.  “The percentage of our faculty that are involved in this research has  dramatically expanded. We’re not only big in terms of our educational  programs, but we are also getting to the same point with our research  programs.” 

Dr. LaKeisha Williams (‘02 and ‘09) is a Clinical Associate Professor  in Xavier’s College of Pharmacy. She is a Xavier alumna, graduating  with both her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy from the  institution. She holds several leadership positions at Xavier, including  director of Xavier’s Center of Health Disparities and head of Xavier’s  community engagement core. She is also head of the LA-CEAL project, an  ongoing collaboration with Tulane University.

Dr. Williams and Xavier faculty members Dr. D’Amour, Dr. Sara  Al-Dahir, Dr. William Kirchain, Dr. Janel Bailey-Wheeler, Dr. Raven  Jackson, Ms. Adrienne Mitchell, and Ms. Tynesia Fields have worked on  LA-CEAL since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed Xavier to  lead community engagement by working with organizations to fight  against and provide information on COVID-19, address barriers and aid  community members. The collaborative efforts of Xavier and Tulane on  LA-CEAL helped community organizations create health fairs, outreach  activities and back-to-school functions for the community. These events  also provided COVID-19 vaccinations, vaccinating over 500 attendees.

“I’m a proud Xavier graduate, so I’m proud of the work we’ve been doing in the community and beyond,” said Dr. Williams.

Xavier’s research collaborations help the NIH form the best  intervention methods to improve community healthcare. There are plans to  continue health collaborations and develop a network of healthcare  professionals, students and faculty to bridge gaps in healthcare  accessibility.

“We noticed from COVID-19 that the maintenance of many people’s  health had decreased because they didn’t have access to providers or  health screenings,” said Dr. Williams. “Bringing in networks we have on  campus, such as our telehealth and wellness center, will allow us to  identify people who do not have healthcare providers and connect them  with one. This will also allow us to educate community members, whether  through increasing medication compliance or helping to improve mental  and physical health.”

Dr. Williams also works with TMIST, collaborating with Louisiana  State University (LSU) Health Science Center. TMIST aims to increase  breast cancer screenings and inclusive participation in clinical trials.  Xavier faculty involved with TMIST also includes Dr. Jasmin Eugene and  Ms. Tynesia Fields, as well as Xavier grad and LSU faculty member Dr.  Shawn McKinney (‘93). Other LSU faculty members working on the grant  include Dr. Brooke Morrell, Dr. Mignonne Morrell, and Ms. Joann Cassama.  TMIST aims to raise community awareness of available breast cancer  screening opportunities, such as 3D mammograms.

“Minority and Black women are disproportionally affected by and die  from aggressive forms of cancer, such as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer  (TNBC), because minority women have different density in their breast  tissue,” said Dr. Williams. “2D mammograms may not necessarily see  tumors women may have. 3D mammograms are amazing because they allow us  to see breast tissue better and show different angles of what may be  hidden.”

Black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with TNBC and often  do not have available treatment options, serving as a disadvantage for  Black and minority populations. Increased breast cancer screenings and  diversity in clinical trials are crucial to improving health outcomes  and reducing breast cancer health disparities. Dr. Williams emphasizes  the importance of community involvement as formulating trust with  community members is vital to successful health outcomes.

“To know how to best treat minority populations, we must get people  involved in clinical trials. TMIST offers breast cancer screenings, MRI  screenings, and others that, due to pricing, tend to not be as  available,” said Dr. Williams. “Raising awareness about clinical trials  will help so many women have conversations with healthcare providers  about breast cancer, ask questions, and learn of different options  regarding testing and screenings.”

Dr. Al-Dahir (‘06) is a clinical professor in Xavier’s College of  Pharmacy and works with LA-CEAL. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy  degree from Xavier after earning both her Bachelor of Science and a  Master of Public Health and Epidemiology from Tulane University and her  Doctor of Public Health from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public  Health. She also has board certification and training in infectious  diseases.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Al-Dahir and Xavier  colleagues Dr. Christopher Gillard, Dr. Brittany Singleton, Dr. Martha  Earls, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, and Dr. Daniel Salmon have been part  of RADx-UP. RADx-UP assesses barriers to vaccine hesitancy. Conducted  nationally, RADx-UP focuses on communication with vulnerable communities  and addressing populations experiencing COVID-19 disparities, such as  African American, Spanish, and Native American communities.

Another RCMI supplement consisting of Dr. Al-Dahir, Dr. Brittany  Singleton, Dr. Ashley Taylor, Dr. Katrina Nguyen, Dr. Klaus Heyer, and  Dr. Daniel Salmon addresses COVID-19 vaccine education to increase  vaccine uptake in vulnerable communities. This supplement looks at  delivering vaccine education at the point of COVID-19 testing to study  barriers and vaccination encouragement.

“The core of these grants has been community engagement, community  participation, and community accountability. These projects work under  national umbrellas to coordinate research strategies and tools in  support of vulnerable communities. It’s really an amazing consortium of  individuals dedicated to COVID-19 diagnostics and vaccination,” said Dr.  Al-Dahir.

Dr. Al-Dahir expressed accountability as the most significant  component of these grant approaches. She emphasizes community  involvement as key to achieving successful community research and that  community research must be inclusive.

“There’s a saying ‘not about us without us,’ which means do not come  into our communities to conduct research or develop policies unless  those communities are part of the conversation. The community should not  only have multiple seats at the table, but be the pillars of the  table,” said Dr. Al-Dahir.

In 2018, Dr. Al-Dahir conducted research training on vaccine equity.  As she studied and performed research collaboratives internationally,  her interest in vaccines and disparities proved critical as the COVID-19  pandemic swept the globe.

“I translated what I learned about traditional barriers to vaccine  uptake, equity, and distribution and applied it to our projects. What  was unique about the Xavier RADx-UP team was where everyone else focused  on COVID-19 testing, we focused on COVID-19 vaccine uptake prior to the  development and release of the vaccine,” shared Dr. Al-Dahir. “We had a  lot of foresight and knew there were tremendous vaccine uptake  inequities based on race and socioeconomic status.”

The great effort and dedication of Xavier's faculty and alums leave a  lasting impact on communities. The grants endowed for them to continue  their work help create opportunities for all to receive optimal  healthcare, supporting underserved communities and improving health  equity while mitigating disparities.

Original source can be found here.