Johnson Foundation poll recognizes work by UNC Charlotte researchers

“Por Nuestros Ojos: Understanding Social Determinants of Health through the Eyes of Youth,” co-authored by a number of UNC Charlotte researchers, was named among the four most influential research pieces related to health care disparities for 2014, according to the Culture of Health Reader Poll by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, considered the largest philanthropic efforts devoted to public health.

The article details a “photo voice” project conducted by the Mecklenburg Partnership for Primary care Research (MAPPR) as part of a National Institutes of Health-funded study on the social determinants of health of the Hispanic community in Charlotte. Photo voice is a participatory technique used to illustrate the lived experience of groups from their perspective. Hispanic youth were paired with UNC Charlotte students and asked to take pictures of elements in their neighborhoods that positively or negatively influence their health and explain what they are portraying. Their work influenced the development of nine Community Wellness Fairs and two community health groups.

MAPPR is a trans-disciplinary team studying the barriers to health care access for underserved and vulnerable populations in Charlotte. The team’s mission is to bring together community members, organizations and researchers to improve community health and quality of life. MAPPR is a multi-institutional network with researchers from Carolinas Healthcare System’s Department of Family Medicine and UNC Charlotte’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs Office and the College of Health and Human Services.

Claire Schuch, Brisa Hernandez, Heather Smith, Janni Sorensen and Owen Furuseth are UNC Charlotte authors for “Por Nuestros Ojos: Understanding Social Determinants of Health through the Eyes of Youth.”

Photo: Claire Schuch (left) with youth participants at the “Photo voice” exhibit at the Latin American Coalition.