Research shouldn’t happen about communities without being shaped by them! The CARES Center (Community Action in Research to Eliminate Substance Use Disorders) is an NIH-funded initiative within the USC Patient Engagement Studio that brings people with lived experience into the research process. Through structured feedback sessions, Patient Experts help researchers strengthen their studies, improve recruitment, and make their work more relevant to the communities they aim to serve.

I’m Destiny Jordan and i'm the CARES Center Coordinator at the University of South Carolina Patient Engagement Studio. My background is in epidemiology, and I’ve worked across public health, nonprofits, hospitals, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. I love numbers and systems thinking, but the work that drives me now is bringing people with lived experience to the table with researchers and making sure their voices shape the work being done.

For me, community engagement is about building relationships rooted in trust, respect, and the belief that lived experience is expertise. I'm passionate about creating spaces where people feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and helping researchers understand the value those insights bring. When the people most impacted by an issue are included in the conversation, research becomes more meaningful, solutions become stronger, and outcomes are more likely to reflect the needs of the communities they are intended to serve.

I bring my own lived experience to this work, which fuels my passion for ensuring that community voices are heard, valued, and included in decision making. I live by the motto, "Disappointments in life are inevitable, but discouragement is a choice," and I strive to bring that mindset into both my personal and professional life.