The Health Equity Scholars for Action program you are a part of is connected to a larger body of work within RWJF: Transforming Research to Advance Equity.
To deeply embed equity in the data, evidence, and knowledge that fuel change, RWJF and its partners are working to disrupt the field of health research training and funding to better address structural racism and other forms of oppression and enhance future health equity. To that end, the Foundation’s Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) unit has launched three complementary programs aimed at building a Culture of Health: Health Equity Scholars for Action (HES4A); Transforming Academia for Equity (TAE); and Partners for Advancing Health Equity: Research Learning Collaborative (P4HE Collaborative). These three interrelated programs will help drive change at the individual, institutional, and collective levels to deconstruct methods, expand modes of inquiry, apply different kinds of rigor in research, and, ultimately, find better ways to gain knowledge that are not just extractive but informative.
The specific focuses of the programs are as follows:
Health Equity Scholars for Action: Recruit and support a field of researchers with diverse perspectives, data sources, and methodologies who can inform, shape, and drive health equity through community-driven research that investigates the joint effects of structural, interpersonal, and cultural domains of racism—and potential solutions.
Transforming Academia for Equity: Equip public health schools and programs to challenge racially-biased conventions in research and academia, promote innovation, and train future generations of diverse scholars.
Partners for Advancing Health Equity: Research Learning Collaborative: Create a collaborative space for a wide variety of actors and organizations dedicated to advancing solutions to achieve health equity. This cross-sector community will share and learn about effective health equity evidence, practices, and strategies to help inform decision-makers who can use the data to inform policy.
Since our inception, RWJF has been driven by a continuous cycle of Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL). Our “For Action” research programs within REL are helping to identify the root causes of health disparities in America, and potential solutions to improve health, equity, and well-being:
Evidence for Action (E4A)
Health Data for Action (HD4A)
Policies for Action (P4A)
Systems for Action (S4A)
Together, and in coordination with other research programs and activities underway at the Foundation, these REL programs are working to strengthen the evidence base needed to build a Culture of Health.
To explore funding opportunities within these (and other) RWJF programs, visit https://www.rwjf.org/en/how-we-work/grants-explorer/program-finder.html
A Culture of Health places well-being at the center of every aspect of life. It’s a culture in which good health and well-being flourish across geographic, demographic, and social sectors; fostering healthy equitable communities guides public and private decision-making; and everyone has the opportunity to make choices that lead to healthy lifestyles.