Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change is the greatest threat to human health. To better understand the public health consequences of global climate change, the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health is building connections with partners around the world and in the Atlanta community. The department leads high-impact research on climate effects, strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and approaches for increasing resilience to climate change. A national leader in training future leaders to combat climate change, the department plays a key role in translating research into policy and practice. With the support of 2O36, we will continue this important work.

The state of the nation’s mental health is a major public health crisis that has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a tumultuous racial and political climate. This is particularly true among American youth who are experiencing a steady rise in mental health concerns and an alarming increase in suicide rates making it the second cause of death for youth ages 10-24. For twenty years, Rollins has been at the forefront of mental health research, teaching, and practice approaching mental health challenges through a public health lens. From the epidemiologic burden of mental illness on society, PTSD and ischemic heart disease, air pollutants and neurodegeneration incidence, epigenetics and neuropsychiatric disorders, air pollution and Alzheimer’s, Rollins researchers, policy makers, and advocates seek to identify the causes of and risk factors of mental illnesses while providing vital training, comprehensive perspectives, and solutions to these critical threats to health and well-being.

Substance use disorders affect almost every family in the United States, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. Rollins is working to help end suffering from substance use disorders and related maladies, including overdoses, hepatitis C, HIV, and neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Rollins faculty, staff, students, and collaborators are advancing research and developing interventions, which we will further advance through 2O36. These efforts will encompass drug discovery, novel clinical interventions, community-based interventions, and policy research.

Since 2011, Emory’s Global Diabetes Research Center (EGDRC) at the Rollins School of Public Health has been at the vanguard of diabetes research, training, and public policy around the world. Utilizing a multi-pronged approach to address the problem of diabetes and its associated complications through integrating innovative investigations into the causes and cures for the disease, the EGDRC also serves as a leader in Georgia, nationwide, and globally in development, innovation, treatment and prevention of diabetes and hypertension, two of the world’s costliest, fastest growing, and most deadly and disabling diseases. With support from 2036, we will continue to explore, via groundbreaking techniques, the root causes of the disease as well as precise ways to personalize medicine for diabetes, interventions to prevent diabetes, applications of advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) to improve care delivery, and public health and policy approaches for improving the quality of care and health equity.

Working with the Georgia Cancer Registry, Rollins researchers are building the United State's first database of cancer recurrence, launched by a time-limited National Institutes of Health grant. Given that 15 million cancer survivors live in the United States alone, the new registry will fill an important gap in knowledge. Through 2036, we will support the program’s sustainability, which will help to increase the understanding of cancer outcomes and advance research on patterns and predictors of recurrence.

HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and cancer are preventable yet major causes of death for many Americans. The Hubert Department of Global Health seeks funding to build collaborations with partners worldwide to enhance our work in HIV/AIDS; global safe water, sanitation, and hygiene; cancer; and diabetes. With the help of 2O36, we will combat diseases and save lives, and under-resourced countries will have new strategies for responding to these health threats.

Emory is in a strong position to be a global leader in implementation science research to address health disparity. An emerging field of study, implementation science explores the application of research findings into routine practice and policy. With support for implementation science research in health disparities, Rollins will develop an interdisciplinary focus on social determinants of health and environmental justice. 2O36 will support grant proposal development, capacity building, training, community-based collaborations, and partnerships with CARE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Collaboration is central to everything we do at Emory, and that extends to health equity. Support for our work in this important area of research brings together faculty from different disciplines to determine how health policy and health care systems affect health inequities. Through 2O36, we will organize educational programming and training activities to influence policies that improve health for all.

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and we’ve already learned several lessons related to public health. For one, we know that global pandemics require increased investments in infectious disease research and disaster preparedness. New strategies for pandemic response and public education are imperative if we want to be prepared for the next disruptive event. With increased investments through 2O36, Rollins will have a head start in crafting pandemic responses, disease prevention plans, public health communications, vaccine denial responses, and strategies that improve testing and tracing.

While medicine and public health have advanced radically in the last century, access and benefits of such advances are not equally realized across populations of the US or the world. Structural racism, discrimination, and other racial and ethnic disparities persist. In the United States, People of Color carry an unequal burden of chronic disease and have higher mortality rates compared to their white counterparts. Rollins researchers are at the forefront of groundbreaking research to better understand the root causes of inequity and design, implement, and evaluate strategies toward health equity for all. Further, we are focused on building an academic community where all members are able to thrive. 2O36 will support our diverse and inclusive community, enhance our scholarly mission to eliminate health disparities, and improve health outcomes in disadvantaged and vulnerable populations.