Drexel University Receives Five Year NIH Grant to Establish the ComPASS Coordination Center for Health Equity

Drexel University’s Dornside School of Public Health, home to the NNIP partner Urban Health Collaborative, received a 5 year grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to establish the Coordination Center for the Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Program. The ComPASS program is providing $171 million over five years to the coordination center and 25 community groups to improve health outcomes by addressing structural factors, such as access to safe spaces, healthy food, employment opportunities, transportation, and quality health care. The community organization grantees will partner with academic institutions and others across the phases of their research and interventions.

Through the ComPASS Coordination Center, UHC will serve as the backbone of the program and support grantees as they implement effective interventions, rebuild community trust, and shift power back to communities. The Center will provide technical assistance to the community grantees; oversee data collection, harmonization, reporting, and sharing; initiate a Health Equity Research Assembly of national experts to consult with the grantees; and foster collaboration through peer learning and synthesizing content across the projects.