The NIH Common Fund is funding five new research awards to Health Equity Research Hubs that will support community-led research projects. These awards total more than $37 million over five years, pending availability of funds.

Structural factors in communities such as access to education, health care, and social context shape the health of those communities and contribute to ongoing health disparities. Developing new programs that target the causes of these disparities is integral to improving equal access to health resources. The needs of communities vary, so input from individuals and local leadership is critical to develop successful, sustainable initiatives. The Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Program was designed for community-based organizations to lead the way in researching, designing, implementing, and assessing projects that address community needs and reduce health disparities.

Technical scientific support rooted in health disparities expertise is necessary for successful community research projects. The five new Health Equity Research Hubs (Hubs) will provide hands-on research support to 25 Community-Led, Health Equity Structural Intervention (CHESI) projects. Expertise provided by the Hubs will focus on specific facets of community health, including nutrition access, health care access, and built environment.

• The Hub at Yale University will focus on food and nutrition security, and offers expertise in study design, community engagement, and health policy. Its community partners include New Haven Healthy Start, DataHaven, Community Alliance for Research & Engagement (CARE), and Community Action Agency of New Haven.  
• The Hub at the University of Maryland, Baltimore will leverage experience connecting researchers and clinicians with community members through The PATIENTS Program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and their community-based organization (CBO) partners to provide support to CHESI projects related to community health access.  
• The Partners Engaged in Equity Research (PEER) Hub will combine the resources of several schools at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with specific university initiatives including the Michigan Institute for Clinical Research and the university’s Poverty Solutions initiative, altogether providing support to CHESIs across multiple social determinants of health.  
• The SHHARE Community Project: The Shared Hub for Health Action Research and Equity in Community-led Interventions at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine will support the advancement of community-driven and participatory research to reduce health inequities through a social determinants of health approach.   
• The Southeast Center for Health Achievement and Growth in Equity (SEACHANGE) Hub at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has expertise working with rural community partners, and will focus on providing support in social and cultural context. 

Each Hub will support five CHESI projects, with additional support from the ComPASS Coordinating Center to ensure that hands-on technical assistance is readily available. They will aid in scientific capacity building, study design, and statistics to ensure project success, leading to long-term interventions that positively contribute to equitable community health.

The ComPASS program is funded by the NIH Common Fund and managed collaboratively by NIH staff from the Common Fund; National Cancer Institute; National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; National Institute of Nursing Research; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and NIH Office of Research on Women's Health, with many other NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices participating in program development and management. More information is available on the ComPASS program website: https://commonfund.nih.gov/compass.