Five UMass Research Teams Awarded 2024 Public Service Endowment Grants

Researchers in the College of Education, College of Natural Sciences, Isenberg School of Management, College of Engineering and School of Public Health and Health Sciences have received Public Service Endowment Grants (PSEG) for 2024. These one-year grants support efforts that build mutually beneficial collaborations between UMass and off-campus community organizations.

Justin Coles

Speaking Truth to Power: Stories of Identity, Blackness, and Community with Youth in Western Massachusetts<_o3a_p>

Justin Coles, associate professor of education and director of arts, culture, and political engagements at the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research, has been awarded $15,000 to explore teen Black identity in Springfield using Black Storywork. This method lets participants express their lived experiences using interviews, focus groups and artistic expressions like poetry, drawings, painting, community mapping and photography.<_o3a_p>

"The goal of this project is to provide a space for Black youth to explore identity as it intersects with their schooling experiences through methods of storytelling," Coles describes in the project abstract. <_o3a_p>

The research, in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club Family Center in Springfield, will also develop Black Storywork programming for this group for use beyond this research.

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Maria Galano

Culturally Specific Mental Health Care Needs Assessment with Latina Survivors of IPV<_o3a_p>

About 41% of women have experienced intimate partner violence (IVP) in the U.S., and Latina women - who experience high rates of IPV - are underrepresented in research on this topic. To address this, Maria Galano, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, has been awarded $14,440. She will partner with Alianza, a Holyoke-based organization that supports survivors of domestic violence, to collect information on the barriers to engagement among Latina survivors and design culturally specific programming to better meet these needs.<_o3a_p>

"The knowledge gained from this project will improve the cultural specificity of interventions to address IPV and mental health among Latinas and address an important health equity issue," says Galano.

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Alicia Johnson (left) and Sheila Pennell

A Community-Student-Academic Partnership to Test and Implement Marketing Interventions<_o3a_p>

Alicia Johnson, assistant professor of marketing, and Sheila Pennell, clinical assistant professor of nursing, will use their $15,000 grant to help Hospice of the Fisher Home (HFH) in Amherst understand what factors influence consumers' willingness to engage in end-of-life care planning and donate to end-of-life care organizations. <_o3a_p>

End-of-life care plans are often neglected, and when the need for end-of-life care arises, people are financially unprepared and have to make many decisions quickly, without fully understanding all of their options. <_o3a_p>

Through this partnership, the researchers aim to help HFH raise positive awareness of their mission and services, help the nonprofit meet its fundraising goals, and provide UMass Amherst students the opportunity to work on marketing initiatives for an established organization.

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Anuj Pradhan

Assessing and Calibrating Teen Drivers' Risk Perceptions About Cannabis Impaired Driving: A Pilot Driving Simulator Study<_o3a_p>

About 9% of 16- to 20-year-olds reported driving under the influence of cannabis in 2018.<_o3a_p>

"Despite the known risks, there is a disconnect between the perception of cannabis as harmless and its actual potential for harm," says Anuj Pradhan, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, in the project abstract.<_o3a_p>

Pradhan has been awarded $14,967 to study this disconnect using surveys and driving simulation. The researchers will also make recommendations for mitigating this issue. Pradhan will collaborate with the CLOSE Community Coalition in Longmeadow, a group dedicated to the prevention and intervention of youth substance use.

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Theo Schall

Enhancing Shared Decision-Making with Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients

"Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people in the United States face pervasive health disparities," writes Theo Schall, assistant professor of health policy and management, in his project abstract. "While gender-affirming care can mitigate these disparities, poor communication and inadequate information are common barriers to care."<_o3a_p>

Schall will use his $15,000 PSEG grant to partner with Transhealth, a health and community center located in Northampton, and develop a shared decision-making tool designed with input from staff and providers, local TGD advocacy groups and Transhealth patients. This shared decision-making tool's goal is to improve patient understanding and patient-provider communication. It is an interactive survey that allows patients to indicate what kinds of care they might be interested in while also providing additional educational resources. Once completed, the tool, including integrated referral to educational resources, will be available at Transhealth and other clinics that offer gender-affirming care.

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