The C-LAB Faculty Collaborative Project Grant aims to encourage the development of research and publicly-engaged research communities. Grantees are advancing Social Justice through their research questions, innovative methodologies, community collaborations, and/or diverse publication dissemination methods.
Introducing the 2023-2024 C-LAB Faculty Grantee
“Using a Community-engaged Approach to Improve the Charitable Food System for Latino Families in Orange County”
Denise D. Payán, Associate Professor, Department of Health, Society and Behavior, Program in Public Health
This project will establish a new academic-community partnership between UC Irvine and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Evidence produced by this mixed methods study will help advance research to improve the nutrition environment of charitable food systems and increase alignment between distributed foods and cultural relevance for marginalized race/ethnic groups. Results will include social justice-oriented recommendations to support the nutrition, health, and social needs of Latino families in Orange County, who are disproportionately impacted by food insecurity and diet-related chronic illness.