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 2024-2025 C-LAB Faculty Grantees
“Community Health Worker Strategies to Advance Belonging and Anti-Racism through Systems Change Efforts during the Pandemic”
Alana M.W. LeBrón, Associate Professor, Departments of Health, Society and Behavior and Chicano/Latino Studies
John Bilimek, Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine
This study explores the role of Community Health Workers (CHWs) or promotores in addressing health and social inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic in low-income, immigrant, and communities of color in Orange County, California. Through a secondary qualitative analysis of data from the CATALYST study, this research examines how CHWs adapted their roles to meet community needs, promote systemic change, and build community power. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research approach, the study highlights CHWs’ contributions to fostering resilience, advancing health equity, and addressing structural injustices. Findings will inform justice-oriented strategies to support community-driven initiatives and systemic reforms.
“Archipelago of Indigenous Environmental Justice”
Tiara Naputi, Associate Professor, Department of Global & International Studies
Critical perspectives of military impacts on the environment remains woefully under examined—especially within the Mariana Islands archipelago. Meanwhile, Indigenous Pacific Islanders continue demanding action on climate change and militarism to ensure environmental justice for their communities in Oceania and throughout their diasporas—especially California, which has one of the fastest growing populations of these identity groups (U.S. Census 2020). Southern California has the largest concentration of military in the world, and is a major hub of defense presence in the continental U.S. Thus, this collaborative research project connects the Mariana Islands and Southern California as a collective archipelago of Indigenous environmental justice. It engages with ongoing Indigenous-led research, creative arts-based practices, and restoration initiatives around climate change and U.S. militarism.
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.