GSU Contributes to Historymaking Health Database
On November 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., community members participated in a survey, gave lab samples and more in front of the D-Building. The data collected will be used to inform more specific approaches to patient healthcare.
Governors State University’s College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) is partnering with a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history to address disparities and improve outcomes.
“All of Us” is a research-based program working to improve health care, said Dr. Tonya Roberson, Director of Community Engagement, Program Development and Academic Support for CHHS. The program is especially vital for underrepresented communities including people of color and those with lower incomes who are frequently excluded from clinical trials research, Roberson said.
Additionally, unlike most research studies that focus on one disease or group of people, All of Us is building a diverse database that can inform thousands of studies on a variety of health conditions, she said.
Roberson and other leaders hosted a mobile unit in front of D-Building on Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Community members participated in a survey, gave lab samples and more. The data collected will be used to inform more specific approaches to patient healthcare, said Roberson.
Getting GSU involved in this effort allows Jaguars to work with a national effort and help build a diverse database that can inform thousands of studies and improve health care through research and access to new treatment for all.
GSU Alumnus D’Andre Hollie ('21) who works with All of Us at the University of Chicago Medicine, said the program has given him the opportunity to educate participants about cancer.
“We are a program aimed at making medicine better for all in the future and with each person who participates puts us one step closer,” Hollie said.
After the Nov. 14 visit, the program’s mobile unit will return to campus on Dec. 5 and then on Dec. 19.
For more information email Dr. Roberson at troberson4@govst.edu.