Our commitment is to community, collaboration and cooperation in order to amplify the collective voice and lived experiences of historically marginalized and disproportionately affected populations. By centering this approach, we champion  tools that help public health practitioners effectively monitor the presence of racism and social stigma in communities, and respond in real time. We are committed to understanding how people find resolve in the face of crises, and informing public health interventions that support those outcomes.

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Focused Areas(1)

Public health practitioners do not typically monitor for the presence, spread and impacts of COVID19-related stigma on historically marginalized, racialized and underserved populations. Yet, prior epidemics such as HIV have demonstrated that stigma can weaken disease mitigation practices among the most disproportionately affected populations, contributes to their mistrust of public health messages, delays access to recommended services and reduces adherence to prescribed treatment regimens. Thus, stigma plays a major role in limiting the potential of communities of color to thrive during an epidemic. Monitoring social exposures to stigma can identify critical constraints to addressing root causes of COVID-19 inequities among disproportionately affected populations. This project uses a community-participatory approach to:

  • Expand the evidence base for addressing stigma and discrimination in communities of concern
  • Amplify and enhance programs and practices to reach populations that have been put at increased risk by building trust between essential and frontline workers and the communities they serve
  • Empower and expand the reach of essential and frontline workers by supporting the training, program delivery and practice activities to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and other diseases causing disproportionate burden in communities of concern

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