I'm Nancy Schoenberg.
I'm the Marion Pearsall Professor of Behavioral Science in the College of Medicine, and I'm
the founding director of the Center for Health Equity Transformation.
I'm a health equity researcher.
My goal is really to use the evidence base to improve health outcomes for all populations.
We know in our population, rural residents, African Americans, Latinx populations, and
Native Americans shoulder a disproportionate burden from chronic diseases and acute diseases.
And so, my goal is not to have the other groups sink down, but in fact to level the playing
field, so that all people have the opportunity to live healthier lives.
I think my background as an anthropologist really helped me to become involved with community-engaged research.
We acknowledge that we are not the experts, and the experts are the people we are talking to.
We need to listen to people, we need to honor what they say is important in their lives,
and why they do and don't do things.
And once we do that, then we can work with them to come up with solutions.
And it is to our knowledge, the first randomized control trial of an mHealth or mobile health
technology-oriented intervention in Appalachia Kentucky.
And our goal for that project, is to try to increase fruit and vegetable intake, to increase
physical activity, and to decrease screen time.
In all my field work in Appalachia, we see a lot of people on their phones.
There used to be the assumption that rural people don't have the technology.
They don't use the technology. They don't know how to use it.
These are all stereotypes and they're not true anymore.
And so, because they don't have opportunities in their environments for gyms or for other
healthcare professional access, we know that using the internet and using technology may
be a really good substitute for what's not available in their local communities.
The most fulfilling moments in our research is when we know we've made a difference in someone's life.
When people come up to us and say, “My mother did not die from cervical cancer because she
was in one of your studies.
And in that study, you encouraged her to get a pap test and she did, and her doctors were
able to identify early on something that looks suspicious, and you saved her life.”
Those are such satisfying moments.
We've had so many victories.
So training that next generation is everything to me and to my colleagues.
I want them to have a grounded experience.
I want them to go to Eastern Kentucky or other rural communities and work with us.
I want them to recognize the assets that those community members have and that those communities
-- even though they have challenges -- they are amazingly resilient, vibrant places.
Over the years, we have trained dozens and dozens of students from all sorts of backgrounds.
And to see them moving from being an undergraduate or being a graduate student without much experience,
to actually conducting their own health equity research is immensely satisfying.
I've just celebrated my 25th anniversary as a UK faculty member.
UK has always been incredibly supportive of my research.
As an anthropologist in the College of Medicine, initially, I think a lot of people did not
exactly understand what kind of work I was doing.
This is really outreach.
Taking those existing interventions and making sure they work in a community setting, and
people start to understand the importance of that work.
I have never had any shortage of collaborators here.
People's doors are open and that is a hallmark of UK -- is our sense of collaboration, our
sense of mission, our responsibility, and respect for the land grant.
We need to hear from all voices.
There is no one group that has the market on solutions -- on best research practices.
Studies have shown time and time again, that the most creative, most impactful, most frequently
cited publications, are those from diverse research teams.
So one trend that I am very encouraged by, but recognize we need to go a lot further
-- is making sure that all people are at the table -- people from all backgrounds, all walks of life.
Because we need their talent and we need their input, and it just improves our science tremendously.