I have primary responsibilities for interdisciplinary and community collaboration, research support and infrastructure enhancements as Assistant Professor, Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine; Associate Director and Epidemiologist/Sociologist of the Research Design and Biostatistics (RDB) Core, Morehouse School of Medicine; and co-Director of the Georgia CTSA (Clinical and Translational Sciences Alliance) Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) Core.  I have significant experience in research, teaching, mentoring, community engagement principals and methods, community capacity building, program planning and evaluation, and policy analysis, consistent with this proposed project.  My previous research has included efforts to better understand variations in care quality by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other patient characteristics; to improve healthcare quality by implementing evidence-based interventions to eliminate inequities in healthcare; and to integrate scientific findings into healthcare decisions and health policy to achieve equitable best care practices. I have over two decades of experience in conducting health disparities and health equity research. I oversee the day-to-day activities of the RDB Core and serves as a mentor and liaison to students and new, junior, and senior faculty investigators in the areas of research design, biostatistics and data collection methods, quantitative and qualitative data analyses, community intervention development, planning and implantation, community engagement and evaluation principles. I have an extensive background in working with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), curriculum development and training community health workers (CHWs) and peer leaders in chronic disease self-management and prevention. My previous research has included efforts to better understand variations in care quality by race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other patient characteristics; to improve healthcare quality by implementing evidence-based interventions to eliminate inequities in healthcare; and to integrate scientific findings into healthcare decisions and health policy to achieve equitable best care practices. My major research interest is in how pre-existing agency and structural vectors intersect to increase health inequalities in minority populations.