Research and Evaluation Group

Join us in celebrating a decade of dedication!!

Today marks an incredible milestone - Leslie Williams, our lead evaluator and project manager - has been with us for 10 incredible years! 🙌 Her invaluable contributions to EvalGroup and all of our clients has been immeasurable! She is truly making an impact on this world, and we are blessed to have her on our team ❤🤝

Here's to many more, cheers! 🥂

As public health professionals, advocacy is a cornerstone of our work. We're committed to championing policies that prioritize health for all. Our clients are dedicated advocates, tirelessly working to raise awareness and drive change within our communities.

During this National Public Health Week , we encourage you to explore this toolkit 🛠 as it offers valuable insights into communication and advocacy strategies, empowering you to make a meaningful impact within your programs. 📢

https://phern.communitycommons.org/protecting-public-health-authority-advocacy-toolkit/

💪Let's continue to strive for a healthier future, together! 🙌

🎉🌟 Join us in celebrating National Public Health Week! 🌟🎉

👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ Public health is everyone's business! From promoting healthy lifestyles to preventing diseases, this week let's recognize the tireless efforts of public health professionals and the importance of prioritizing health in our communities.

🌍 Eval group proudly continues to work with our many clients to take action and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Collectively we can create a more inclusive and healthier future for all! 🌟

We are thrilled to announce that Miriam Walton has successfully earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification! 🌟

Miriam brings dedication, expertise, and a passion for excellence to every project she tackles. Her recent work on the CARES project as our PMP exemplifies her commitment to delivering top-notch results.

We are delighted to have her on our team and excited to work with her on upcoming projects. Her leadership and proficiency in project management will undoubtedly drive success and innovation within our organization.

Please join us in congratulating Miriam on this fantastic achievement! 🚀

Our Senior Evaluator, Leslie Williams, had an amazing time at the recent CDC Awardee event for the National and State To***co Control Program CDC grant with over 300 industry professionals!

Our client Learn to Grow, Inc./H.E.A.R.T. Coalition was the only community-based organization to secure funding as part of this prestigious 5-year grant. 🙌 Yay!!

The agenda was packed with engaging workshops, insightful roundtable discussions, and a wealth of networking opportunities. 🤝 It was an enriching experience for everyone involved!

A special shoutout to Ms. D'Jillisser Kelly, who absolutely nailed it on the panel! Her insights and expertise on the vital role collective efforts play in building and sustaining coalitions, supporting community-led policy development, and advancing endgame strategies crucial for a to***co-free future added so much value to the event. Kudos, Ms. Kelly! 👏

EvalGroup is excited and thankful for the opportunity to continue making positive changes within our public health communities alongside this amazing organization! 💪✨

Last week was Dr. Seuss Week and one of our lead evaluators, Leslie Williams, had the incredible opportunity to participate by reading to the kids at her local elementary school! 📖💖

The smiles, giggles, and enthusiasm on the children's faces hearing the magic of Dr. Seuss's timeless stories come to life are priceless, and we couldn't be prouder to have such a caring and dedicated individual on our team. 📚✨

Let's take a moment to applaud Leslie for making a positive impact on the community, celebrating literacy, and inspiring bright young minds! 🌈👏

Join us in celebrating our CEO, Dr. Tara Dixon's, commitment to excellence and leadership in the world of public health and inspiring the next generation of leaders in the field.! 🎉👏

She is proud to be a UAB alum and to have had the opportunity to share her invaluable insights and wisdom gained from her remarkable career in research and public health at the recent Alumni Week Webinar Series hosted by the School of Public Health Office of Alumni & Development. 🎓🔬

Exciting News from the First Lady's Joining Forces Initiative! 🌟 The commitment to support our military families continues to grow stronger. The initiative, championed by our First Lady, is a game-changer for military spouses, emphasizing employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. 🤝🌐 The guidelines set forth by OPM pave the way for increased support, making it easier for military spouses to navigate their careers despite the challenges of a mobile lifestyle.

🔗 Read more: OPM Issues Guidelines for Military Spouse Executive Order

OPM issues guidelines on military spouse executive order Telework, leave policies and “compassionate transfers” between agencies should all be utilized to recruit and retain spouses of members of the military and reserve services, officials said.

🌟 Exciting News from our partnership with Learn To Grow (LTG)/H.E.A.R.T. Coalition! 🌟

We are thrilled to announce that they been awarded the prestigious DP20-2001 National and State To***co Control Program CDC grant! 🎉🏆 This incredible achievement reinforces their commitment to to***co prevention and underscores the impact of their ongoing efforts.

D'Jillisser Kelly will be representing LTG/H.E.A.R.T. Coalition on the panel of experts at the upcoming March 2024 Awardee Meeting to shed light on the vital role collective efforts play in building and sustaining coalitions, supporting community-led policy development, and advancing endgame strategies crucial for a to***co-free future.

🗣️ Leslie, our own Sr Project Coordinator/Evaluator, will be in attendance at the Awardee Meeting, contributing to the dialogue on creating positive change.

Let's continue to grow, learn, and make a lasting impact together! 💪🌱

***coPrevention ***coHarm

Check this out and add it to your reading list!

https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsPublicHealth/posts/pfbid0wBcF6M5bgRUPUXYFRBYKYjTASunXqVu581uQQTkbij5FHuQy5a3KRi9ux7kE82yal

'The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America' by Richard Rothstein 📚 Follow along to explore the intersection of health and social justice and contribute to the conversation! 💭

For over a decade, it has been our honor to evaluate the programs offered by the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition, a sentiment that feels even more poignant as we mark this ❤

Witnessing their unwavering commitment to creating therapeutic therapies like yoga and art, which offer a peaceful haven for both cancer patients and survivors as well as their caregivers and family members, is truly heartwarming. These initiatives thoughtfully recognize the relentless commitment of caregivers, providing them, alongside the patients, a serene space for stress relief and holistic well-being.

🙌 Black technologists leading the way...

Last week our CEO had the opportunity to attend the 2024 National 8(a) Small Business Conference in Atlanta, Georgia where she was able to spend a week full of networking and learning! Sessions such as the matchmaking with larger firms and government agencies and partnership strengthening between small and large businesses were able to provide valuable information on the mentor Protégé program, teaming agreements, leveraging the GSA schedule, and how to utilize them to grow in the federal space. It was an overall wonderful experience connecting with old colleagues while also fostering new partnerships and relationships.

Mark your calendars for this Webinar by Center for Public Health Workforce Development - Rutgers SPH!

Join 2/13 at 10:00AM EST for this discussion with Lori Rose Benson, CEO of Hip Hop Public Health. Hip Hop Public Health is a non-profit dedicated to creating and disseminating research-based educational resources by harnessing the power of music and culture to improve health in communities that are underserved. Lori will take you on a journey through Hip Hop Public Health’s visionary approach to enhance and via the intersection of music, movement, culture, and science, revealing how these elements can be harnessed to cultivate positive health behavior change among today's youth.

https://www.facebook.com/events/304241558899474/?ref=newsfeed

On this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day we want to acknowledge the progress that has been made, while recognizing that if together, we work to overcome structural barriers to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment, and stop HIV stigma, we can all be the positive change to help reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities in the African-American communities.

Check out these resources to learn more about
Testing: https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/hiv-testing/index.html
Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/hiv-prevention/index.html
Treatment: https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/hiv-treatment/index.html
Stigma: https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/hiv-stigma/index.html

In honor of World Cancer Day.... we want to highlight a former classmate of our own CEO from the University of Alabama Birmingham, Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green. Dr. Green has become a trailblazer in the cancer research and treatment community as the founder of the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation. As a multi-disciplinary physicist, she set out on a mission to change the way cancer is treated by reducing the suffering that traditional treatment methods have on patients in an accessible, affordable, and effective way. Through her research she has developed an innovative and exciting treatment method that uses laser-activated nanoparticles and immunotherapies to develop biomarker-specific platforms that target, image, and treat malignant tumors in mice. With enough funding, her new treatment can move out of the laboratory and into humans through clinical trials and FDA approval.

If you can, please help support Dr. Green and her research in hopes that one day no one will have to opt out of treatment to avoid the horrific side effects that today's patients must endure.

DONATE HERE:
https://oralee.org/donate/

On this National Women's Heart Day WE WEAR RED ❤

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in women in the United States, responsible for nearly 1 in 4 female deaths each year. It is important to take care of our hearts through a healthy and balanced diet, exercise, stress management, regular screenings, and getting a good night's sleep...but it's also important to know the signs and symptoms of heart disease in women!

Read more here: https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease-in-women -warning-signs about the early signs of heart disease in women and how to recognize the unique symptoms of a heart attack in women.

Help us celebrate Dr. Truss on his 14 year anniversary with EvalGroup!🙌 His contributions to the healthcare industry and our clientele over the years have been immeasurable and we look forward to many more!

We are working with our non-profit partners to support this effort by Medicare ...

Coverage to Care Community Connections Tour with Rural and Geographically Isolated Areas Many Americans in rural, tribal, and geographically isolated communities are less likely to have health coverage, more likely to live further from a hospital...

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is building understanding and awareness of the public health implications of climate change. Those include worsened air quality, changes in the spread of vector-borne diseases and devastation to communities due to extreme weather events like floods and coastal storms.

Check out their new, updated infographics that show how climate change impacts health: https://apha.org/News-and-Media/Multimedia/Infographics/How-Climate-Change-Affects-Your-Health

Public Health Professionals: Use the CDC's new Environmental Justice Index (EJI) fact sheet to learn how state and local organizations use the EJI to assess environmental justice concerns in the communities you serve.

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/eji/guidance.html

Did you know that every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood...and if just 1% more Americans donated blood, shortages would disappear?!

The winter months are generally a time of reduced donations, due to many circumstances, putting the country at an elevated risk of devastating shortages.

As part of National Blood Donor Month, Find a location near you here:
https://www.aabb.org/for-donors-patients/give-blood
..roll up a sleeve and be somebody's hero!

CDC Evaluation Fellows evaluate their host’s programs and help them build, expand, and improve their evaluation activities.

Learn more about the CDC Evaluation Fellowship Program during the information session on January 25th 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

Register now: https://cdc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_UH17LQ_uSDKIoNRaweWn2w #/registration

It is National Obesity Awareness week, and the crisis that has plagued our nation for decades continues to rise at an alarming rate, especially in children. The United States has seen a 42% increase in childhood obesity over the last 20 years according to the State of Obesity 2023: Better Policies for a Healthier America - TFAH report!

It is critical for all people to not only be educated on what healthy nutrition and exercise is, but to also have equal opportunity and access to healthy food and physical activity.

Beyond governmental and community policy designed to increase education and availability, each of us hold a personal responsibility to do our part in reversing the obesity trend! Our children's health depends on us setting the example. Research and Evaluation Group is proudly working with government agencies in projects focused on program evaluation, data collection, analytics, visualization and reporting, and strategic planning and implementation to help our clients make informed decisions for a positive impact.

Check out this CDC resource Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity | Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity | CDC and start being the change today!

Healthy Weight See tips for achieving and maintaining healthy weight.

January 16 is the National Day of Racial Healing — a day set aside to share truth, deepen relationships and build trust to create a more equitable world. Join in reflection and action to end racial bias. Find an event near you or add your own.

https://dayofracialhealing.org/

January is ! Let's raise awareness about the importance of cervical health & routine cancer screenings. Health Resources And Services Administration ( )-funded health centers provided 4.2 million cervical screenings last year.
Find preventive health services near you: https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/

Happy New Year! 🥂 The Research and Evaluation Group team is back open for business and ready to be a part of your incredible 2024 journey.

It is National Resolution Planning Day!! Are you planning to declare any resolutions? What are your goals for the New Year?!

At our last company meeting for the year we had a virtual Holiday Party and discussed our professional and personal goals for the upcoming year. As a company we are looking forward to learning about all the advancements in AI for data analytics and supporting our community's initiatives. Almost everyone on our staff is looking forward to traveling more and improving our personal health in 2024 🥂💪.

#2024

Did you know that today is International Day of Epidemic Preparedness?

2020's unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic showed us that the world's healthcare system was unprepared, and many lost their lives or the lives of loved ones during this tragedy. The United Nations General Assembly held the first ever International Day of Epidemic Preparedness December 27th, 2020, to advocate the importance of investing in systems of prevention, detection, and response.

There have been viruses before, and there most certainly will be more in the future. The COVID-19 failure presents an opportunity to learn and grow beyond our previous shortcomings, so that the generations that follow are better prepared to limit the impact.

"Success depends on previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure" - Confucius.

Listen to what Uganda did for the Ebola pandemic...

Epidemic preparedness – a wise investment: the Uganda story With an Ebola outbreak ongoing in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019, authorities in Uganda stepped up their health and response syste...