The Massachusetts Community Engagement Alliance (MA-CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities, led by Boston Medical Center, is part of a nationwide initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health. Our work includes providing education to our community members and leaders to address misinformation gaps and mistrust around COVID-19, delivering ambassador and physician-led vaccine education, and promoting equitable access to clinical research participation.
We engage, educate, empower and protect our communities with access to COVID-19 vaccines.
We promote diversity and access to clinical research to ensure tomorrow’s therapies work for all of us.
About MA-CEAL
MA-CEAL’s mission is to provide trustworthy information on COVID-19 through active community engagement and outreach to the people hardest-hit by the pandemic. Our goal is to build long-lasting partnerships and improve diversity and inclusion in our research response to COVID-19 and beyond.
MA-CEAL’s Objectives
- Conduct urgent community-engaged outreach and research around COVID-19
- Improve awareness and education to address widespread misinformation and distrust regarding COVID-19
- Improve education around COVID therapeutics and the prevalence of Long COVID
- Promote an evidence-based response to the disease
- Promote and facilitate the inclusion of diverse racial and ethnic populations in clinical trials to ensure therapies are safe and effective for populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic
The Questions We're Asking
- How can we build our community’s confidence in the vaccine?
- How can we communicate the importance of diverse participation in clinical research?
- What are the challenges and questions that prevent vaccination and research participation?
- How can we engage and partner with our communities to find solutions?
How to Get Involved
Partners
- BMC/BU CTSI
- Boston University Department of Psychiatry
- BMC Communications
- BMC Community Engagement
- BMC Pediatrics
- BMC Clinical Research Network
- BMC Interpreter Services
- BMC Public Health
- Beyond Patient Health Equity Inc.
- Boston COVID RECOVER Cohort
- Boston Center for Independent Living
- Boston Public Health Commission
- Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Disability Policy Consortium
- East Boston Neighborhood Health Center's Neighborhood Trauma Team
- Equity Now and Beyond
- Everyday Boston
- Fields Corner Crossroads Collaborative
- Follow Suit Mentoring
- YMCA of Greater Boston
- Immigrant Family Services Institute
- Madison Park Village
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health
- Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
- Maverick Landing Community Services
- Mutual Aid Eastie
- Native American LifeLines, Inc.
- Roslindale Farmer's Market
- Shaquera's Story Domestic Violence Consultant and Coaching, Inc.
- The Home for Little Wanderers
- True Alliance Center. Inc.
- Tufts Health SCO/Business Development
- Union Capital Boston
- Vital Connections
- We Got Us
- Worcester Department of Health
- Youth Options Unlimited Boston
Our Team
- Benjamin Linas, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator, Administrative Core Director - Annette Nansubuga , MSc
Program Manager - Sabrina Assoumou, MD, MPH
Co-Investigator - Katherine Gergen Barnett, MD
Co-Investigator - Nicholas Bosch MD, MSc
Co-Investigator - Julien Dedier, MD, MPH
Co-investigator - Mari-Lynn Drainoni, PhD, MEd
Co-Investigator, Evaluation Core Director - Kimberly Fisher, MD
Co-Investigator, Population Data Core Director - Natalie Joseph, MD
Co-Investigator - Jai Marathe MD, MS
Co-Investigator - Kathleen Mazor, EdD
Co-Investigator - Cassandra Pierre, MD, MPH
Co-Investigator - Rebecca Perkins, MD
Co-Investigator - Rebecca Rudel, DrPH, RD
Co-Investigator - Lucy Schulson, MD
Co-Investigator - Ryan Schroeder
BMC Clinical Research Network Director - Nike Asupoto
Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical Research Network - Sarah Barnes
Research Assistant - Nikki Kaufmann, M.S.
Research Study Coordinator - Duncan Schulte
Project Regulatory Manager, Clinical Research Network - Quinneil Simmons
Program Manager, Clinical Research Network - Hope White
Community Engagement Core Director - Shaquera Robinson, MPH
Community Engagement Specialist - Jazmin Granadeno
Community Engagement Specialist - Garey Lywood
Senior Manager, Community Engagement & Internal Affairs - Shannon Timlin, MPH
Community Engagement & Recruitment Specialist, Clinical Research Network - Taki Koda
Communications and Media Intern
CEAL Nationwide
CEAL is a nationwide initiative led by the National Institutes of Health with centers across the country. Learn more about the NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL)
Contact Us
Calendar
Recent News
BMC Joins a New NIH Alliance to Address COVID-19 Inequities
By hearing stories of people in underserved neighborhoods, researchers hope to understand and help overcome longstanding barriers to healthcare access
Latest from HealthCity
BMC Joins a New NIH Alliance to Address COVID-19 Inequities
By hearing stories of people in underserved neighborhoods, researchers hope to understand and help overcome longstanding barriers to healthcare access