Topics for Study


The Vulnerable Population Team addresses health and health care problems that intersect with social factors—housing, poverty and inadequate education—and affect society's most vulnerable people.  To provide a clear focus for applicants to The New Connections Initiative, each programming team was asked to develop specific research projects or questions that would help inform their strategies and grant making. These specific questions are described below. Applicants are asked to submit proposals for one of the topics described below.

Please note that not all teams have research questions at this time and the detail provided below by each team varies according to each team's needs and interests. Finally, some of the research questions will be more suitable for Junior Investigators and other questions will be more suitable for Senior Consultants. Thus, applicants should consider the following guidelines.

Senior Consultants
Projects that are more qualitative and can yield recommendations and products for the team should be answered by a Senior Consultant. Senior Consultants should refer to the examples of activities, potential products and deliverables that could be conducted included on page 2 of the Letter of Invitation.

Junior Investigators
Questions that would be more suitable for secondary analysis should be answered by a Junior Investigator. When responding to this solicitation, Junior Investigators must indicate how they will incorporate the secondary datasets when responding to research questions. Junior Investigators should provide a description of the data and rationale for its appropriateness given the research question.  Junior Investigators are responsible for identifying and acquiring the dataset. 
 
Junior Investigators or Senior Consultants must respond to one of the following questions.


The Vulnerable Populations portfolio is interested in learning more about how health outcomes are influenced by social factors, such as housing, employment, poverty, immigration status, and involvement with certain systems, like schools, jails or foster care.  Any projects that help the portfolio address this interest are welcomed.


1) Domestic violence is a serious issue in many households and communities.  

a. What specific approaches have been used to screen and identify domestic violence?

b. What do we know about social factors associated with domestic violence among different subgroups?

c. What is the relationship between domestic violence and community violence?

2) Mental health services for low-income families, children and adolescents are critically needed.

a. What strategies for mental health problems have been effective for use with low-income families and children? Are there examples of non-traditional approaches?

b. What strategies are being used in different settings to address co-morbid substance use and mental health issues in adolescents?

3) African American and Latino male adolescent and young adults disproportionately face challenging health and social outcomes, such as school dropout, unemployment and incarceration.

a. What strategies or approaches hold promise for changing this trajectory?

b. What are elements of programs that successfully promote positive health outcomes for young African American and Latino males?