Rollins to Accelerate Innovative Research with New $4 Million Gift

Faculty at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health are joining forces across a variety of disciplines as part of a new initiative to foster research excellence and accelerate innovation in emerging areas of research.

Six teams composed of renowned Rollins researchers are collaborating in newly created research accelerators with the collective purpose of making a greater impact in meeting critical public health needs of the moment across several key focus areas, including:

• Aging
• Digital health and wearable technology
• Exposomics
• Maternal and child health
• Mental health
• Nutrition

“These are areas where we already have excellence. By pushing it to the next level and bringing together faculty from different departments and disciplines, we hope they can identify opportunities for unique and transformational projects,” says Carmen Marsit, PhD, executive associate dean for faculty affairs and research strategy at Rollins.

In addition to support for these research accelerators, the donated funds will also specifically address monitoring and prevention of maternal morbidity and mortality, including work to bring together federal, state and local agencies to address specific needs and chart a path for collaboration to improve maternal health here in Georgia and across the country.

“Maternal health is a critical area for Georgia and the entire country. This gift will help us support our government and community partners by aligning with their goals for community health and providing evidence, technical assistance, and education to help meet those goals,” says Daniele Fallin, PhD, James W. Curran Dean of the Rollins School.

To be greenlit, accelerator projects must meet specific criteria, including clear innovation, having a clear path for significant external funding opportunities, and bringing together faculty from at least two different Rollins departments. Preference will be granted for projects with even greater engagement across the school and university.

“By bringing already individually successful people together into larger groups, we believe those collaborations will lead to initiatives with even greater impact,” Marsit says. “And as the research landscape shifts, these accelerators will have us poised to respond very quickly to emerging challenges and opportunities and to do so in a big way.”