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Research Education for Action, Collaboration and Health Program Graduates Inaugural Cohort

  • May 11
  • 1 min read

Updated: May 11


2026 REACH Graduates
2026 REACH Graduates

The REACH (Research Education for Action, Collaboration and Health) program launched its inaugural cohort from February 20 - March 20, 2026, welcoming eight participants.


REACH is a dynamic learning series that seeks to provide community members and organizations with the skills to use data to show the benefits of their programs for improving health, gain skills in developing partnerships and conducting research with individuals in academic settings (hospitals, universities), and spreading their programs or sharing their outcomes with funders and the community.  


Participants entered the program with health-focused projects they wanted to develop and received five weeks of training in key areas, including community-engaged research (CEnR) methods, user-centered design, data collection and analysis, implementation science, ethics, program evaluation, and grant writing. Throughout the program, participants applied what they learned to strengthen their project ideas and prepare a final proposal presentation.


The cohort’s projects addressed a range of community priorities, including improving food security through mobile delivery models, increasing utilization of the Hartwell Recreation Center, supporting youth mental and emotional well-being through dance-based programming, launching a community-engaged wearable technology pilot, and equipping community members with cooking and nutrition skills through an approach that integrates maternal support and food education.



REACH continues to support community members in turning their ideas into actionable, community-driven health initiatives.


Cohort Participants: 

  • Alberta Ablordeppey: Highly Favored Foundation

  • Glenn Talaska: Hartwell Improvement Association

  • Mary Laymon: Tikkun Farm

  • Morgan Whaley: Tikkun Farm

  • Valda Freeman-Karmo: Alliance for Leadership and Interconnection

  • Markesha Williams: Fiercely Redefined Dance Team

  • Lisa Hilbert: Cincinnati Children's (Audiology)

  • Ray Gargano: ArtsWave

Ideas to Impact — Faster. Together.

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Publications resulting from use of CCTST resources must credit the appropriate CCTST grant by including an NIH Funding acknowledgment: The CCTST at the University of Cincinnati is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, grant UM1TR005265. The CTSA program is led by the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The content of this website is solely the responsibility of the CCTST and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

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