Accelerating Health Equity & Eliminating Diabetes Disparities in Community Health Centers

Accelerating Health Equity & Eliminating Diabetes Disparities in Community Health Centers (AHEAD) represents a collaboration of the Chicago Center for Diabetes Translation Research with some of the nation’s largest networks and organizations providing services to community health centers nationwide. These partners are AllianceChicago, Midwest Clinicians’ Network, Health Choice Network and the Clinical Directors Network. Collectively, these organizations serve over 7.5 million underserved patients, across 29 U.S. states, who experience a high burden of diabetes and its complications.

AHEAD offers three services to diabetes researchers and clinicians nationwide:

Diabetes Data Repository

The repository enables access to community health center data of approximately 5 million patients nationwide, such as:

• Health service utilization.
• Procedures.
• Diagnoses.
• Laboratory values.
• Medication orders.

Consultative Services

Experienced community health center and academic leaders discuss and advise on topics related to diabetes research in community health centers, including but not limited to:

• Identifying research partners.
• Navigating barriers of conducting research in busy community health centers.

Dissemination Activities

The core facilitates access to conferences, presentations and webinars led by health center partner organizations.