Christina Hardy joined the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) as the University’s first Community Research Fellow in January.
The Community Research Fellow position was created in partnership with the Community Engagement Core of the NC TraCS Institute through a grant from the American Recovery Act. The position creates an opportunity for a community expert to join a research project seeking to improve community engaged research at UNC-Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University. It is unique because the job description specifically recruited community members rather than academic experts.
Hardy has worked on several community-based participatory research projects including the Greensboro Cancer Care and Racial Equality Study. She lives in Greensboro but grew up in Durham and has a strong connection with NC communities.
“Christina, and the pool of community experts who will be recruited as part of this program, will bring unique expertise to UNC and a perspective that will be invaluable to NC TraCS as it seeks to promote more community engaged research,” said Wanda Hunter, the project leader and deputy director of HPDP.