The burden of racial and ethnic health disparities is most evident in the southeastern United States, where Black and Latino populations suffer the highest rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancer, and asthma. These chronic conditions are a primary cause of poor health, reduced quality of life, and premature death, and account for more than 50% of health care expenditures. Despite substantial reduction of some chronic diseases and risk factors over the last few decades, the Southeast continues to have the highest number of potentially preventable deaths for each of the five leading causes of death. Racial and ethnic minorities comprise 39% of the population of the Southeast (HHS Region IV), which includes nearly 15 million African Americans and 9 million Latinos. Minorities in the Southeast fare worse on many health indicators compared to other regions, in large part due to poor socioeconomic status, with more than 22% of Southeastern residents living in poverty. Effectively addressing pervasive chronic disease disparities will require interventions that consider the needs, priorities, and lived experiences of those disproportionately impacted. Research teams with expertise in social, environmental, behavioral, and biological disciplines must collaborate to develop and test multicomponent strategies aimed at the multilevel determinants that drive disparities. Via a new center - the Southeast Collaborative for Innovative and Equitable Solutions to Chronic Disease Disparities, we will bring together Vanderbilt University Medical Center, University of Miami, and Meharry Medical College to address to reduce risk factors for and disparities in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and related conditions among African American and Latino populations in the Southeast. We aim to: Specific Aim 1: Establish the human and technical infrastructure to foster highly collaborative, transdisciplinary research collaborations focused on using technology and data science to reduce chronic disease disparities among African American and Latino populations in the southeastern United States. Specific Aim 2: Facilitate a regional, cross-institutional pilot awards program focused on chronic disease disparities that nurtures and supports career development, advances use of data science, technology, and bioinformatics to address the complex drivers of health disparities, and promotes inclusive excellence. Specific Aim 3: Propel novel health disparities research leveraging technology, individual-level and community- level social determinants of health data, and genomic and phenotypic data to prevent, treat, and manage diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and related conditions in African American and Latino populations. Specific Aim 4: Partner with African American and Latino communities in the Southeast integrate their priorities into the Center’s infrastructure, and collaboratively develop, adapt, and test socially and culturally appropriate interventions to secure the earliest impact on eliminating chronic disease disparities.

The burden of chronic disease disparities is most evident among African American and Hispanic/Latino populations in the southeastern United States. To address these pervasive health inequities, the Southeast Collaborative for Innovative and Equitable Solutions to Chronic Disease Disparities we will bring together expertise at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, University of Miami School of Medicine, and Meharry Medical College to collaboratively develop and implement multi-level interventions. The Center will partner with communities and will leverage advances in technology and data science to reduce risk factors for and disparities in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and related conditions among African American and Latino populations.