Office of Health Equity & Community Engagement

Mission & Purpose

The Office of Health Equity and Community Engagement (OHECE) at Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health is dedicated to advancing health equity and fostering authentic community partnerships. We aim to address the diverse health needs of rural, underserved, and intentionally exploited communities—particularly across the southeastern United States.

We advance rural health equity through innovative research, teaching, service, and strategic partnerships. We are committed to improving health outcomes in underserved, underrepresented, and intentionally exploited populations—particularly in rural communities across the southeastern United States.

Through inclusive excellence, we infuse health equity into the public health curriculum, supports transdisciplinary research, and creates spaces for meaningful community engagement.

Focus Areas

• Research: We lead interdisciplinary, community-based research initiatives—like the Georgia Talking About Public Health (GTAPH)project—to address public health disparities and inform policy and practice.
• Teaching: OHECE promotes health equity through education by embedding equity-focused topics into the JPHCOPH curriculum, ensuring students graduate with the tools to tackle real-world disparities.
• Service: Through outreach, advocacy, and awareness events, OHECE engages directly with underserved communities to promote public health equity and resilience.
• Community Engagement: We foster inclusive partnerships through initiatives like Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), where community voices shape public health strategies and outcomes.
• Mentorship & Student Leadership: OHECE empowers future public health leaders by supporting professional development, DEI leadership, and student success across all backgrounds and disciplines.

Our Core Goals

1. Technical Assistance & Capacity Building

We offer tailored consulting and training opportunities for public health professionals, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders. Key focus areas include:

• Health equity and disparities
• Cultural competence and cultural humility
• Meaningful community engagement strategies

2. Supporting Health Equity Education

We help integrate health equity and community engagement topics into public health curriculum, providing guidance and resources to support student and faculty learning within JPHCOPH.

3. Transdisciplinary Research Support

Our office promotes and supports innovative, cross-disciplinary research aimed at reducing health disparities. We:

• Seek external funding to support equity-focused studies
• Serve as a connector for faculty, community partners, and funding agencies
• Match researchers with experienced collaborators for grant applications

4. Community-Based Research Dissemination

We prioritize inclusive dissemination strategies that ensure research findings reach and benefit the communities they impact. We:

• Collaborate with artists, musicians, writers, and other creatives to engage community members
• Support community-led initiatives informed by evidence-based public health research
• Create spaces for dialogue and feedback between researchers and stakeholders

Contact Us

Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence
rlawrence@georgiasouthern.edu

Email: ohece-jphcoph@georgiasouthern.edu