Work with Community Agencies
Over the past four years, INNOVATIONS has formed successful collaborative relationships with a number of community agencies on research or program evaluation projects in three main areas:
- Early Childhood Education
- School-Based Mental Health Program
- Health Disparities
Some of the community agencies include:
- Beech Acres Parenting Center – Family Peer Support & Healthy Relationships/Healthy Marriage
- Center for Children and Families
- Center for Closing the Health Gap
- Central Clinic
- Child Policy Research Center
- Early Childhood Education, Cincinnati Public Schools
- Early Learning Center
- FamiliesFORWARD
- Greater Cincinnati Foundation
- Hamilton County Family and Children's First Council
- Hamilton County Family Violence Prevention Project
- Health Foundation
- Norwood Community Learning Center
- Nutrition Council
- Place Matters/Community Building Institute
- Santa Maria Community Survey
- Success By 6 Winning Beginnings
- Talbert House
- YMCA of Greater Cincinnati - CincyAfterSchool
- YWCA of Greater Cincinnati - Hamilton County Family Violence Prevention Project
Program Accomplishments
INNOVATIONS has developed collaborative relationships with over twenty community-based agencies in the Greater Cincinnati area over the past seven years. Furthermore, INNOVATIONS has presented its work at the American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Family Research Consortium National Conference funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, Leadership Cincinnati Conference, Emerging Scholars Interdisciplinary Network Meeting, Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health Conference, and the American Evaluation Association Conference.
Electronic and Web-based Services
INNOVATIONS continues to invest in its infrastructure through technology upgrades, including the development of a web-based data management system which is housed at www.evaluationcentral.com. This web-based system has increased access for community-based agencies to web-based technology services which they can utilize to meet their program evaluation needs. The use of this web-based system has reduced costs associated with data entry resulting in agencies being able to invest more funds back into program development or refinement.
Investment in Training
Over the past 5 years, INNOVATIONS has sponsored one and two-year research interns through CCHMC’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Women In Science and Engineering (WISE), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) - National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Summer Research Programs. Trainees are involved in both sickle cell research and community research projects and they complete a culminating project that is related to medical, mental health or community issues. The training core provides mentoring and a “career ladder” and an individualized training plan for trainees. Currently INNOVATIONS has over 20 high-school, undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate, and post-graduate trainees who are engaged in projects full-time, part-time, and/or remotely. Trainees receive training experiences on public health, research, program evaluation, community planning and public policy and they present their work at community meetings, and local, state and national conferences. INNOVATIONS’ trainees have matriculated to undergraduate and graduate institutions and prominent job placements across the country.
