AASD Professor Richardson Receives Prestigious Grant for Affordable Care Act Project

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) awarded Associate Professor Joseph B. Richardson, Jr., a faculty member in the African American Studies Department, a $100,000, 12-month grant through its New Connections program. This grant will allow Dr. Richardson to conduct a longitudinal ethnographic case study on the role and function of the Maryland Affordable Care Act (ACA) Navigator, with a specific emphasis on how Navigators enroll victims of violent injury into healthcare coverage. This study will be conducted at two of the busiest trauma centers in the state of Maryland, the University of Maryland Medical Center’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, and Prince George’s Hospital Trauma Center in Cheverly.

“I am extremely proud to be among the junior investigators and midcareer consultants honored with this prestigious grant," said Dr. Richardson. "This award will connect me to a network of established experts in research and evaluation related to health and health care, while also providing me with an opportunity to evaluate a program that has far-reaching implications for both the ACA and access to care for victims of violent injury, particularly young black men, who are often over-represented as victims of violence and are estranged from traditional healthcare systems. I am truly honored that RJWF and the New Connections program supports this work."

New Connections is a national program designed to introduce new scholars to RWJF and expand the diversity of perspectives that inform the Foundation’s programming. New Connections seeks early- to mid-career scholars who are historically underrepresented ethnic or racial minorities, first-generation college graduates, or individuals from low-income communities.

Dr. Richardson, who also is affiliated with the Maryland Population Research Center, joins a distinguished cohort of New Connections grantees who will examine a broad range of timely topics.

“We are so excited to welcome Dr. Joseph B. Richardson into the eighth cohort of New Connections grantees. The program connects first-time grantees to the Foundation, and the new perspectives they bring are essential to solving the critical, complex issues affecting our nation’s health,” said RWJF Program Associate Catherine Malone. “This cohort joins the larger New Connections network of over 1200 scholars – a network that provides opportunities for scholarly support and collaboration for academics from underrepresented groups.”

Published on Tue, Sep 23, 2014 - 8:43PM