Mid-Atlantic Center for Cardiometabolic Health Equity (MACCHE)
What is MACCHE?
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Cardiometabolic Health Equity (MACCHE) grant is one of eleven P50 Center Grants that were awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) in 2021. The NIMHD has awarded these funds to support regional comprehensive research centers on the prevention, treatment, and management of chronic diseases associated with health disparities.
The goal of MACCHE is to assess the effectiveness of evidence-based strategies for improving cardiometabolic health outcomes among socially disadvantaged populations in Maryland. The grant funds three separate clinical trials to assess and improve outcomes in patients with hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and post-partum weight retention. These trials are overseen by three Cores: The Administrative Core, the Community Engagement Core, and the Investigator Development Core.
Building on the research of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, the Mid-Atlantic Center for Cardiometabolic Health Equity (MACCHE) aims to advance health equity in Maryland by tackling disparities in cardiometabolic diseases in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore (UMB) and collaboration with Morgan State University and other local institutions.
Intervention Studies on Cardiometabolic Disease Disparities
The Healthy for Two – Home Visiting program (H42-HV) – led by Dr. Kelly Bower and Dr. Wendy Bennett – uses a health coaching intervention to promote health and wellness during pregnancy and through 6 months postpartum. In partnership with Maryland maternal home visiting programs, H42-HV aims to support Black and Latinx women return to their pre-pregnancy weight and promote long-term cardiometabolic health.
Project UNLOAD Heart Failure— led by Dr. Chiadi Ndumele and Dr. Lisa Cooper — examines community-based interventions for improving cardiorespiratory fitness in adults of low socio-economic status across urban, rural, and suburban settings. The project addresses the adverse social determinants of health that contribute to heart failure risk by confronting the multiple barriers to achieving a healthy lifestyle.
The LINKED-HEARTS project— led by Dr. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah and Dr. Cheryl Dennison-Himmelfarb— focuses on improving blood pressure control among socially disadvantaged adults with uncontrolled hypertension in addition to comorbid diagnoses of diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
MACCHE is part of the Health Equity Action Network, a national consortium of health researchers and community partners dedicated to developing innovative solutions for prevention and management of multiple chronic conditions.
Health Equity Action Network is funded and supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).
“The award provides opportunities for us to expand the scope of Center for Health Equity's research and to elevate our influence and impact on advancing health equity in Maryland.”
– Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH
MACCHE Principal Investigator
JHU Hub
“I am excited about the new and established collaborations of our team, and the opportunity to partner with Dr. Cooper in leading this work.”
– Deidra Crews, MD, ScM
MACCHE Principal Investigator
JHU Hub