CHART Community Engagement Core Team
Melanie Pearson
Associate Professor of Environmental Health
Melanie Pearson, PhD, has led community engagement activities for the last ten years, building strong partnerships with local communities and coalescing Atlanta’s environmental health stakeholders. She has experience building community-academic partnerships in multiple programs and as an environmental health scientist. Pearson provides scientific oversight and leadership to the CEC.
Saria Hassan
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Saria Hassan, MD, is an assistant professor of internal medicine at the School of Medicine and global health at Rollins. Her research is focused on applying community and stakeholder engaged research methods using implementation science principles to address the needs of vulnerable population in the setting of climate change and natural disasters. Hassan will provide scientific oversight and leadership for the Participatory Group Model Building (GMB) efforts.
Carla Lewis
Executive Director, Eco-Action
Carla Lewis will provide oversight and leadership for ECO-Action’s youth summer program and the technical assistance that Eco-Action’s program coordinator will provide to CHART community grantees. She has been the executive director for Eco-Action for the last two years, overseeing the implementation of Eco-Action’s EPA EJ Small Grant Program, “Moving from Surviving to Thriving: Underserved Communities Building Resilience and Adapting to Climate Change.”
About
The CHART Community Engagement Core (CEC) works directly with the Atlanta communities most impacted by climate change to
- identify local needs, and
- strengthen residents’ capacity to address them.
We do this by:
- Bringing together Atlanta residents to identify local climate and health concerns.
- Establishing a Partner Steering Committee of local environmental justice organizations to direct CHART’s climate research and resilience projects.
- Funding community climate projects via our Community Climate Grants program.
Aims
Facilitate ongoing dialogue and collaboration on climate, health, and justice with the Atlanta communities most affected by heat and climate hazards.
Enhance community capacity to address local climate change and health concerns.
Guide CHART scientists in community-engaged research.
Row 1: Dr. Noah Scovronik (CHART), Spencer Tomlinson (Atlanta Housing), Henry Saxon (Center for Sustainable Communities), Dr. Melanie Pearson (CHART), Morgan Barnes (Center for Black Women’s Wellness), Dr. Saria Hassan (CHART), Lynne Young (EcoAction), Columbus Ward (Peoplestown Revitalization Corp), Dr. Stefanie Ebelt (CHART), Dr. Howard Chang (CHART)
Row 2: CHART Graduate Research Assistants – Nithya Narayanaswamy, Alina Merceron, Isabella Martin
PSC Members not pictured: Marlene Alvarez (ASAMI), Elisa Covarrubias (Galeo and Galeo Impact Fund), Garry Harris (Center for Sustainable Communities), Carla Lewis (EcoAction), Sonia Lopez (Lions Club; ASAMI), Na’Taki Osborne (West Atlanta Watershed Alliance), Angela Rozo (CHART), Henry Saxon (Center for Sustainable Communities), Priya Wildman (Atlanta Housing), Marcia Worrell (Center for Black Women’s Wellness)
The CHART Community Grant Program
The current grant application cycle is now closed. Check back or contact us at chart.center@emory.edu for more information about the next grant cycle.
The Community Grant Program provides one year of funding for local groups to address climate concerns that can
impact their community’s health. Guidance and/or assistance may be provided to awardees based on project and
organizational needs.
CHART Community Grant - FAQ (Grant application now closed)
+ Do we need to be a community organization or non-profit to apply?
+ Can we represent more than one county?
+ How many people need to be on my team?
+ What kinds of support and technical assistance will be provided?
+ Does the timeline allow for project planning?
+ How do you define “lack of equitable access to systems?”
+ Can we apply with an existing or ongoing initiative?
+ How do you define “technical merit?”
+ Can you use funding to pay stipends for some community folks?
+ Are there any limitations to the age groups that applications can work with?
+ Can we submit our application in our own language (i.e., Spanish)?
+ Is there a word or character limit for each question?
+ How will the grant applications, participant data, results, and outcomes be utilized? Will grantees be engaged in the subsequent translation of this initiative's overall work?
+ What do I do if I have more questions?
