P2P was awarded $1,121,736 for the 1st year of a five year, $6 million project titled, “Redefining & Investing in Community.”

BALTIMORE, MD, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- From Prison Cells to PhD (P2P) was awarded $1,121,736 for the first year (1OT2OD035976-01) of a five year, $6 million project titled, “Redefining & Investing in Community: Improving Telehealth Care and Educational Programs among People Incarcerated in Rural State Prisons,” which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS).

P2P will lead a team of partners including researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, community leaders from Light to Life, Healthy Routines, and others, and correctional partners (a) to support the expansion of high-speed internet and technology in prisons in Maryland and Missouri, (b) to improve the delivery of telehealth and higher educational services in these facilities, and (c) to deliver wrap-around reentry services through the projects various community partnerships. Many of the prisons in the project will be in rural areas that serve a predominantly Black incarcerated population. In this work, P2P will be expanding the footprint and reach of our organization’s existing educational programming (the P2P Scholars Program and the P2P Womxn’s cohort) to include course certifications, an insurance walk-through course, courses to reduce stigma about physical and mental health, and courses to promote physical and mental health care knowledge.

The project was moved forward by a group of leaders from the collective organizations. But a special thanks goes to Jacob Eikenberry and Dr. Machli Joseph (the PIs of the project and Research and Advocacy Directors, respectively, at P2P), Dr. Stan Andrisse (the Executive Director of P2P), and Dr. Rebecca Fix (co-I and Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health).

The NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world and ComPASS is a first-of-its-kind (in the NIH portfolio) community-led project to study ways to address the underlying structural factors within communities that affect health outcomes. Furthermore, the project led by P2P is the only project of this scale being led by a Black- and formerly-incarcerated-led organization where the PI’s and leadership of the project are formerly incarcerated doctorate degree holders. Additionally, nearly all of the partner organizations are led by leaders directly impacted by the criminal legal system.

As a former collegiate basketball coach, Dr. Machli Joseph views this project “as an opportunity to unlock potential and motivate our population to maximize their best self”. He stated, “When you have a committed and engaged team [of directly impacted people], like ours, creativity flows, and innovation & implementation rises.” Jacob Eikenberry, a doctoral candidate soon to be completing his PhD at Saint Louis University (Fall 2023), added that, “Communities will greatly benefit from having studies like these led by directly impacted researchers, like myself and our team.” Jacob stressed that “Any significant changes that move society towards true Justice and that promote equity for one of our societies most marginalized and vulnerable populations (those incarcerated) need to be led by the people who are directly impacted, as our experiences both before, during, and after incarceration (and during our higher educational pursuits) blend together to give us vision into a Justice oriented future full of possibilities.”

The project is funded by the NIH Common Fund through award number 1OT2OD035976-01.

About P2P: The mission of P2P is to help inspire people impacted by the criminal legal system to excel beyond what society and life circumstances have set to be the norm​. The vision is to reach, touch, and change the lives of individuals with disadvantaged backgrounds through advocacy, mentoring, and policy change. P2P values Safety, Trustworthiness and Transparency, Peer support, Collaboration and mutuality, Empowerment, Voice and choice, Cultural, Historical, and Gender Competency. P2P’s strategies provide mentoring and educational counseling to currently & formerly incarcerated men & women so that they may position themselves to start building their career as opposed to obtaining temporary employment.

About the NIH Common Fund: The NIH Common Fund encourages collaboration and supports a series of exceptionally high-impact, NIH-wide programs. Common Fund programs are managed by the Office of Strategic Coordination in the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the NIH Office of the Director in partnership with the NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. More information is available at the Common Fund website: https://commonfund.nih.gov.

Dr. Stanley Andrisse
From Prison Cells To PhD Inc
+1 443-961-5873
Assistant@PrisonToPro.org
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To learn more about ComPASS, watch this brief video:

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