The Illinois Tech community is invited to a talk in the Community-Engaged Research Series by speakers Virginia Spicknall and Alex Brown titled “Experience-Driven Insights into Diabetes Care Among the African American Community.” The talk will be held virtually on October 28, 2025, at 8–9 a.m. Please email Dr. Lindsay Sheehan at lsheehan@illinoistech.edu to register.

This ongoing Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) study examines the attitudes, beliefs, and cultural factors that shape diabetes treatment within the African American community. It highlights the perspectives of African Americans living with diabetes, focusing on treatment barriers they encounter and the community-driven solutions they envision. The project grew out of a desire among chemical engineering professors and researchers at Illinois Tech to better understand experiences of African Americans in relation to diabetes care. To pursue this goal, they partnered with the Center for Health Equity Education and Research (CHEER), an organization specializing in CBPR approaches that engage community members as equal research partners throughout every phase of the process-from shaping research questions to analyzing results, writing reports, and ultimately guiding future implementation.