Who We Are:

The purpose of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Health Equity Data Consortium (HEDC) is to garner the diverse expertise of member institutions in an effort to address public health disparities in underserved communities across North Carolina. This requires the collection, analysis, and reporting of data in order to, first, determine best practices with regard to the selected vulnerable populations.

Through innovation and strategic collaborations with the following institutions: Appalachian State University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, Shaw University, North Carolina Institute for Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Pembrooke, Western Carolina University, Winston-Salem State University, the HBCU Health Equity Data Consortium was established.

Traditional public health surveillance methods proved insufficient in addressing emerging needs of North Carolinians. Researchers at Shaw University collaborated with UNC Chapel Hill to create equity Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System-like survey. Equitable methodological approaches to survey design, validation, marketing, and deployment were developed to meet the following objectives: