What do barbershops, rescue dogs, simulated physical exams, and reimagining a neighborhood park have in common?
In the sharp minds of four UCLA graduate students, they’re key components of their proposals to advance health equity for Black men who have been victims of violence, foster youth, patients with autism in emergency departments, and children with disabilities, respectively.
They’re also the winning proposals in this year’s UCLA Health Equity Challenge (HEC). And these creative ideas demonstrate that you don’t necessarily need to spend millions of dollars searching far and wide to address health disparities.
“We are lifted up by you, our student scholars,” said Kathryn Kietzman, PhD, director of the UCLA CHPR Health Equity Program. “The ideas you have presented and developed have inspired and empower us.”
The Health Equity Challenge, which began in 2022, invites any UCLA graduate student to propose a project that would help address a health inequity in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, or Riverside counties.
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) runs the Health Equity Challenge with support from The MolinaCares Accord (MolinaCares), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of California (Molina), and the California Health Care Foundation. Since January, the 15 challenge finalists have been attending CHPR-hosted workshops and office hours to develop their initial submissions into concrete proposals.
The finalists’ projects also included topics such as improving air quality in schools by providing students with supplies and training to build low-cost, portable air purifiers; offering educational sessions inside laundromats for immigrant farmworkers to learn about work-related health hazards; and helping prevent financial scams among older Asian immigrants, among others.
“Seeing such a wide range of projects showed us how creatively the scholars are transforming what they’re learning in their classes into ideas that could benefit their communities,” said Kietzman.
The winning proposals, which were chosen by an independent review committee, will receive $50,000 each that the community organization will use to implement the project. The students will also each receive $2,500 stipends.
“What excites us most about the UCLA Health Equity Challenge is seeing graduate students transform bold ideas into actionable solutions that directly respond to community needs,” said Gina Martinez, PhD, learning and evaluation officer at the California Health Care Foundation. “These emerging leaders have developed solutions that center the voices and experiences of Californians who face the greatest barriers to care — exactly the approach needed to build a healthier California.”
“We are so proud of the scholarship and creativity of these students,” said Dr. James Kyle II, chief health equity officer of Molina Healthcare of California. “Their hard work and dedication assure us that this investment was well worth it. We look forward to the outcomes of their projects.”
The four winning proposals are:
Inclusive Play: A Health Equity Model at Venice Hope Park
Taylor Carty
Community-based partners: Hope Street Margolis Family Center, in collaboration with Inclusion Matters by Shane's Inspiration and the Social District
Taylor Carty’s Health Equity Challenge project aims to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities through transforming Venice Hope Park in Downtown Los Angeles into a model of inclusive play.
Carty’s project would add accessible playground equipment to the park while also creating a replicable model for inclusive play spaces and initiate conversations about health equity for people with disabilities in all settings and circumstances. Neighborhood families will be invited to help guide the playground’s design and community members will be able to decorate the playground after the equipment is installed.
Children with disabilities are often excluded from traditional playgrounds due to physical, sensory, and communication barriers, limiting their opportunities for physical activity and social interaction.
“By creating a playground that is inclusive, we’re not just adding equipment that builds a foundation for good health, we’re shifting expectations,” said Carty, a Master of Public Health student at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. “We’re making a statement: all children, regardless of ability or background, deserve access to spaces where they can belong.”
BRIDGE (Barbershop-Based Recovery Initiative for Discharge, Gathering, and Empowerment): A Post-Discharge Mental Health Initiative for Black Male Victims of Violence at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Jahmil Lacey
Community-based partner: St. Julian Salvation/St. Julian Barbershop
Jahmil Lacey’s Health Equity Challenge project is designed to meet those it’s intended to help — Black men who have been victims of violence — where they are. His project would set up a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, community referral system in one of the most-trusted places in the Compton community for Black males, the St. Julian barbershop.
Lacey’s project would connect 50 patients ages 12–30 treated through the Harbor-UCLA Hospital Violence Intervention Program to a barbershop-based recovery hub in their neighborhood immediately after hospital discharge. Recovery services would include peer-led group therapy, one-on-one case management, and other supports.
“The barbershop stands as a testament to the power of community, a reminder that even in the darkest times, we have found ways to heal and uplift one another. It is in these spaces, where trust is built and stories are honored, that we plant the seeds of a future where health equity is not just a distant ideal,” said Lacey, a medical student in the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Patient Training Program to Empower Autistic Patients in the Emergency Department
Mami Horikawa
Community-based partners: Disability in Medicine Mutual Mentorship Program (DM3P) and the Autism Society of Los Angeles
Mami Horikawa’s Health Equity Challenge Project aims to equip people with autism with trainings and tools to cope better with the chaotic pace and environments of hospital emergency departments.
Her project would accomplish this by providing direct training of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism, and their caregivers through a simulation-based method. This approach is seen as faster to implement compared to offering training for medical providers.
Every year, more than 34,400 people with autism in Los Angeles County experience obstacles, such as sensory overload and communication challenges, which can lead to treatment delays in emergency departments.
The role-playing simulations would be offered at the UCLA Simulation Center. The team will recruit 96 families and host two-hour simulation sessions during which participants would be familiarized with the environment, identify self-regulation tools, and engage in common physical exams.
“Simulation training isn’t a one-time event. As medical students, we learn as much as we can during each session, then reflect afterward. I want autistic participants to do the same,” said Horikawa, a medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “As more autistic patients begin to self-advocate their needs during emergency care, medical teams will adapt. I hope, over time, this can shift institutional culture and improve the emergency department experience for the broader autistic community.”
FYRST Pack (Foster Youth Rising through Service and Tails): Lead the pack, change your story
Halee Yue
Community-based partner: K9 Youth Alliance and the Academy Project
Halee Yue’s Health Equity Challenge project focuses on designing a leadership and wellness program that builds resilience in Los Angeles County foster youth by pairing them with shelter dogs and mentors. In the program, the foster youth would learn how to train the dogs to help them become more adoptable.
Los Angeles County has 35,000 foster youth, the highest figure in California, and as many as 80% of foster youth have significant emotional and behavioral health problems, and 25% of adolescents report PTSD — twice the rate of returning veterans.
Yue’s program will allow foster youth to improve emotional regulation, mental health, confidence, and trust through community building and leadership training. Shelter dogs will experience reduced kennel stress through consistent enrichment and will have an increased chance of adoption, with the goal to ultimately reduce shelter overcrowding.
“Together, we hope to provide foster youth with the healing benefits of the human-animal connection, while also giving shelter dogs the attention, guidance, and love they deserve. It’s a win-win!” said Yue, a medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. UCLA CHPR is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and affiliated with the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.