Earlier this year, Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta launched the Research and Epidemiology for Adolescent and Child Health (REACH) Center. Philip Lupo, PhD, and Michael Scheurer, PhD, will co-direct the new center in partnership with the former Center for Clinical Research and Public Health (CORPH) Interim Director, Shasha Bai, PhD. Recently recruited, Drs. Lupo and Scheurer are distinguished researchers in Epidemiology from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital.

Dr. Scheurer and Dr. Lupo worked together at Baylor where they spent more than a decade focused on uncovering novel risk factors to predict and improve outcomes for pediatric cancer patients.

Following that work, they decided to make Atlanta their new home thanks to the abundant resources available here to expand the impact of their research. “Emory and Children’s cast a wide net that allows us to serve patients from across the entire state of Georgia,” said Dr. Lupo. “As an epidemiologist, having access to this type of diversity in age from child to adult and variety in geographic backgrounds is crucial.”

Additionally, the state’s robust cancer registry and congenital defects program and connection with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) make Georgia uniquely suited to epidemiologic research.

Through REACH, Dr. Lupo and Dr. Scheurer hope to connect Children’s and Emory researchers to communities across the state. “We are passionate about bringing research opportunities directly to the community instead of relying on more traditional local recruitment efforts,” said Dr. Scheurer. “One of REACH’s top priorities is to advocate for individuals in rural areas who have historically not had access to cutting edge research programs.”

To start, Dr. Lupo and Dr. Scheurer are focusing on three areas, all with the hope of promoting connections between researchers and the communities they serve. Through REACH, they seek to:

1. Integrate with existing research centers and the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health.
2. Expand beyond Emory and Children’s to partner with external groups such as CDC, Morehouse, and Georgia Tech.
3. Connect with anyone interested in epidemiologic research or public outreach studies.

They’ve set their sights on going to the Georgia State Fair, among other events, where they can get out and meet people where they are, in their own communities. They also encourage anyone interested in partnering with REACH on research projects to contact them—or, as Dr. Scheurer says, to REACH out. “We fully plan to take advantage of the name REACH, because that is such an important part of what we want to do here,” he said.

Learn more about REACH.