Community-Based Approach to Boost Vaccines for All Ages in Border and Rural Areas
Official title: Community-Based Participatory Research to Enhance Vaccine Uptake Across the Lifespan through Innovative Points of Access and Altering Norms in Border and Rural Regions
Funded at University of Arizona · NIH-11503938 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A community-driven project will place an immunization specialist in rural dental clinics to improve vaccine access and acceptance for people of different ages in border and rural regions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Arizona NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tucson, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2024 |
| Project end | September 29, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $389,662 |
| NIH project number | 5U48DP006882-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11503938 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults, adolescents, families, and communities in rural southeastern Arizona and border regions who access dental clinics and FQHCs.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without access barriers or without interest in vaccination may experience little direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project partners with Chiricahua Community Health Centers to bring an immunization specialist into dental clinics serving underserved communities. It will identify what helps or hinders people in rural and border areas from getting vaccines, by talking with individuals, families, providers, and public health officials. The team will test how sustainable and scalable the dental-clinic immunization approach is to other FQHCs in the region. They will implement and evaluate a multilevel intervention aimed at increasing vaccination uptake among populations who have limited access to traditional care. The study emphasizes real-world settings and community engagement to improve immunization rates over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could create sustainable methods to increase vaccine uptake in rural and border communities, reducing vaccine-preventable illnesses.
How similar studies have gone: Previous multilevel, community-engaged vaccination efforts show promise but remain context-specific; this study tests scalability in multiple clinics.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Arizona
Tucson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nuno, Thomas — University of Arizona
- Study coordinator: Nuno, Thomas
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.