Announcing our 2026 Seed Grant and Impact Accelerator Awardees
The Center for Global Health Equity is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2026 Seed Grant and Impact Accelerator Grant cycle, supporting research designed and implemented in partnership with collaborators in resource-constrained settings. Seed Grants provide up to $35,000 for early-stage pilot projects, while Impact Accelerator Grants provide up to $100,000 for projects ready to scale evidence into practice or policy.
Six projects were selected from a competitive pool of proposals. Each reflects the program's core criteria: co-designed with global partners, a focus on needs identified within low- and middle-income country contexts, and meaningful collaboration across the University of Michigan and international institutions.
Awarded Projects
Impact Accelerator Grants
A Global Digital Cancer Diagnostics Hub to Expand Access to High-Quality Pathology in Resource-Limited Settings
Research team
- Rouba Ali-Fehmi, MD, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School (Principal Investigator)
- Mustafa Yousif, MD, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Yousif Hassan, PhD, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
- Jason J. Corso, PhD, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan
- Perry Samson, PhD, Department of Climate and Space Sciences, University of Michigan
- Kamran Mirza, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Lee Schroeder, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Ulysses Balis, MD, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Scott C. Bresler, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Brooklyn Khoury, MS, MHS, MBA, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Judy Effendi, BS, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Deena Aboul-Hassan, BS, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Sihem Hmissa, MD, Sahloul University Hospital, University of Sousse, Tunisia
- Manal El Mahdy, MD, Ain Shams University, Egypt
- Selma Mekki, MD, Al Neelain University, Sudan
- Deogratias Ruhangaza, MD, Butaro Cancer Centre of Excellence, Rwanda
- Aisha Jibril Suleiman, MD, St Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Ethiopia
- Ernest Kwasi Adjei, MD, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana
- Shahin Sayed, MMed, PhD, Aga Khan University Hospital, Kenya
- Mupeta Songwe, MD, University Teaching Hospital, Zambia
- Luis Taxa, PhD, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Peru
- Ghazi Zaatar, MD, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
- Maysa Al-Hussaini, MD, King Hussein Cancer Center, Jordan
- Richard Wing-Cheuk Wong, MD, United Christian Hospital, China
- Binaya Shrestha, MD, Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal
- Simona Stolnicu, MD, PhD, University of Medicine, Târgu Mureș, Romania
- Vladyslav Ilchenko, MD, Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine
Building the Foundation to Screen for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD) in Ghana
Research team
- Dhanu Thiyag, MD, MPH, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School (Principal Investigator)
- Emma Lawrence, MD, MSc, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Emily Treleaven, PhD, MPH, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
- K. Rivet Amico, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity, University of Michigan School of Public Health
- Heidi Burns, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School
- Maria Muzik, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Promise Sefogah, MD, MPH, University of Ghana / Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
- Delali Fiagbe, MD, University of Ghana / Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
Co-Designing a Locally Informed Climate-Health Surveillance Platform in Uganda
Research team
- Joseph N.S. Eisenberg, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health (Principal Investigator)
- Mohammed Ombadi, PhD, MSc, Center for Local, African, and Systemic Precision Climate Adaptation (CLASP), University of Michigan
- Pam Jagger, PhD, MSc, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan
- Gertrude Nakigozi, MBChB, MPH, PhD, Rakai Health and Science Program, Uganda
- Robert Ssekubugu, Doctoral Candidate, Rakai Health and Science Program, Uganda
- Godfrey Kigozi, MBChB, MPH, PhD, Rakai Health and Science Program, Uganda
- Nelson Sewankambo, LLD, MBChB, MSc, MMed, FRCP, Rakai Health and Science Program, Uganda
Seed Grants
Towards EQUITable Oncology: Identifying Needs and Designing Sustainable Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa (EQUIT-study)
Research team
- Nate Nessle, DO, Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of Michigan Medical School (Principal Investigator)
- Brad Zebrack, PhD, MPH, MSW, School of Social Work, University of Michigan
- Crystal Patil, PhD, School of Nursing, University of Michigan
- Emily Walling, MD, MPH, Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Irene Nzamu, MBS, MBChB, MMED, FPHO, Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya
- John Kinuthia, MBChB, MPH, Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya
- Michelle Ngaruiya, BS, Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenya
- Festus Njuguna, MBChB, MMED, PhD, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya
- Minke Huibers, MD, PhD, Princess Máxima Center, Netherlands
An Open Pilot Trial of an Integrated Trauma Healing and Financial Literacy Program for Climate-Vulnerable Young Mothers in Nairobi's Informal Settlements
Research team
- Katie Edwards, PhD, MS, School of Social Work, University of Michigan (Principal Investigator)
- Sara McClelland, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan Medical School
- Nina Brooks, PhD, MA, MPP, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan
- Jennie Jester, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Michigan
- Julia Kagunda, MA, Elim Trust, Kenya
- Purity Mwenda, PhD candidate, Elim Trust, Kenya
Strong Roots Perinatal Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Building Capacity and Tailoring a Mental Health and Early Relational Intervention to an Urban Mexican Context
Research team
- Cecilia Martinez-Torteya, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School (Principal Investigator)
- Kristin Castelvetere, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School
- Addie Weaver, PhD, MSW, MPA, School of Social Work, University of Michigan
- Alison Miller, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity, University of Michigan School of Public Health
- Alexis Handal, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health
- Lucía Munch Anguiano, PhD, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, México
- Claudia Martínez Valdovinos, PhD, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, México
Seed Grants and Impact Accelerator Grants are open to University of Michigan faculty in tenure, research, or clinical tracks who are members of the Center for Global Health Equity. Proposals are evaluated on the strength of global partnerships, the relevance of identified needs, scientific robustness, and the potential for the research to drive real-world impact in low-resource settings.