Abi Fapohunda, DrPH, Pitt Public Health assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences and an affiliate faculty member in Africana studies at the University of Pittsburgh, has received a 2026 John C. Mascaro Faculty Scholar in Sustainability Award to expand Global TEACH, an international initiative that trains students to study cancer disparities in rural Appalachia and Nigeria.
The one-year, $15,000 award will support the next phase of Global TEACH: A Transnational Initiative to Advance Sustainability-Informed Cancer Disparities Research in Nigeria and Appalachia. The project—a collaboration among faculty and community partners from the University of Pittsburgh, Pitt-Johnstown and Nigeria—will examine environmental and structural factors that contribute to lung cancer and respiratory disease, including air pollution, household air quality, smoking, occupational exposures, transportation barriers, access to health care, poverty and gaps in prevention education.
“Global TEACH was created to help students understand that health disparities are a global issue,” Fapohunda said. “Although rural Appalachia and rural Nigeria are geographically and culturally distinct, they face many of the same barriers to prevention, early detection and access to care. By bringing students and community partners together across borders, we’re preparing the next generation of public health professionals to address those challenges.”
Students will collect survey and qualitative data in rural Pennsylvania while collaborating with partner institutions in Nigeria to compare common public health challenges. The project will also develop community-informed lung health education materials and generate preliminary data to support future publications, conference presentations and external grant applications.
“This award allows us to build on a partnership that has continued to grow over the past three years,” Fapohunda said. “Our goal is to create lasting collaborations that improve cancer awareness, reduce health disparities and produce research that benefits communities in both countries.”
Additional contributors to the project include Cynthia Salter, PhD, of Pitt Public Health; Martina Anto-Ocrah, PhD, of the School of Medicine; Jill Henning, PhD, of Pitt-Johnstown; Lisa Davis, MHA, Director of the Pennsylvania Office for Rural Health; Nnodimele Atulomah, PhD, and Titilayo Olaoye, PhD, of Babcock University; Oge Ilegbune, MD, of Lakeshore Cancer Center; and Gloria Akhadelor-Job, MBBS, MPH, project coordinator.
-Ava Dzurenda