Alameddin Named All of Us Arizona Health Champion for Her Work to Improve Health Care Accessibility, Equity

The All of Us Research Program University of Arizona-Banner Health has named Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA), the Arizona Health Champion for March.

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The Arizona Health Champion award series recognizes health professionals, educators, community partners and researchers who are dedicated to increasing diversity and accessibility in health care. An initiative of the National Institutes of Health, the All of Us Research Program, led by University of Arizona and Banner Health in Arizona and Colorado, aims to build the largest and most diverse database of health information of its kind to improve health for future generations.

Despite the challenges COVID-19 created for health care, Alameddin led policy and advocacy efforts to secure hospital payment increases of $1.2 billion, expand telepharmacy for small rural hospitals, and develop grant-funded programs to serve emergency preparedness needs and patient safety and quality programs. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, along with its member hospitals, explores ideas and takes collaborative action at the state capitol, in hospitals and at home to attain the best health care outcomes for Arizonans.

In addition, the organization has a number of programs that aim to increase health equity within Arizona communities including the new Arizona Health Equity Organizational Assessment.

“It is so important for all communities to be represented in health care discussions,” Alameddin said. “Health care is personal. It affects all of us. We all have a right to sit at the table and engage in conversations that affect our community and our families. The AzHHA is working to make sure we are inclusive of the diverse patient population within our state. We are enlisting input and feedback from community leaders to help us provide meaningful and equitable information in our educational materials so we may better serve and educate all Arizonans.”

One of the core values of the All of Us Research Program is that participants reflect the rich diversity of the United States. All of Us UArizona-Banner currently leads the country in enrollment with more than 50,000 participants. More than 81% of those participants come from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in biomedical research, with about 53% from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.

Once a participant is enrolled, their de-identified information is available for researchers to study. There are currently more than 1,200 studies using All of Us Research Program’s participant data. Researchers are studying how factors like genetics, environment and lifestyle affect the way in which diseases and medications impact individuals. About 50 researchers in Arizona are using the data to conduct studies on topics such as Valley fever, sociocultural factors influencing multiple diseases and predictors of endometriosis.

To learn more or enroll, visit AllofUsAZ.org or call 877-268-2684.

The University of Arizona-Banner Health Program is supported under the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program funding award OT2OD026549 with previous awards UG3OD023171-01 and UG3OD023171-01S1 and the CEAL funding award OT2-HL156812.

“All of Us” and the All of Us logo are registered service marks of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).