LEXINGTON, — Laneshia Conner, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work (CoSW),has been awarded a five-year, nearly $615,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The funding will support Conner’s study, “Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of an HIV Prevention Intervention for Older Black Women.”
“This project is about making sure older Black women — whose voices have too often been overlooked in health research — are not just included, but centered,” said Conner. “It’s about raising awareness, building visibility and ensuring that real resources are directed toward the health needs of this community.
This type of grant, the NIA’s Mentored Research Scientist Development Award, also provides support for an intensive, mentored career development experience in the biomedical, behavioral or clinical sciences leading to research independence.
The NIA-funded study will pilot and evaluate tailored interventions developed in collaboration with community partners, ensuring that findings are both rigorous and sustainable in real-world settings.
Conner developed this project during her time as a scholar trainee in the Kentucky Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Program, which provides in-depth mentoring and training for scholars pursuing independent research careers in women’s health.
This award underscores Conner’s national leadership in advancing health education for aging populations and builds upon her growing body of research focused on sexual health and wellness among older adults.
“Dr. Conner is a recipient of the UK UNITE Humanities Pilot Grant, and she has received recognition from the Society for Social Work and Research, among other accolades,” said Jackie Duron, Ph.D., CoSW associate dean for faculty advancement. “We are proud to celebrate her commitment to innovative scholarship that meaningfully supports our communities.”
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K12DA035150, and by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K01AG092253. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.