Elaine A. Borawski, PhD

Elaine A. Borawski, PhD is the Director of the Center for Health Promotion Research (CHPR) and a tenured, Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Trained as a medical sociologist, with postdoctoral training in public health and epidemiology, Dr. Borawski has over 15 years of experience in community-based health research with a focus on school and neighborhood level interventions, behavioral intervention program efficacy and effectiveness studies, process evaluation, health behavior surveillance, and survey development and design.

Dr. Borawski's primary research has focused on teen pregnancy and STD/HIV prevention in school-based interventions. She has served as a PI and Co-I on a number of NIH and CDC funded, longitudinal studies and has developed methodological expertise in longitudinal methods. Dr. Borawski has served on numerous community-based committees and advisory board including Steps to a Healthier Cleveland Leadership Team and Health and Caring for All Vision Council (United Way). She also serves or has served on a number of national committees focused on prevention research. She is currently serving a third term on the NIH Behavioral and Social Science Approaches to Preventing HIV/AIDS Study Section (BSPH) and has served as an ad hoc reviewer on numerous NIH and CDC review panels related to HIV and teen pregnancy prevention, physical activity, obesity, tobacco prevention, youth development, adolescent risk behavior, and PRC SIP projects. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB), a national organization of health behavior researchers. Dr. Borawski and her CHPR staff work with numerous community partners, and she has served as the lead evaluator for dozens of community-based health interventions in the areas of pregnancy prevention, tobacco prevention and control, physical activity and nutrition, asthma and diabetes management, and obesity prevention and treatment.

An important new role for Dr. Borawski this year is co-investigator on the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) Community Engagement Core with Core Director, Dr. Ash Sehgal. Dr. Borawski is working with CTSC staff to develop the Community Based Research Consult Service, which is intended to train researchers in the processes of community-based research, including how to engage community partners and how to navigate the IRB and carry out a research project in the community.