The USF College of Public Health (COPH) hosts a virtual 5K, “Run Family Violence Out of Tampa Bay,” benefiting the USF Harrell Center. The event takes place from April 17-18, 2021 and is sponsored by Lennar Homes. Proceeds benefit community-academic projects addressing family violence.

The Harrell Center serves as an intermediary between academia and practice to address family violence across the life span. To address this mission, the center connects the technical assistance needs of community organizations with USF students and faculty who have the skills to address these needs.

However, one challenge the center faces is trying to meet the needs of the community through academic solutions, such as research, evaluation, training and advocacy, without an allocated budget.

“We rely on student volunteers and the faculty’s orientation toward community engagement,” Dr. Abraham Salinas-Miranda, assistant professor and director of the Harrell Center, said. “This virtual 5k can help us with that support, which can go a long way.”

Salinas-Miranda and his team believe this event will gather meaningful support for community-based projects as well as create awareness about the Harrell Center’s mission. Most importantly, it will shine a light on the role that academia can play in addressing family violence through academic-community partnerships. 

“It’s a pivotal point toward advancing the relationships with community organizations through a public health approach to violence prevention. All the funds will be utilized for community-based projects that don’t have a funding stream through USF,” Salinas-Miranda said. “Our students can learn while working with projects that advance evidence-based practices. The community can address challenges that they have not been able to address.” 

Register here.

Have questions about the virtual 5K? Contact, Dr. Abraham Salinas Miranda.

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health