When she first started her journey in academia more than 25 years ago, Early\u2019s scholarship was primarily in<\/em> communities, not with <\/em>community. It wasn\u2019t until later that she was introduced to the concept of community-based participatory research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was because of the work I did with my mentor and my study of critical theory that changed everything for me,\u201d she said. \u201cCommunity-based participatory research has been an anchor to my teaching, scholarship and service ever since.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Growing up in a family of eight children raised by a single mother, Early said she knows what it\u2019s like to experience poverty and to be a first-generation college student. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMentoring and teaching provide me with opportunities to support students with backgrounds and experiences similar to mine, and to learn from and support those whose lives are different than my own,\u201d Early said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her work as a scholar-practitioner is closely intertwined with her role as an educator. Through Early\u2019s instruction and mentorship, students gain experience in research and learn what it means to be a community-engaged scholar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI often reflect on how my own path to higher education and public health would not have been possible had it not been for strong mentors in my life who led me to opportunities and helped me believe in my abilities and power,\u201d Early said. \u201cI am committed to doing the same for my students and for the communities I serve \u2014 to use my power and privilege to break down the barriers within our institutions that keep perpetuating the same systems of oppression.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Early\u2019s research and work in service to various communities focuses primarily on eliminating health disparities and improving systems, policies and resources that improve quality of life for individuals and communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2021, Early co-founded Mental Health Matters of Washington<\/a>, a community-based program that strives to promote mental health for all through tailored health education, community engagement, resource navigation and social support. The program offers training in English and Spanish for people to become peer mental-health navigators in their communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Early\u2019s experiences as a parent and caregiver, as well as her work with youth and college students, led her to co-develop the program, she said. She is currently the principal investigator and co-director of the program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen my daughter was diagnosed with an acute mental health condition, navigating through a non-existent \u2018system\u2019 of behavioral health care was exhausting and confusing,\u201d Early said, adding that it was hard to imagine how difficult navigating that system would be for someone who not only didn\u2019t work in public health but whose primary language also isn\u2019t English. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The program was funded through several community partners, including Verdant Health Commission, Skagit Public Health, North Sound Accountable Communities of Health and UW Bothell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The program takes both an intersectional and an intergenerational approach, said Early. \u201cOur primary goals are to reduce stigma about mental health and to support communities most impacted by systems of exclusion and oppression,\u201d Early said. \u201cEvidence from research in other parts of the world demonstrates that tailored popular education methods and peer support are promising strategies for early intervention for those who may be struggling with their mental health.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In May 2023, Early and the team held their first MINDfest<\/a> event \u2014 a free, mental health arts festival designed to build community through interpersonal healing. They also plan to make the festival an annual event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the past eight years, Early has also co-led \u00a1Basta! Preventing Sexual Harassment in Agriculture<\/a>, a program developed by NHS faculty at UW Bothell with more than 48 partners and stakeholders \u2014 including women farmworkers, human rights organizations and industry partners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Early joined the project in 2015 after Dr. Victoria Breckwich V\u00e1squez, \u00a1Basta! co-founder and NHS lecturer, and other colleagues had completed exploratory studies to examine farmworkers\u2019 lived experiences. Breckwich V\u00e1squez also launched a statewide coalition to address the issue through education and policy change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Together with her students, Early spearheaded a social marketing campaign to raise awareness about the issue. \u201cSexual harassment is pervasive everywhere but especially within agriculture,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile education alone is not enough, it\u2019s an important step in raising social consciousness, improving workplace climate and safety, and mobilizing people at the grassroots level.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u00a1Basta! toolkit<\/a> features a wide range of bilingual training materials based on farmworkers\u2019 experiences, including a facilitator\u2019s guide, workplace posters, wallet cards for workers, videos, audio novellas, a bilingual comic and a sample workplace policy. Early and Breckwich V\u00e1squez also co-produced a video filmed in the Yakima Valley with farmworkers who catalyzed the program\u2019s development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u00a1Basta! was the hardest yet most rewarding community-based participatory research project of my career to date,\u201d Early said. \u201cThis project pushed me to grow my public scholarship. The impact of our efforts is still manifesting at local and national levels.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the program\u2019s launch in 2019, the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center<\/a> has provided more than 800 electronic and hard copies of the video and toolkit. In 2020, \u00a1Basta! received national recognition from the American Public Health Association, which awarded the program the Health Education Materials Award<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the community-engaged service and research Early does, she also enjoys finding ways to bring community engagement into the classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy research, teaching and service are tightly interwoven,\u201d she said. \u201cI think staying involved in public health practice is vital to my scholarship and to my teaching. I am able to involve students in all of my community and global collaborations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In many of her classes, Early integrates what she calls a \u201cpartner challenge,\u201d which involves project-based experiential learning. Students work on a project posed by a community partner and present their findings at the end of the quarter, with their peers, Early and the partner stakeholders providing feedback. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for students to gain experience translating what they are learning directly into practice, but they also get to experience what it means to work in partnership with a community organization and build their social capital,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the global partnerships Early has co-created is the Transnational Education and Community Health Collaboratory. Co-founded with Dr. Niamh Murphy and faculty from Southeastern Technological University in Ireland, TEaCH CoLab helps students gain experience engaging with their communities to tackle pressing public health challenges using community-based and participatory strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The grant-funded program, sponsored by the EU\u2019s Erasmus+ Mobility Program and the Republic of Ireland, connects students and faculty across continents to work together to tackle population health issues through community-engaged projects, Collaborative Online International Learning<\/a> experiences and through faculty and student exchanges<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the many community partners Early has collaborated with over the years is the Providence Institute for a Healthier Community.\u202fFounded in 2016, the nonprofit aims to raise awareness, provide resources and build community solutions for a healthier community in Snohomish County. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJody was integral in helping to support key department concepts and goals, which remain central to how we do our work today,\u201d said Jessica Burt, interim director for the institute, in her letter recommending Early for the award. \u201cJody is not only a champion for community health education, well-being and equity, she is a true collaborator, providing shared resources, alliances and knowledge for the benefit of all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Early helped to advise and launch the institute\u2019s Health and Well-Being Monitor, an annual survey used to measure the well-being of 800,000 Snohomish County residents. She also presented at local, national and international conferences to raise awareness and to promote visibility of the community-driven survey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout this partnership, Early has involved her students in ongoing fieldwork opportunities. Nearly 50 students have helped to build the institute\u2019s community resource hub, which currently has more than 2,600 local listings. During the coronavirus pandemic, Early connected students with the institute\u2019s Snohomish County Mask Brigade to make and distribute hundreds of masks in the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJody not only does amazing work on behalf of UW Bothell and aligned community partners, but she also is a pleasure to work with, a mentor for students and professionals, and an inspiring advocate for community health education and public health in our region,\u201d Burt said. <\/p>\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/MicrosoftTeams-image-7.jpg\")
A passion for mental health<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/MHM-team-at-MINDfest-768x1024.jpg\")
Sexual harassment among farmworkers<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lesson in community engagement<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The importance of collaboration<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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