OHPro

The Oral Health Project (OH Pro) is a two-year community participatory research and advocacy initiative focused on learning with and about oral health priorities among communities in Buncombe County and surrounding communities.

The new research arm of the Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA) is coordinating the OH Pro. The initiative is designed to be guided by a community advisory group and funded by the NC Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation.

ABIPA recognizes that oral health is connected with and critical to overall health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. By exploring communities’ oral health experiences and opportunities for improvement and taking action together to promote better oral health services and policies, we can contribute to health improvements among people in our area and state.

Take our survey to help give us insight to what changes need to be made in order to take action!

https://uncauw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5vSkeU3zqYZvAMe

Meet The Team

JéWana Grier-McEachin is Executive Director of ABIPA, where she has led community-driven efforts to advance health and social equity for over a decade. A Fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program, she is committed to advancing health equity through research and partnerships. Her work has helped launch ABIPA-r, expanding research capacity and impact in underserved communities.

Ameena Batada is Research Re-Imagined Lead at ABIPA and on faculty at UNC Asheville. She works on community-driven research and action and has worked with Sesame Workshop India and the Center for Science in the Public Interest. She has a DrPH and MPH in public health and a BS in international and cross-cultural studies.

JaìEssence McEachin is a public health advocate passionate about youth wellness, community engagement, and equitable access to health resources. She focuses on childhood obesity prevention, youth sports injury aftercare, and place-based solutions in Western North Carolina, aiming to build healthier, thriving communities through education, collaboration, and sustainable programing.

JyAire McEachin is the PR and communications assistant director for ABIPA. Pursuing further education in her bachelors of health sciences degree, and certification to become a community healthcare worker. She strives to learn and gain more knowledge to better provide assistance and resources to the community through community engagements, provider collaboration, and outreach.