Noelle Lorita Gorka

All Publications

• On the Day Roe Fell. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges Gorka, N. 2025

  View details for DOI 10.1097/ACM.0000000000006245

  View details for PubMedID 40911893

• Community perspective analysis: Informing the design of a community-academic research readiness protocol. Journal of clinical and translational science Juliette, K., Gorka, N., McKay, A. S., Vereen, D., Campbell, B., Bailey, S., Evans, L., Nambiar, V., Samuels, E., Piechowski, P., Greene-Moton, E., Sparks, A., De Loney, E. H., Robinson, D., Key, K. D., Woolford, S. J. 2025; 9 (1): e124

  Abstract

  Community-engaged partnerships (community/academia/government) can play a role in developing effective protocols that address public health crises. Systemic racism, prioritization of money over humanity, and the repression of the local democratic processes through the State of Michigan Emergency Manager Law (Order of Act 439) all played a role in the Flint Water Crisis. Despite decades of collaboration between Flint-based community organizations and academic institutions, ways to navigate such crises and conduct relevant research were ineffective.The Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Community Engagement program at the University of Michigan and Flint's Community Based Organization Partners co-developed the Research Readiness and Partnership Protocol (R2P2) to provide community-engaged recommendations that inform a rapid research response to public health emergencies. The R2P2 Workgroup conducted an extensive literature review and key interviews to inform protocol development.This manuscript provides an overview of the Workgroup's methods, key interview findings, and the main principles identified. Detailed recommendations and key elements to address prior to and during a crisis will be presented including methods for: establishing and maintaining trust, ensuring transparency, supporting clear communication, establishing a "front door" to academic institutions including a means to "sound the alarm," addressing academic incentives, achieving equitable resource sharing, and addressing systemic racism.This manuscript of community perspectives provides essential elements to develop meaningful community-academic research partnerships to address public health crises impacting communities, particularly communities of color. Furthermore, this work highlights an opportunity for greater acknowledgment and utilization of community-based participatory research (CBPR) by academic institutions.

  View details for DOI 10.1017/cts.2025.83

  View details for PubMedID 40599169

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC12209965

• Parental Perspectives Regarding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Children. Childhood obesity (Print) Tanti, S., Troost, J. P., Samuels, E., Mckay, A., Kowalski-Dobson, T., Vereen, D., Gorka, N., Nambiar, V., Key, K., Campbell, B., Greene-Moton, E., Evans, L., Bailey, S., Juliette, K., Sparks, A., DeLoney, E. H., Piechowski, P., Woolford, S. J. 2023; 19 (1): 34-45

  Abstract

  Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought profound changes to the health of families worldwide. Yet, there is limited research regarding its impact on children. The pandemic may exacerbate factors associated with excess weight, which is particularly concerning due to the potential association between excess weight and severity of COVID-19 infection. This study investigates parental perspectives of changes in fruit/vegetable (FV) intake, processed food (PF) intake, outdoor playtime (OP), physical activity (PA) levels, and recreational screen time (RST) among children living in Michigan during the pandemic. Methods: The study team and community partners developed and distributed a survey using snowball sampling to reach families living largely in Central and Southeastern Michigan. Nonlinear mixed-effects proportional odds models were used to examine associations between child weight status along with demographic/household factors and changes in five weight-related behaviors. Results: Parents (n = 1313; representing 2469 children) reported a decrease in OP, FV, and PA levels, while there was an increase in RST and PF intake among their children. Household income was protective against a decrease in OP, PA, and FV but was associated with increased RST. Children's weight status was associated with decreased FV. Age was negatively associated with OP and PA, and positively associated with RST. Conclusions: These findings suggest an adverse influence of the pandemic on weight-related behaviors, particularly among adolescents in families with lower incomes and those with excess weight. Further work is needed to measure any impact on BMI trajectory and to identify interventions to reverse negative effects.

  View details for DOI 10.1089/chi.2021.0216

  View details for PubMedID 35447044

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9917328