NHP Catalyst Grant Projects
About the NHP Catalyst Grants
NHP Catalyst Grants foster collaboration between academics, researchers, clinicians, and the Peel Region community. These grants support projects that design, expand, adapt, or evaluate evidence-informed tools, programs, or interventions aligned with the Network’s mission: reducing social inequities in diabetes and related cardiometabolic diseases through better care, lower risk factors, and healthier environments.
The NHP Catalyst Grants also aims to align our findings to meet the needs of the community by:
- Equity-based priority setting – Engaging community members to ensure fair and relevant research priorities.
- Community-driven research – Partnering with local organizations to incorporate lived experiences and insights.
- Education & capacity building – Enhancing research knowledge and skills for community members, trainees, and faculty.
- Academic-community collaboration – Strengthening relationships between U of T and Peel Region for long-term engagement and trust.
- Future research priorities – Involving the community in identifying meaningful and pressing research themes.
Increasing Knowledge, Reducing Risk: A community-integrated nutrition intervention to prevent type 2 diabetes in Peel.
For lead investigator, Dr. Vasanti Malik, the Network for Healthy Populations Catalyst Grant program has allowed her team to address an issue that has great relevance to the people of Peel Region. They have conducted each part of the project in collaboration with community members, including the Peel Food Action Council.
Originally inspired by community gardening programs, Malik wanted to develop something that would teach important skills like nutrition while encouraging participants to spend time together and in nature.