#IChampionHealth

Overview

#IChampionHealth is a youth-focused prevention initiative from the University of Kentucky College of Education that is dedicated to advancing health and hope in schools and communities. Our initiative focuses on promoting mental health skills and preventing substance use across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Rooted in community voice, local data, and strategic collaboration, #IChampionHealth aims to enhance protective factors and leverage community strengths, values, and assets.

Our work centers around four prevention strategies:

- Educate youth, caregivers, and youth-serving professionals through evidence-informed skill-building, responsive resources, and relevant multimedia campaigns.
- Empower intergenerational leaders through the Community Collaborators coalition and Youth Community Health Champions program to co-create unique resources and solutions that reflect local strengths, needs, and priorities.
- Engage community members in innovative listening and outreach strategies through events and social media.
- Evaluate the impact of our strategies using mixed methods to inform ongoing improvement and sustainability.

Through the #IChampionHealth Chats podcast, we also amplify the work and wisdom of local health champions through powerful stories, useful tools, and fresh ways we can all show up for ourselves and others.

Impact

#IChampionHealth Chats Podcast

Connect with us

Our Partners

Funding

Current Funding

This project is supported by funds from the UK HealthCare Healthy Kentucky Initiative. The contents and outputs of this program are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by UK HealthCare or the Health Kentucky Initiative. ($49,994; July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026)

Previous Funding

This initiative was paid for with funds from the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission by and through the Office of the Attorney General. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this initiative are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission or the Office of the Attorney General. ($380,572; October 1, 2024 – December 31, 2025)

This project was supported by funds made available by the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Office of Health Equity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, under RFA-OT21-2103. The contents and outputs of this program are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Kentucky Department for Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ($414,000; July 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024)

Members

Dr. Ickes

Dr. Ickes is a Professor of Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky. She received her PhD from University of Cincinnati in Health Behavior and Health Promotion in 2010. As a University of Kentucky Research Professor, Dr. Ickes has experience in college and youth health promotion, including tobacco prevention, and has worked with university and community partners to reduce the prevalence of emerging tobacco products among at-risk youth and young adults. Her research interests go beyond tobacco control, including community-engaged research, youth empowerment, substance use prevention, and evidence-based program planning and evaluation.