RADx | Community-Campus Partnerships for Health

Photo Courtesy of Priya Sarin, Kraft Community Health

The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostic-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) Program was a consortium of community-engaged research projects whose aim was to transform COVID-19 research to eliminate health disparities heightened by the pandemic. The nationwide program built innovative and sustainable solutions to expand testing access and uptake in underserved, vulnerable communities. These community projects were supported by the Coordination and Data Collection Center (CDCC), The Duke Clinical Research Institute at Duke University, and the Center for Thriving Communities at UNC Chapel Hill, whose vision is to use a community-centered approach. CDCC served the community project teams and their community partners through education, training, implementation guidance, and coordination by supporting projects across the country with established community partnerships.

RADx-UP Public Health Emergency Preparedness Playbook

The RADx-UP Public Health Emergency Preparedness Playbook is a community-informed resource built from five years of insights, tools, and strategies developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Co-created with academic and community-based partners across the country, the Playbook offers actionable guidance for preparing, responding, and recovering from public health emergencies—especially in historically marginalized communities.

This resource is designed for use by community leaders, public health professionals, policymakers, and emergency response teams.

Download the RADx-UP Public Health Emergency Preparedness Playbook by clicking one of the buttons below.

Download in English

Download in Spanish

Audience-Tailored One-Pagers

To help communities and sectors put the RADx-UP Public Health Emergency Preparedness Playbook into action, we’ve created downloadable one-pagers tailored for specific audiences.

Turning Lessons Into Action: A National Convening Introducing the RADx-UP Public Health Emergency Preparedness Playbook

In June 2025, we brought together community leaders, public health experts, and national partners for a virtual convening to reflect on the lessons behind the Playbook and discuss its future impact. Visit the event page to watch the full conversation and hear insights from those who shaped and will use the Playbook.

Watch the Playbook Launch

Workshops & Resources

2023-2024 Lunch & Learn Series Recap & Events

In partnership with RADx-UP, CCPH facilitated an 8-Part Lunch & Learn Workshop Series that provided practical, applied examples of equitable partnerships for over 500 attendees. Check out our series recap and workshop recordings on participatory budgeting, community-based participatory research, culturally-responsive dissemination, community advisory boards, managing project start-up, managing project wrap-up, sustaining partnerships, and qualitative research 101.

Check Out the Series

Advocating for Racial Equity in the US Healthcare System

In partnership with the RADx-UP Engaging Black / African Americans Working Group, Advocating for Racial Equity in the US Healthcare System is an educational resource for patients and providers to navigate the barriers resulting from structural racism in the US Healthcare System. Structural racism has deep historical roots and is ongoing, negatively affecting millions of Americans as patients and providers. This resource guide can help you advocate for health equity by guiding patient-provider relationships for improved health outcomes.

Access the Guide

A consortium of over 125 community-based projects focused on expanding access to COVID-19 testing across the U.S., RADx-UP demonstrated how essential community engagement is to researching and addressing health disparities. Watch this video to from our Executive Director Al Richmond and other RADx-UP leaders about this essential work.