About the Center for Health and Community

The Center for Health and Community (CHC) aims to improve individual and population health through research and teaching addressing the social, behavioral and policy aspects of health and health care.  CHC members share an awareness that we cannot isolate physical diseases from our emotions, behaviors, and the experiences linked to where we live, work, and play.  We encourage and support multidisciplinary collaborations designed to promote comprehensive approaches to health problems, and to bridge the gap between biomedical and social science.

CHC researchers aim not only to improve overall health, but also to reduce disparities in health to achieve greater “health equity.” We bring a variety of theories and methods to bear on this problem. Our work includes lab-based basic studies of causal mechanisms, observational research linking social exposures to health outcomes, intervention research testing innovative approaches, implementation research to improve uptake of successful interventions, and dissemination of new knowledge and approaches.

More than half of premature deaths can be prevented through changes in behavior, environment, and socioeconomic factors-a fact that has been largely ignored by traditional medicine.  The Center’s research highlights the human dimension of health care, emphasizing the identity and lived experience of the patient rather than the pathology alone.