UNC Center for Health Equity Research

The Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) brings together collaborative, multidisciplinary teams of scholars and community members to improve health in underserved communities through a shared commitment to health equity, innovation and translational research. Center Vision Create and maintain cross-disciplinary synergy: The combination of individual perspectives, resources and skills, creates a “whole that is greater than the sum of its parts” and results in research collaborations with increased creativity and more comprehensive solutions to complex problems. Advance research methods: New methods and new application of methods from other fields are required for continued progress in the field. Methods routinely used in health disparities research do not meet the methodological needs of complex problems or take advantage of cross-disciplinary collaborations. Effective translation of discoveries: Deliberate, strategic investments in translational collaborations in key conditions or areas can catalyze new discoveries and create models and an infrastructure that transcends bottlenecks. Conduct research that addresses patient and community centered outcomes: Research that is more relevant to stakeholders is more likely to lead to organizational and public policy change that leads to improved health. Equity in health care is an issue of quality: Equity is one of the six quality aims defined by the Institute of Medicine in their 2001 report, ‘‘Crossing the Quality Chasm.’’ Addressing equity offers great opportunities for profound improvement for both individual patients and society as a whole.