The Need
As medical and political leaders strive to improve the health of our population and reduce health care costs, providers, organizations, and government bodies need to know how to do so effectively. And children are a top priority.
To provide optimal services to our youngest patients, we'll need to know everything from how to improve care through pediatric quality measures, to what obesity interventions work best - topics we are studying at the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center (CHEAR).
The Vision and Opportunity
With 18 core faculty and an annual research budget of more than $5 million, CHEAR is one of the largest groups of academic researchers focused on child health policy in the country. Our faculty conduct original investigations that expand understanding of the field of health care to improve the health of individuals and communities.
Recognized as a model for working across disciplines, CHEAR's faculty advisory board brings the expertise of our top-ranked schools of medicine, nursing, public health, social work, pharmacy, dentistry, business and law to bear on improving children's health.
We have a long history of partnering with state and federal agencies to advance child health. We work closely with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials to identify, conduct and present policy-relevant research.
Prevention initiatives are at the forefront of the CHEAR mission. Current project topics include timely and dependable access to health care, immunization education and awareness, and the effects of mobile technology on managing conditions such as diabetes.
At U-M, CHEAR has been recognized with research center status. We have undertaken a comprehensive strategic planning initiative, aligning faculty with four newly designated research cores: outcomes research, data science, emerging technologies, and policy and communications, with health disparities as an across-the-board theme.
Our faculty produced more than 130 research articles in fiscal year 2019 and participated in 36 national committees.
We are well-positioned to lead a national effort to create a professional association that supports and brings together child health services and policy researchers.
Our educational mission is key to our success and long-term impact. We engage learners at all levels: undergraduate, graduate, Ph.D. candidates and postdoctoral fellows. CHEAR's faculty investigators are highly trained and dedicated to educating tomorrow's health services researchers.
We are seeking to expand our training program despite declining federal support for education. We are, for example, establishing a groundbreaking joint fellowship program with the U-M Life Sciences Institute.
For more information or to partner with us, contact:
Maria Bertram
University of Michigan Health System
Office of Development
734-763-6184 | mgrupe@umich.edu
michiganmedicine.org/giving