About Us
We are a multi-disciplinary research team whose mission is to develop and disseminate information that contributes to improving the health of communities and reducing disparities in health care coverage and services. By using community-based research, we aim to understand the impact of health care programs, organizations, and policies on the health of individuals and communities. We provide program evaluations, policy analysis, health service research, and training for future researchers.
Program Evaluation
Our evaluation projects focus on programs and policies to expand health insurance coverage and access to care for children and adults, expand leadership within communities, and understand the impact of health consumer assistance programs. The Center for Community Health Studies specializes in conducting multi-level, multi-method program evaluations. Our approach incorporates qualitative and quantitative methods and dissemination strategies that provide clients with up-to-date, clear and reliable information about the successes and challenges of vital public health programs.
Policy Analysis
Working closely with governmental agencies and foundations, the Center identifies key policy options to address critical public health problems. These include the examination of how counties govern their health programs, effective outreach and enrollment strategies for public and other local health insurance programs, and how data from individual consumers can be used to reach broader populations through objective policy change.
Health Service Research
We conduct health services research, planning, and needs assessments to better understand the unmet health care needs of vulnerable populations and the agencies that serve them. Our projects include understanding the health care needs of in-home health service providers, the health and mental health needs of the homeless in central Los Angeles, and the scope and effectiveness of outreach and enrollment activities for publicly and privately financed health insurance programs targeting uninsured children.
Training
We are committed to the education and training of future researchers by providing opportunities for students to participate in research and evaluation projects. We train USC students at both the graduate and undergraduate level from various programs university-wide. We also extend training to the staff of community-based organizations.
For More Information
The Center for Community Health Studies is a special research group within the Department of Family Medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine. For more information, please see our center brochure.