About Us
The Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Health Disparities (VCU CoHD) was established in 2005 by the VCU Board of Visitors in response to emerging evidence of barriers to equitable health care at the local, state and national levels. The overall mission of the VCU CoHD is to reduce health disparities and improve health across the Commonwealth through facilitating research, training a diverse and competent workforce, and transforming disparate communities through community engagement and outreach initiatives.
To do its work effectively, the VCU CoHD brings faculty together from a wide range of fields to collect and examine biological, social, behavioral, and community-level data to ultimately develop, test, and share prevention strategies and tools. We contribute to the university’s ability to respond to, and participate in, emerging health disparities research and research training that does not fit well with existing departmental structures, specializations, or disciplinary approaches. Our collective expertise spans the following:
- Conceptual, methodological, and empiric research on health disparities, health equity, and the social determinants of health
- Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health and its determinants
- Population-based survey research design, data collection, and analysis
- Training and mentoring the next generation of UR and health equity researchers
- Coalition and capacity building
- Translation of existing scientific knowledge into materials that are accessible and engaging to wide audiences
The VCU CoHD demonstrates the University's commitment to safeguarding the health of all citizens in the Commonwealth.
Contact Us:
Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Health Disparities
P.O. Box 980501 Richmond, Virginia 23298-0501
Phone: (804) 828-6890
E-mail: cohdresearch@vcu.edu