Center for Health and Social Inequalities Research (CHSIR)

The Center for Health and Inequality Research, established in 2005, brings a renewed effort to tackling some of the nation's toughest health and social issues. Racial and ethnic minorities continue to experience significant disparities in health, health care access, and the receipt of culturally appropriate health services. There is a growing recognition that improving the health of vulnerable populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, low income populations, and women and children depends on shifting from an individual to a broader social, economic and political understanding of health. The Center, housed in the Department of Sociology, draws on the unique strengths of faculty who are committed to expanding the understanding of the causes and consequences of health disparities, and providing policy-relevant research to reduce them.

The Center’s research clusters include health, education, immigration, social justice, neighborhoods and social and environmental sustainability. It is well-established that the social conditions under which people live are profound determinants of their health: illnesses are often related to social, economic, political, and environmental circumstances. Commonly recognized determinants include income and social status, personal support networks, education and literacy, employment/working conditions, social and physical environments and culture. While it was well documented that individuals in various socio-economic groups experience differing health outcomes, there are still many gaps to understanding the specific factors and means by which these factors lead to illness as well as translating current knowledge into policy changes and improved social and health outcomes.

                                     CHSIR collects Civic Engagement Awards:

• Excellence in Community-University Partnerships: the Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition: Photo includes: Margaret Everett with Meg Merrick, PSU's Institute of Metropolitan Studies: Sonia Manhas and Olivia Quiroz, Multnomah County Health Department; and Suzanne Briggs, Kaiser Permanente NW
  
  The Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition is a dynamic interdisciplinary community-university partnership that is achieving local recognition for innovative work towards a healthier built environment and public policies to reduce the disproportionately high rate of obesity in low income and minority communities, particularly among children. This on-going effort has engaged PSU faculty and students in community-based participatory research that has empowered the Portsmouth Latino community through collaborative problem-solving and health promotion.

 

• Excellence in Community-Based Research: Peter Collier
  
  Principles of social justice and social sustainability demand improvement of degree completion rates for underserved groups like first-generation students. Yet while first-generation college student enrollment increases, their academic success and retention rates remain low. The Students First Mentoring Program (SFMP) is a targeted intervention that promotes first-generation student success through expertise development and mentoring. During their program participation years, SFMP freshmen demonstrate higher yearly retention, average GPA, and number of credits earned rates than "all other PSU Freshmen."