Welcome to the Center on Health Disparities!

Our Vision

The UTHSC Center on Health Disparities will foster the creation of a community where all individuals have equal opportunity to receive quality, equitable, culturally appropriate, and compassionate healthcare.

Our Mission
 

The UTHSC Center on Health Disparities proposes to eliminate disparities in health outcomes through biomedical and behavioral research, promoting healthcare system changes, and education of citizens, healthcare professionals, researchers, and other key stakeholders.

We Value

The UTHSC Center on Health Disparities values

• Community Assets
• Community voices
• Strength in Partnerships

About the CHD

The UTHSC Center on Health Disparities was created to focus on significant health behaviors and chronic diseases that contribute to poor health, and address health care system and community barriers that prevent assess to equitable, culturally competent, appropriate, and quality medical care. 

A conceptual model based on the STEEEP principles introduced in the Crossing the Quality Chasm IOM report, the IOM Unequal Treatment report, and Healthy People 2010 was developed to illustrates the principles and thought trajectory of the CHD, as well as, to guide the work of the CHD (see the CHD Foci model).

After synthesizing all of the available information, the CHD core team chose four foci: asthma, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and sickle cell disease. It was also apparent that several cross-cutting themes would be highlighted in the work of the CHD: (1) patient safety, (2) cultural competence, (3) patient/community empowerment, (4) care coordination, (5) innovative technology, (6) case management, and (7) community policies.