Despite decades of national efforts, underrepresented minorities and the urban poor continue to experience excess deaths and disabilities due to diseases of the heart, lungs, and metabolism. The mission of the Rush Center for Urban Health Equity is to effectively merge expertise from a broad range of scientific disciplines (including medical, biological, and behavioral sciences) with expertise and experience within communities to develop interventions and programs that reduce, and eventually eliminate, these disparities.
To fulfill our mission, we will develop and rigorously test interventions that simultaneously target multiple factors influencing health and disease in populations. We will also develop effective training programs, creating a pipeline to increase the pool of capable researchers working to understand and address health disparities. We will seek and develop partnerships with communities, recognizing the creativity, resilience, and wisdom present among inner-city residents. Together, the Rush Center for Urban Health Equity and community residents will develop interventions and programs that are effective, practical, and sustainable.