by Abby Arcuri In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed the Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. CEAL teams work closely with the communities hit hardest by COVID-19. One such team is based in North Carolina. NC CEAL began because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the group continues … Read more

by Abby Arcuri This fall, we’re welcoming an undergraduate student to our communications team, and we’re excited to have her help share the story of CHER. As an undergrad with goals of studying health equity, Abby Arcuri is excited to join our team at CHER. She is eager to learn and can’t wait to get … Read more

CHER benefits from colleagues who’ve traveled different paths. And sometimes, the path to CHER includes learning all about smoothing the paths of others. Our research director knows all about way-finding: she’s found her way through park trails, urban environments and research in higher ed. Get to know Mary and how she’s paving the way for … Read more

The 2023 Health Equity Research Intensive (HERI) is coming soon! HERI helps participants build the skills they need to do research with an equity lens. The program offers a variety of sessions over multiple days. Some sessions are foundational, helping researchers prepare their soil and sow seeds. Some present applications so researchers can grow and … Read more

Students contribute unique perspectives to projects and teams. At CHER, it’s a joy to hire and mentor them.  One of our newest team members is studying health behavior at Gillings. And working with us. And working with Lineberger. That’s a lot of ways to support health equity!  Abhigna (uh-BIG-naa) Rao (rhymes with “now”) shared her … Read more

by Rachel Berthiaume The Paul A. Godley Health Equity Research Symposium, an annual CHER event since 2020, was reimagined in 2023 to provide more opportunities to highlight health equity research and promote new collaborations. Shifting from a single day with a keynote presentation and a research presentation, it was expanded to four days of sessions from … Read more

At CHER, we believe research shared is research improved. That’s why we’re excited to introduce a new colleague in a new role. Get to know Rachel Berthiaume, MPH, who slowed down for a few minutes to share with us. Tell us about your role at CHER. What’s your position and focus? I’m delighted to step … Read more

Michelle Song, Associate Director of Data Science & Analytics for Abacus Evaluation with CHER, is an excellent professional. That’s what the UNC Employee Forum says and we couldn’t agree more.  Song was recently announced as a 2023 recipient of a UNC Employee Forum Peer Recognition Award for Professional Excellence.  “We were very excited to hear … Read more

New research from CHER is shining light for researchers at every level. New research on electronic Community Resource Referral Systems (CRRSs) is a step forward for experienced researchers and recently graduated student assistants. A systematic review explores what improves or blocks CRRS implementation and connects “structural factors” to “cultural characteristics and financial incentives in the … Read more

by Melissa Marcus Grant applications might give pause to some academics, but for Blen (rhymes with rain) Biru they’re just another day’s work. From helping with applications to mastering languages, there’s little Blen can’t tackle. We reached out to her to learn more about what she does. Tell us about your role at CHER. What’s … Read more