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

by Melissa Marcus Josephine McKelvy, Ph.D., has many talents, not the least of which is her role as an Evaluation Research Scientist with Abacus. Her skills range from scrap-booking to making sure programs are sending the message and doing the work they need to do. From a birds-eye view to a ground-level perspective, Josephine has … Read more

by Melissa Marcus As an advanced research assistant, Airianne Posey supports a wide variety of projects in the Center for Health Equity Research (CHER). Her skills range across projects and programs, and she even knows how to carry a tune. And even this is only a fraction of what Airianne Posey can do. We reached … Read more

by Melissa Marcus Community. When we hear that word, we might imagine our own homes, neighborhoods, friends and family. For Black teenagers in rural areas, how they see community can differ from our expectations. A recent paper published in the Journal of Community Psychology aimed to understand how Black teenagers sense connection to where they … Read more

by Melissa Marcus When you think of public health workers, do you picture teens? It might seem odd. But  work experience plays a large role in youth development. And CHER researchers and partners found new benefits when they worked with Black youth in rural North Carolina counties. Teenage work experience is linked to personal growth. … Read more