Center for Healthcare Policy and Research

Since 1994, the UC Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR) has been conducting interdisciplinary and collaborative research to improve health outcomes and services, and assisting legislators and others in formulating effective healthcare policies. CHPR staff— comprised of statisticians, programmers, health policy analysts, and qualitative and quantitative researchers—work with faculty at the UC Davis School of Medicine and in academic departments on the Davis campus, as well as elsewhere, to conduct research on the comparative effectiveness of various treatments and interventions, the costs and quality of care, and to identify and mitigate health disparities.

Currently under the leadership of Dr. Courtney Lyles, CHPR-affiliated faculty, staff and post-doctoral fellows are increasing our understanding of:

•the opioid crisis • the effects of wildfire smoke exposure • breast cancer risk • the health of California agricultural workers • interventions for enhancing caregiver health • the impact of optimized breastfeeding on costs of caring for low birthweight infants • the effectiveness of mental health courts in reducing recidivism and police contact • precision cancer screening • attributes associated with child maltreatment • physician burnout • and other important health-related issues.

CHPR also provides timely analyses of health-related evidence to the California State Legislature and other policy-making bodies, and thus informs evidence-based healthcare policies and legislation.

Another CHPR priority is preparing the next generation of health services and health policy researchers. CHPR-affiliated faculty do so by training post-doctoral fellows, mentoring early-career medical doctors and academic professionals, and offering specific courses on the principles and methods used in conducting health services research. While some CHPR mentees have gone on to fellowships and faculty positions elsewhere (such as the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Texas), many join the UC Davis Health faculty.

Your contribution to CHPR will support its efforts to facilitate research, promote education and inform policy about health and healthcare—efforts critical to the physical and economic health of California and the nation.