Geiger-Gibson RCHN Foundation Research Collaborative

the geiger gibson/rchn community health foundation research collaborative
Cultivating Community Health Scholarship and Research

The Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative is a unique, comprehensive, multi-faceted academic and research initiative focused on community health centers.

To initiate the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative, the RCHN Community Health Foundation (RCHN CHF) presented $2 million to the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy, which is the academic home of the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy. The gift is the largest ever received by the school. The purpose of the gift is to strengthen and expand the field of health center-oriented policy research. Specifically, the funds will support the education and training of young scholars, support cutting-edge national and community health policy research, and create opportunities for the dissemination of research focused on access, health equity and the role of health centers.

The multi-faceted Collaborative includes research, teaching, training and other elements. Over the course of a five-year work plan, the Collaborative will:

Conduct research to examine the health care delivery experiences, challenges and achievements of health centers
Engage in community research grant partnerships with up to six community health centers, with the aim of growing research collaborations between health centers and policy scholars
Award two post-doctoral fellowships with a focus on economics and health policy
Award scholarship assistance to support Master's degree candidates specializing in community health policy
Conduct annual national health center surveys and provide data analysis and synthesis
Disseminate information to policy makers, the media and thought leaders through periodic policy seminars, invitational research seminars, and other activities

Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., Hirsh Professor and chair, Department of Health Policy, directs the overall collaborative including all educational, research and scholarship activities. Dr. Peter Shin oversees the research component and dissemination of findings. Dr. Avi Dor, director of the Department's Economics and Health Policy Program, directs the post-doctoral awards program. Susan Abramson directs the community health research program. The Collaborative is advised by a national committee that includes academic, research, and policy experts, as well as health center leaders.

More on Geiger Gibson

The Geiger Gibson Program was established in 2003 as part of the School's Department of Health Policy. Named after Drs. H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in community health and human rights, the Geiger Gibson Program provides rigorous education, training, and research and scholarship related to health policy for medically underserved communities and populations.

Geiger Gibson Program: A health-center focused initiative within The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.

A membership organization representing community health centers and dedicated to expanding access to health care.

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