The Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) is an HSR&D Center of Innovation representing a strong collaboration between the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center and their academic affiliates, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pennsylvania. CHERP will sustain a primary research focus on improving the quality and equity of health and health care for vulnerable Veteran populations, grow and integrate a secondary research focus on clinical therapeutics, and support additional health services research (HSR) that addresses VA and HSR&D priorities. CHERP's mission is to advance the quality and equity of health and health care for Veterans through HSR, research training and mentoring, service, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement. To achieve this mission CHERP will pursue 6 strategic goals designed to: advance our primary and secondary research foci (Goals 1 and 2); increase partnerships, collaborations, and stakeholder engagement (Goal 3); enhance mentoring, training and educational programs (Goal 4); provide service and leadership (Goal 5); and augment infrastructure to conduct high-impact HSR and translate it into practice and policy (Goal 6). CHERP has explicit objectives and investigator-initiated and Center-driven activities to achieve each goal during the next 5 years. CHERP will thrive under the continued leadership of Dr. Michael Fine (Director), augmented by new direction from Drs. Judith Long (Co-Director), Sonya Borrero (Associate Director) and Melissa Dichter (Associate Director). This team will use their track records of partnered HSR, program development and administration, and mentoring to oversee the execution of CHERP's strategic goals and objectives and ensure positive impacts on Veteran health and health care. CHERP's greatest asset is its 37 core investigators with broad expertise in quantitative and qualitative research and quality improvement methods, including clinical trials, clinical epidemiology, genomics, health behavior change, “big data” analyses, pharmaceutical outcomes, psychometrics, behavioral economics, decision analysis, meta-analysis, technology assessment, and implementation science. CHERP investigators partner with VA stakeholders to maximize the value and impact their work. Key partners include the host VA Medical Centers, VISN4, the Office of Health Equity, Pharmacy Benefits Management and the national Center for Medication Safety. CHERP also uses Veteran Community Advisory Boards at each site to maximize the Veteran-centricity of its research, training, and other activities. In addition, CHERP investigators collaborate with colleagues from other institutions and a broad range of clinical specialties and academic disciplines. CHERP's research advances scientific knowledge, guides clinical care and policy, and improves Veteran health and health care as demonstrated by numerous high impact scientific publications, and the development...