# Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP)

> **NIH VA I50** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2024 · —

## Abstract

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...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9664466
- **Project number:** 1I50HX002721-01
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL JONAH FINE
- **Activity code:** I50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2018-10-01 → 2023-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9664466

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9664466, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) (1I50HX002721-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9664466. Licensed CC0.

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