Foundations of Health Research Center

About

The Foundations of Health Research Center believes in the power of research to inform change. Health is the foundation of life, and our center focuses on understanding the health effects of inequality. Accurately and holistically understanding issues around inequality is an important step to improving health for all. Through our health research, we plant the seeds of change to better the world around us. We are rooted in the values of compassion, respect, and approachability. We strive to ensure that our research center and team reflect these values.

Our research team is led by Northwestern University’s Dr. Edith Chen and Dr. Greg Miller. Our team includes faculty, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, post-baccalaureate staff, and undergraduates. Together, we seek to understand and ameliorate health disparities.

As part of our focus on health disparities, we explore the pathways and mechanisms linking social factors and physical health across the life span, in children and adults. We test the psychosocial and psychobiological pathways involved in the stress-health relationship in groups that have historically experienced disadvantage in our society. In parallel, we enlighten the health effects of resilience (i.e., why some individuals who experience adversity do not end up with poor health). As such, our research goals are groundbreaking and paramount foundations for the next generation of health research.