Current & Recent Projects

A collborative research team from the University's Partnership for Healthy Communities, the Center for Community Research and Service and the Delaware Division of Public Health updated the Health Equity Guide first published in 2015.  The research team focused on structural racism as a fundamental cause of health inequities.

Research team:

Erin Knight, PhD, MPH, Associate Director of the Biden School Center for Community Research & Service and Associate Director of the Partnership for Healthy Communities

Kalyn McDonough, MSW, Graduate Research Assistant for the Partnership for Healthy Communities and a Biden School doctoral candidate

Cassandra Codes-Johnson, MPA, Associate Deputy of the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Delaware's State Innovation Model (SIM) Plan was part of a multi-year process involving multiple stakeholdersconsumers, health care providers, payers, community organizations and othersaimed at transforming the state's health system in ways that improve quality and lower health care costs. DE SIM is funded in part from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) State Innovation Models initiative established through the Affordable Care Act. The initiative is managed by the Delaware Health Care Commission and supported by the Delaware Center for Health Innovation.

Researchers in CCRS partnered with researchers at Concept Systems, Inc. on a mixed methods system evaluation of DE SIM.  The evaluation is designed to be participant-oriented and utilization-focused. We are engaging stakeholders in a continuous improvement approach to examining the processes and outcomes of the DE SIM initiative.

DE SIM Evaluation Team (CCRS)

Erin K. Knight, PhD, MPH, Associate Director and Assistant Professor

Mary Joan McDuffie, MA, Policy Scientist and Medicaid Research Program Director

Hira Rashid, MA, Doctoral Student, Research Assistant

DE SIM Evaluation Team (Concept Systems, Inc.)

Scott Rosas, PhD, Senior Consultant

Jessica Gosa, MSW, LMSW, Client Services Consultant

Justin Kessler, MA, Client Services Consultant

Sponsored by the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), CCRS coordinated the development of an Epidemiologic Profile on Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) to support DPHs efforts to understand the extent of HCV in the state of Delaware.  CCRS worked with DPH to identify and access different data sets that were used to develop the profile.  

CCRS Research Team

Mary Joan McDuffie, MA, Policy Scientist and Medicaid Research Program Director

Janice Barlow, MA, Policy Scientist and Kids Count Director

Katie Gifford, PhD, Policy Scientist

Erin Knight, PhD, MPH, Associate Director, Policy Scientist

Max Holdsworth, MS, Graduate Research Assistant

Shelby Moser, MA, Graduate Research Assistant

For more information on HCV in Delaware:

Hepatitis C Epidemoiological Profile, December, 2017

Delaware Division of Public Health Adult Viral Hepatitis Program

Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a cross-sector approach to decision-making that addresses the complex factors that influence health and equity at the state and community level. It requires engaging and collaborating with non-traditional partners in sectors that may not view themselves as having and interest in or influence on health, or do not see themselves as having a role in health promotion. The purpose of this project was to research promising practices, as well as collect baseline data across sectors, in order to develop recommendations for building a statewide HiAP Collaborative in Delaware. The project supports the Delaware Division of Public Health's efforts to implement its health equity strategy with other state agencies and community partners.

For more information about this project, please contact Erin Knight, PhD, MPH. 

Health equitythe attainment of the highest possible level of health for all peopleis a fundamental (though sometimes overlooked) goal of public health. A right to the attainment of optimal health was articulated in the Constitution of the World Health Organization in 1948 and continues to be central to a human rights-based approach to health.

The Health Equity Guide was originally created with the intent to support the Delaware Division of Public Health in the implementation of its health equity strategy. In this way, it is intended as a practical resource for professionals. At the same time, we saw the need for a more politically-aware approach to evidence based practice in public health, and this guide is an attempt to drive public dialogue in the right direction. It provides tools for health equity advocates at different levels of influence to shape healthy public policies and practices

Project team:

Erin K. Knight, PhD, MPH, Associate Director, CCRS

Gabrielle Ransford, Public Health Associate, Community Health, Delaware Division of Public Health

Paige Gugerty, Undergraduate Public Policy Fellow, CCRS

Erin Dugan, Undergraduate Research Assistant, CCRS

Cassandra Codes-Johnson, MPA, Director of Community Health, Delaware Division of Public Health

To view or download the complete guide, visit our Recent Publications page. For an interactive version of the guide, or to download individual sections, visit Delaware Health Equity Guide.