Advancing Health Policy and Services Research

The objectives of CHAS were to develop a research program and project within it to comprehend the structure and operation of the existing health services system and its impact on the general population." — Odin Anderson, 1966

Funding Opportunities

CHAS offers financial assistance for students, candidates, and faculty researching relevant topics.

SEED GRANTS

Beginning in 2005, CHAS has supported promising health services and policy research projects at the University of Chicago through its annual Seed Grant program. Our Seed Grant awards facilitate research not presently funded by extramural sources, laying the foundations for larger-scale research projects that may be competitive for extramural funding. Our program funds projects that display sound research design with high potential impact on health services and policies affecting the disadvantaged. (Learn more)

DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AWARDS

CHAS offers one $18,000 award on an annual basis. The purpose of the stipend is to support students whose dissertation topic falls within the Center’s mission in the final stages of the dissertation research and writing, from proposal to dissertation defense. (Learn more)

PRE-DOCTORAL STIPENDS

CHAS funds five $3,000 total stipend awards annually to Crown Family School students who qualify. The purpose of the stipend is to support students who are assisting a CHAS faculty member on a health policy or services research project. (Learn more)

Sign-up for the CHAS Newsletter to receive updates on application deadline and availability.

Research Tool Kit

CHAS has always facilitated locating services and has developed a "Research Tool Kit" to provide resources that may be of assistance in the preparation of research proposals and presentations. This toolkit page of resources will change over time as needs evolve.
Biostatistics Laboratory at the University of Chicago
The Biostatistics Laboratory is a resource for advice on biostatistics, including research design and statistical analysis. They actively collaborate with investigators, and encourage potential investigators to contact them at an early stage in their planning. The Biostatistics Clinic has been established to provide free, short-term statistical consultation. This could include:

  • discussion about study design,
  • sample size calculations,
  • advice on organizing data for analysis,
  • basic data analysis,
  • advice to those conducting their own analyses,
  • initial planning and referral for more extensive consultation.

Staffed by members of the Biostatistics Laboratory, the Clinic is currently held on Tuesdays from 9-1 with one-hour time slots available. Appointments are required. This service is funded in part by the University of Chicago Institute for Translational Medicine (CTSA) to lower barriers and to accelerate clinical and translational research.  The Biostatistics Laboratory is located in the Medical Center at the north end of the 3rd floor of the Mothers Aid Research Pavilion (MARP – R-corridor). This can be accessed from the 2nd floor of Goldblatt (W and G corridors) by the staircase at the west end of the corridor near the entrance to the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology suite.

Center for Health Statistics
Faculty and students at the University of Chicago who are affiliated with CHAS, either as Members or Fellows, or working on research projects associated with CHAS, can request for CHAS to sponsor statistical support from the Center for Health Statistics.  Please petition for support and explain your project needs to chas@ssa.uchicago.edu.

CHS has several projects accessible online, including:

MVPreg | MIXZIP | RMASS | BIFACTOR | SuperMix | Mixed-Up Suite | NPPL | LPL

Center for Hospital and Healthcare Administration History
The Center for Hospital and Healthcare Administration History (CHHAH) plays a dual role: making accessible to researchers and policy analysts the knowledge and experience of the past and collecting, preserving, and organizing information about today’s issues that will have lasting value for the future.  The Center was established by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American College of Healthcare Executives and is coordinated by the AHA Resource Center in collaboration with the Health Research and Educational Trust. The mission of the Center is to chronicle the history of hospitals and healthcare administration, especially that of the United States. The Center has become the collector and caretaker of collections and resources that in sum are the history of hospitals and healthcare administration. The Center is located at 155 North Wacker Drive – Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60606. The Resource Center’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. central time, Monday through Friday.  Inquiries may be directed via telephone:  (312) 422-2050 or email at rc@aha.org.
Geographical Information Systems
The Geographical Information Systems group on campus has abundant data and resources for survey data and has several locations on campus.  Additionally, UChicago Libraries have access to a large number of digital GIS datasets. Most of the data is on CD or DVD but also available at the circulation desk in JMedia.  Research and technical consultations are available free of charge to faculty, graduate students, and research centers exclusively affiliated with the University of Chicago’s Social Science Division.  Research and technical consultations are available for a fee to all other faculty, graduate students and research centers NOT exclusively affiliated with the University of Chicago’s Social Science Division.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
SSA and CHAS are happy to announce that we have continued our support and partnership with the Library and the Social Sciences Division in order to bring you access to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).  As a member of the UChicago community, you may access ICPSR from any computer on campus. Off-campus access is coming soon.  ICPSR is a repository of over 500,000 data sets that have been compiled by researchers in a broad range of disciplines. These data sets can be downloaded for analysis with major statistical packages, such as SPSS and SAS. Data sets range from broad topics like the U.S. Census to very specific topics, such as “Voting Results Under a Single-Transferable-Vote System in Malta, 1921-1996“, “The Evangelical Voter in the United States, 1983” or “Collective Memory in Lithuania, 1989“

Access ICPSR here  If the link does not work, copy and paste this url in your browser: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/index.jsp  You will need to create an account so you may sign in to ICPSR.  There is no cost associated with the account.  After you establish your account and sign in, you will be able to find data sets, compare variables, and find publications as well as having access to other resources.

Department of Statistics
The Department of Statistics invites faculty, staff, and students of the University to participate in its consulting program. Consultation is provided by graduate students of the Department with guidance from faculty members. Assistance is available in the areas of applied probability, statistical design, choice and application of statistical methods, analysis of data, and interpretation of results. Clients are encouraged to seek consultation at the design stage of their research.

There is no fee for participation in the program, but participants will generally be required to make available a machine-readable version of their data. Participation will be limited to projects judged to provide the greatest potential benefits for both consultants and clients. In addition, as the number of quarterly requests for consultation generally exceeds the capacity of the program, potential clients are encouraged to make their participation requests early in the quarter. The program does not provide tutoring services, course work assistance, or emergency consulting.

UChicago Survey Lab
The Survey Lab provides a wide range of data collection services.  They can carry out a project from start to finish, including questionnaire design and pre-testing, interviewer training and oversight, data collection and cleaning, final data files and reports. Or, you may need only one or two pieces of the total package: review of a draft questionnaire, consulting to help you through your own data collection process, hosting a web survey you have already designed, a formal training session for your interviewers, etc.  The Survey Lab’s services are available on a fee-for-service basis to clients both internal and external to the University of Chicago.

Send your ideas for additions to the toolkit to chas@ssa.uchicago.edu.