News
Monthly Webinar Training Series for Maternal and Child Health Workforce in Kansas
Christina Holt and Stephen Fawcett, together with other researchers and staff from the Center for Community Health and Development, have launched a monthly webinar training series for the maternal and child health workforce in Kansas in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The year-long series is based...
Addressing Social Determinants of Health to Affect Health Equity
Christina Holt, together with colleague Belinda Flores, Kansas Department of Health and Environment program manager for sexual violence prevention and education, presented "Community-level Implementation: Addressing Social Determinants of Health to Affect Health Equity" during a San Diego, Calif., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reverse site visit in September. ...
Programs in Kansas Presented as a Model to Address Sexual Violence by Reducing Health Disparities
KU resource for community change expands to offer online courses
An online resource based at the University of Kansas and accessed by more than 6 million people annually has expanded to offer a group of online courses focused on leadership, communication, advocacy and much more. The courses are a part of the Community Tool Box, a project of the Center...
'I am striving to help contribute to safe and supportive communities where all our young people are able to thrive'
University of Kansas faculty are striving to advance knowledge, interpret our world, solve problems, spark innovation, create beauty and catalyze imagination through their research, scholarship and creative activity. Through the “I Am Striving” series, we’ll learn more about what inspires KU researchers, as well as the goals and impact of...
New federally-funded project led by Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson builds on research to reduce youth violence
Youth violence sends an average of 1,000 young people to emergency rooms across the country every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among Black youth ages 10 to 24, violence is the leading cause of death. Youth homicides and nonfatal physical assault-related injuries cost an estimated...
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of the COVID-19 Response in the Africa Region
KU’s World Health Organization Collaborating Centre worked with partners at the WHO Regional Office for Africa to monitor and evaluate the COVID-19 response with partners in African countries. The KU Center team, led by senior advisor Stephen Fawcett and doctoral student Ruaa Hassaballa, were co-authors of the recently published “Participatory...
Timely intervention: New center dedicated to reducing youth violence
"A school program funded through a federal grant to KU has helped encourage Harris in his drive to help others. Thryve, or Together Helping Reduce Youth Violence for Equity, since 2017 has united more than 40 community partners to develop programs to prevent youth violence, provide out-of-school and in-school assistance,...
Josh Harsin receives dissertation award from the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research
Congratulations to our Center colleague Josh Harsin, mentored by Jomella Watson-Thompson, who has received a dissertation award, “Evaluating a Community-Based Violence Prevention Program: Impacts at the Individual and Community Level” from the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research. The collaborative announced funding for seven new research projects examining gun violence...
'ThrYve' program works to prevent violence among youth in KCK through community engagement
"ThrYve, a local group in partnership with the University of Kansas Health System, says they are working to prevent violent crime among youth. ...
KU Health System's 'Revive' program part of network to prevent youth violence in KCK
According to the Wyandotte County Health Department, homicide is the number one cause of death for people ages 15 to 44 in Wyandotte. The county sees more violence in general, and among its youth, than neighboring counties across Kansas. ...
CDC-Funded Research Project at KU to Evaluate Initiatives to Reduce Youth Violence in Kansas City Metro Area
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has awarded the University of Kansas a grant to establish one of only five federally funded national centers of excellence on youth violence prevention. The five-year award will provide $1.2 million annually through 2026 to fund the Youth Violence Prevention Research Center-Kansas...
Morning Medical Update: Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson on ThrYve
Homicide is the leading cause of death for African American youth in the United States. Colleagues with the Center for Community Health and Development in partnership with other academic and community partners are working to change it. In this interview with Dr. Stites on the University of Kansas Health System’s...
Recent KU graduate and Center staff alum Jennifer Lawlor selected for prestigious national honor
Dr. Jennifer A. Lawlor has been selected to a prestigious program that recognizes 10 young leaders across the country every year. She was named a member of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA) Class of 2022. ...
CCHD alum and longtime friend Ithar Hassaballa, Boston Congress of Public Health in 40 under 40 Winner, recently featured in the NYC Daily Post.
Congratulations to alum and longtime CCHD friend Ithar Hassaballa, MPH, Ph.D., Boston Congress of Public Health in 40 under 40 Winner, recently featured in the NYC Daily Post. ...
KU Graduate and Former Center Colleague Chuck Sepers Speaks about Serving as Appleton, Wisconsin's New Health Officer During the Pandemic
When the city council voted in January to hire Chuck Sepers as Appleton's new health officer, the city was experiencing its worst COVID-19 surge yet. ...
Douglas County Health Equity: Voices from Our Community Report Released
Conversations illuminate residents’ experiences of prejudice and racism, and lived experiences with the social determinants of health. Informing the Douglas County Health Equity Report and Community Health Assessment, these residents’ voices are critical to making policy and programmatic decisions for just and equitable communities for all. ...
Center alumna Marvia Jones named director of Kansas City Health Department
We couldn’t be prouder of Dr. Marvia Jones, who is taking the helm as the Director of the KCMO Health Department February 14. ...
ThrYve Helping Improve Transit Options for Underserved Youth in Kansas City
"This project is a collaboration between the The University of Kansas, the Kansas City Public Library, KC Digital Drive, Thryve KC, Keystone Innovations and numerous community organizations, such as schools, mobility providers and local governments. The university brings in the technical and research perspective on mobility and app development. The...
Progress Toward a Multisectoral Community Intervention Approach to Prevention of the Word Gap
Congratulations to Charles R. Greenwood, Judith J. Carta, Alana G. Schnitz, Dale Walker, Dola Williams, Valerie Thompson, and Jomella Watson-Thompson on this important work and corresponding publication. It is wonderful to see an action planning guide, supports for intersectoral action, and the Community Check Box Evaluation System being used for...
Drs. Jomella Watson-Thompson, Kaston Anderson-Carpenter, and Richard Rakos' compelling editorial addressing systemic issues that underlie societal well-being
Kudos to Drs. Jomella Watson-Thompson, Kaston Anderson-Carpenter, and Richard Rakos on this compelling editorial paying homage to the history of - and making a case for the criticality of furthering - behavioral community psychology to address systemic issues that underlie societal well-being. “Behavioral community psychology is now at a critical...
Founding Director Dr. Stephen Fawcett shares his journey over nearly 50 years
“A Reflection on Community Research and Action as an Evolving Practice” was just published in the special issue of Behavioral Community Psychology Behavioral and Social Issues. The focus is on three types of influence, and highlights the nature of the field’s evolution. Download the PDF here. ...
KU Center Appraises Douglas County's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
A new paper by researchers at the Center for Community Health and Development, an academic health department within the University of Kansas Life Span Institute, details their monitoring and evaluation of the COVID-19 response of the Douglas County public health system. ...
KU Awarded $1 million to Help Connect Underrepresented KC Youths With ‘Out-of-School’ Opportunities
Grant-Funded Collaboration Between KCK Community and KU Aims to Reduce Youth Violence
Youth violence in the U.S. is a leading cause of death for young people and leads to 400,000 nonfatal injuries each year according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention. Although these violent incidents can have serious physical, mental, and social effects on young people, it can be difficult for...
ThrYve Partnering in KU Grant Awarded to Study Transportation Needs for Underrepresented Youths in KC Area
The University of Kansas has received a federal planning grant for a project aimed at helping Kansas City leaders figure out how to connect underserved teens to out-of-school activities and opportunities. Under the guidance of Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson, the CCHD’s ThrYve team is partnering in this collaborative effort that spans...
REVIVE: A collaboration to help reduce youth violence
REVIVE, or Reducing the Effects of Violence through Intervention and Victim Empowerment, is a collaboration among the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, Wyandotte County Community Corrections, The University of Kansas Health System and a federally funded grant program based at KU called ThrYve, or Together Helping Reduce Youth Violence for...
Examining the Capacity of the Juvenile Justice System in Wyandotte County’s Judicial District #29
The juvenile justice system for JD #29 in Wyandotte County was examined with the aim of enhancing the capacity to systematically collect and use data to inform decision-making. The ThrYve Youth Justice Initiative served as the convener with the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas...
KU Researchers Develop New Toolkit for Social Justice Action
The Justice Action Toolkit distills the helpful resources from the Community Tool Box for those seeking to create social change. Step-by-step guidance is provided for direct action techniques and effective advocacy, including registering voters, working with elected officials, organizing demonstrations, digital advocacy using social media, and taking action on systemic...
Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson is the featured guest on American Public Square at Jewell's "Both Sides."
Dr. Watson-Thompson discusses Thryve, a community-level approach to preventing youth violence. Dr. Thompson is the principal investigator for Thryve, whose goal is to improve youth outcomes by coordinating community and system-level efforts to address risk and protection factors. Listen here. ...