News
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
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 for Community...
'I am striving to help contribute to safe and supportive communities where all our young people are able to thrive'
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 their work. ...
New federally-funded project led by Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson builds on research to reduce 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 $100 billion...
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of the COVID-19 Response in the Africa Region
Josh Harsin receives dissertation award from the National Collaborative on Gun Violence Research
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 topics including...
'ThrYve' program works to prevent violence among youth in KCK through community engagement
KU Health System's 'Revive' program part of network to prevent youth violence in KCK
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
(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 City (YVPC-KC). ...
Morning Medical Update: Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson on ThrYve
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 Morning Medical...
Recent KU graduate and Center staff alum Jennifer Lawlor selected for prestigious national honor
a master of arts and a doctorate in ecological-community psychology, and she has written 18 academic articles in her field. Centered on communication and problem-solving, she conducted research while partnering with community organizations to address issues such as improving early childhood outcomes, food systems, and K-12 education, and prevention of...
CCHD alum and longtime friend Ithar Hassaballa, Boston Congress of Public Health in 40 under 40 Winner, recently featured in the NYC Daily Post.
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
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
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
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
"OST [Out-of-School-Time] opportunities for youth are critical to their healthy and positive development, which impacts their success as individuals and contributors to their communities." ...
Progress Toward a Multisectoral Community Intervention Approach to Prevention of the Word Gap
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 the important...
Drs. Jomella Watson-Thompson, Kaston Anderson-Carpenter, and Richard Rakos' compelling editorial addressing systemic issues that underlie societal well-being
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 juncture, with...
KU Center Appraises Douglas County's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
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
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 them to...
ThrYve Partnering in KU Grant Awarded to Study Transportation Needs for Underrepresented Youths in KC Area
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 the KU...
REVIVE: A collaboration to help reduce youth violence
Jomella Watson-Thompson, associate professor of applied behavioral science and associate director at the KU Center for Community Health & Development at the Life Span Institute, ThrYve is funded by a 2017 four-year, $1.7 million grant awarded to Watson-Thompson to study comprehensive approaches to prevent youth violence in the Kansas City...
Examining the Capacity of the Juvenile Justice System in Wyandotte County’s Judicial District #29
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 to collaboratively...
KU Researchers Develop New Toolkit for Social Justice Action
Dr. Jomella Watson-Thompson is the featured guest on American Public Square at Jewell's "Both Sides."
Researchers Join with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health to Monitor and Evaluate COVID-19 Response
is partnering with Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health and other community organizations to evaluate the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CCHD team is leading systematic documentation of policy, systems, and environmental changes meant to combat the spread of coronavirus in the county. ...
KDHE Maternal and Child Health Opportunity Project Launches
and Christina Holt are collaborating with colleagues at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to build capacity and jump start health equity efforts in the state. A Health Opportunity RFA has just been released, paired with free technical support through the new Kansas Healthy Communities Action Toolkit. The Action...