Our Model

CHAS operates through a community-centered model designed to move from local insight to system-level change. Our research is not extractive. It is designed in partnership with the communities whose lives it concerns, governed by community priorities, and oriented toward generating evidence that drives real policy change.

Community-Defined Priorities

Community partners identify the most urgent climate-health challenges. Research questions originate in neighborhood experience, not academic agendas.

Co-Designed Interventions

Programs are developed collaboratively, grounded in local knowledge and needs, and governed by community leaders with genuine decision-making authority.

Embedded Research and Evaluation

Faculty and research staff work alongside community organizations to measure outcomes and build evidence. University of Chicago faculty and partners from other Chicago-area medical centers and research universities are paired directly with community grantees to build lasting local research capacity.

Policy Translation and Scaling

Findings are translated into policy, with a focus on sustainable funding pathways such as Medicaid reimbursement, County budget allocation, and state climate-health funding.

This model ensures that research is accountable, actionable, and designed to produce lasting impact, not just academic publications.