Office of Research & Development

Research on Health Disparities and Minority Health

VHA has a long-standing portfolio of research addressing the challenges posed by minority health care needs and the disparities that arise in healthcare delivery, access, and quality.

These varied research studies address disparities among multiple ethnic and racial groups, most prominently between African Americans and whites, but also among different Hispanic groups as well as American Indians. Further, current projects address disparities in care related to:

• joint replacement
• end of life care
• care mood disorders
• diabetes
• health literacy

More system-level disparities are also being investigated, with one study comparing VA health disparities to those in the non-VA health care system. The current equity research portfolio focuses on:

• understanding the reasons for disparities in care,
• developing interventions to reduce disparities,
• and the development of better implementation strategies to translate disparities research findings into practice.

Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP)

Since 2001, the VA HSR&D; Center for Health Equity Research & Promotion (CHERP) has conducted research on racial and ethnic disparities, a priority area at HSR&D.; In October 2013, CHERP was included as one of the 19 centers funded by VA HSR&D; as a Center of Innovation (COIN), a group of dedicated research teams that will build on earlier successes established by the VA HSR&D; Centers of Excellence. In addition to CHERP's research focus on health equity, VA HSR&D; also supports Career Development Awards concentrated on equity and racial and ethnic variations.