Message from Director Daryl Thornton
It has been quite a year for the Center for Health Equity Engagement Education and Research!
In March 2022, we kicked off our strategic plan by interviewing more than 35 internal and external stakeholders. A group comprised of members of the MetroHealth Research Institute, the Population Health and Equity Research Institute (PHERI), Center staff, and Center collaborators met to incorporate the findings from the interviews into the strategic planning process. This culminated with a virtual retreat in December that was extremely well attended. With a bit more work and discussion we are proud to present our new name, vision, mission, and logo.
Our Name is now the Center for Health Equity, Engagement, Education, and Research (CHEEER).
It reflects a more modern definition of our work while emphasizing our focus on education and research through close relationships with the communities we serve.
Our Vision is to be a trailblazer in achieving health communities through engaged research, education, and advocacy.
Our Mission is to partner with communities to:
- Conduct innovative health equity research,
- Develop a network of diverse health equity leaders, and
- Advocate for policies that promote well-being and health for all
Our Logo was designed to reflect our community-engaged approach to achieving health equity while acknowledging our locale within The MetroHealth System.
Now that the strategic plan is complete, we have begun to grow the Center.
Welcome to our five new faculty members: Ther Aung, PhD, Susan De Luca, MSW, PhD; Anne Gaglioti, MD, MS; Vanessa Ho, MD, MPH; and Laura Mintz, MD, PhD.
On April 19 we held our annual Dissemination Day at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
The new 198,000 square foot building opened in 2022 and was the perfect venue to highlight the accomplishments of our Pilot Awardees and to hear from Susan Fuehrer, President of the MetroHealth Institute for H.O.P.E.™.
With a renewed purpose and expanded workforce, we are off to a fantastic start. I cannot wait to share some of our accomplishments in our next correspondence. If you have additional advice or are interested in further collaborations, please reach out.
Warm regards,
Daryl Thornton, MD, MPH
Director, Center for Health Equity, Engagement, Education, and Research (CHEEER)